Ontario Investing $4.4M in Windsor Transit

May 8, 2026

Provincial gas tax funding will help support and improve local public transit initiatives

WINDSOR— As part of its plan to protect Ontario, the province is investing $4,462,356 to support public transit service in Windsor. This funding through the 2025-26 Gas Tax program can be used for local public transit initiatives such as expanding service hours, increasing routes, purchasing new vehicles and improving accessibility to increase transit ridership.

“Investing in public transit is investing in the people of Windsor,” said Andrew Dowie, MPP for Windsor–Tecumseh. “This funding will strengthen Transit Windsor and help ensure residents can rely on safe, efficient service—when and where they need it. Our government remains committed to building a stronger, more connected community.”

The $4.4 million the City of Windsor receives will support the operating budget at Transit Windsor, which helps residents get to work, school, important appointments, and community activities across the city 365 days a year, rain or shine, on weekends and holidays. In 2025, nearly eight million passenger trips were delivered by Transit Windsor, supported by more than three hundred employees and a fully accessible fleet of 117 buses. These buses operate citywide, with the system providing approximately 320,000 hours of service and travelling more than six million kilometres through Windsor neighbourhoods, reflecting the scale and importance of transit services to the community.

“Transit Windsor’s ongoing operational investments are making a difference,” said Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens. “These investments contribute to continuous improvements in service delivery and responsive planning. The whole of City Council recognizes that public transit is a core municipal service and approved $5.4 million in 2026 to support capital investments in public transit. With this significant provincial contribution of $4.4 million to support daily operations, the City and the Ontario Government are investing a combined nearly $10 million in Transit Windsor’s operations and capital this year. This funding from the province has been consistent, with few barriers or parameters for its use, offering flexibility and empowering City administration to direct these crucial dollars where they are most needed, and where they will have the greatest impact on residents.”

The province is investing nearly $380 million through the 2025-26 Gas Tax program to support public transit in 107 municipalities, helping protect Ontario communities by strengthening transit services across the province. In addition to the Gas Tax program,  Ontario also supports municipal transportation projects through the Connecting Links, and Ontario Transit Investment Fund programs.

“Under the leadership of Premier Ford, our government is investing nearly $70 billion in public transit to protect Ontario by building a stronger, more resilient, self-reliant economy,” said Prabmeet Sarkaria, Ontario’s Minister of Transportation. “Today, we’re ensuring municipalities can continue to deliver safe and reliable transit services for their communities.”

Quick Facts

  • Under the Dedicated Funding for Public Transportation Act, 2013, two cents per litre of gasoline tax is dedicated as a permanent funding source for public transit.
  • Gas Tax funding can be used towards transit operating and capital costs at the municipalities’ own discretion.
  • The Gas Tax funding envelope is determined annually, based on the amount of gasoline sold in the previous year.
  • Gas Tax funding is determined through public transit ridership and population growth. The province’s approach provides stable support to all municipalities, including small communities, and helps expand public transit service hours and routes, new vehicles and better transit accessibility.
  • Ontario is investing nearly $70 billion in the largest transit expansion in North America, including the largest subway expansion in Canadian history: the Ontario Line subway, the Yonge North Subway Extension, the Scarborough Subway Extension and the Eglinton Crosstown West Extension.

Additional Resources

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