Key findings from the Mobilizing Justice National Survey on Transport Poverty

In Canada, household income shapes nearly every aspect of how people get around. What modes people can afford, how far they can realistically travel, and whether transportation opens up opportunities or closes them off all vary significantly by income.

How people get around is shaped by gender. Travel needs, safety concerns, and the barriers people face are not the same across genders. Women and non-binary people often make more complex trips and encounter greater challenges around affordability, safety, and service reliability.

Transport poverty can vary by racial and Indigenous identity because access to transportation is shaped by broader patterns of social, economic, and spatial inequalities. In Canada, visible minority and Indigenous populations often experience distinct transportation barriers due to differences in income, housing location, employment opportunities, car access, transit service availability, and experiences of exclusion or discrimination.

Transport poverty can also vary by immigration status because transportation needs and constraints may change with settlement stage, employment conditions, social networks, housing location, and familiarity with local transportation systems. Recent immigrants may face distinct barriers as they navigate new job markets, education systems, services, and transit networks, while long-term immigrants may experience transportation challenges differently as their resources, routines, and neighbourhood ties evolve over time.