Canada urban transit ridership returns to growth in June as World Cup lifts demand
After more than a year of annual declines, Canada's urban transit systems record a year-over-year increase in passenger traffic in June 2026. The rebound reaches 129.0 million trips and is supported by unusually strong demand in Toronto and Vancouver during FIFA World Cup 2026.
Highlights
- Urban transit networks in Canada record 129.0 million passenger trips in June 2026, up 3.3% year-over-year, reversing 13 months of declines.
- Transit agency operating revenue, excluding subsidies, increases to $345.8 million in June 2026, rising 6.8% or $22.1 million from June 2025.
- The FIFA World Cup 2026 drives Toronto Transit Commission's ridership up 42% on key routes and delivers Metro Vancouver's highest daily boardings in six years.
June ridership rebound and revenue gains
As reported by Statistics Canada, urban transit networks across Canada provide an estimated 129.0 million passenger trips in June 2026, up 3.3% from June 2025, ending 13 straight months of year-over-year declines.On a monthly basis, ridership rises 1.6%, or 2.0 million trips, in a break from the usual seasonal slowdown seen in June. Transit agency operating revenue, excluding subsidies, reaches $345.8 million in June, up 6.8%, or $22.1 million, from the same month a year earlier.
Toronto and Vancouver see World Cup-driven demand
The increase is not evenly spread across the country and may prove temporary, as it coincides with a surge in international visitors and local spectators attending FIFA World Cup 2026. The tournament boosts transit use in Canada's host cities, Toronto and Vancouver.According to the Canadian Urban Transit Association, the event produces notable gains in both cities. Compared with June 2025, the Toronto Transit Commission records a 42% rise in ridership on routes serving Toronto Stadium and Exhibition Place, with more than 1.14 million rides across six match days in June 2026, while Metro Vancouver's TransLink logs nearly 1.4 million system-wide boardings on June 24, 2026, its highest daily ridership in more than six years.
Our earlier article on Ottawa’s C$932 million infrastructure funding for Ontario detailed how federal money is being channeled to municipalities and the City of Toronto for projects spanning transit, water systems, and roads. We noted that Toronto’s share is earmarked in part for public transit upgrades, including steps toward a zero-emission fleet and improved subway accessibility—investments that help strengthen capacity and service quality as ridership demand fluctuates.
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