Connecting Canadians to COVID-19 Vaccines

On August 12, 2021, I joined the Canadian Urban Transit Association (CUTA-ACTU) for a panel on VaxTransit, along with TransLink, Vancouver’s public transit agency. The video is queued to the beginning of my presentation at 19:21.

Webinar description from CUTA:

We all know that the pandemic has turned the transit industry upside down. Before Covid, ridership was rising. But as ridership plummeted during Covid, Canadian systems’ high farebox recovery rates caused steep revenue shortfalls. As of July, ridership was only about a third of pre-Covid levels.

Despite these challenges, systems have maintained high service levels because many Canadians still rely on transit. When the vaccination rollout started, transit stepped up even more. Systems from coast-to-coast have used vehicles to get Canadians to their vaccine appointments—often at no charge.

CUTA’s next learning series will bring together a panel of experts to discuss how transit can continue to support this crucial effort. Featured panelists include Aliya Mohamed, Head of Public Affairs at TransLink; Kyle Rosenke, Senior Public Affairs Advisor at TransLink; and Stewart Mader, Communications Advisor and leader of the nation-wide VaxTransit campaign.