Caledon is a big town with a small population and a growing problem when it comes to public transit.
The town is physically larger than Brampton and Mississauga combined, but makes up only a fraction of the Peel population. It won’t be like this for much longer, with a population growth to 300k expected by 2051.
Despite this, the town doesn’t have close to the public transit infrastructure needed to match the growth. Currently, it’s served by only seven bus routes, most of which only run along major roads during weekday rush hours, and are run by a patchwork of transit agencies.
Limited transit options can bar car-less Caledon residents from social opportunities, community connection and the freedom to explore. It’s not just about commuters, it’s about quality of life.
Moaz Ahmad, a Mississauga-based transit and infrastructure advocate, says that public transportation will be critical as Caledon grows. He says it needs to be developed now so the town isn’t scrambling to build this infrastructure later on.
“It’s very exciting for Caledon, because they have this opportunity to build before the people come,” says Ahmad. “[Public transit] opens up a lot of doors for people when you don’t have to make that investment in a car.”
The town is awaiting approval from the Province of Ontario to expand to 18 transit routes by 2051, in collaboration with Brampton Transit. In a written statement, Dan Terzievski, the Caledon Director of Transportation, explained the value of the partnership. He says “this arrangement allows us to offer viable and affordable transit options to the community while leveraging Brampton’s well-established transit service operation.”
In the meantime, the lack of density and limited public transit options leaves people feeling isolated and struggling to connect with others. This impact is particularly felt by the youth, the elderly, and others who don’t have regular access to cars.
Since 1992, Caledon Community Services (CCS) has been offering door-to-door transportation services for seniors and adults with disabilities to help manage the longstanding problem of accessible mobility.
“It’s a lifeline for the community,” CEO Geraldine Aguiar says. “People can’t pay $50 for a taxi to get up the road.”
Caledon Community Services charges four dollars for rides within Caledon, compared with ride-share services that can easily cost more than three times that for a trip of the same distance (though the exact rates vary from hour to hour).
However, with limited staffing, funding and more demand than they can meet, Aguiar says they end up turning away about 1,000 rides a month.
Before COVID, they had 15 volunteer drivers, but that has now dropped to two. They have made up some of the loss with four more paid drivers, still not enough to fill the gap.
“It’s a struggle for us to say no to someone because we can’t accommodate a ride, but that is the reality,” Aguiar says.
She says they were able to provide approximately 24,000 rides last year. With more drivers and resources, “that number could easily increase by 13,000 at minimum.”
The lack of resources means CCS can’t offer rides for social trips, family visits, or to work. They have to prioritize medical appointments and day programs.
In Caledon, that leaves many missing out on those opportunities altogether.
“There’s not anything that says once you reach a certain age, you don’t need to go to the community centre, you only need to go to the hospital,” says Ahmad.
“People want to have full and rich lives, and transit helps them have those experiences and opportunities.”
Aguiar agrees that more public transit can help augment CCS, but not fully replace it. “The need for community and specialized transportation will always be there for the demographic where walking to a bus stop is a barrier.”
Fifteen percent of people who live in Caledon, those between the ages of 15 and 24 (a similar proportion of the population to those over 65) are less likely to struggle getting to a bus stop, but are also feeling the lack of mobility.
Dmytro Basmat, a former programming manager at Che’s Place, a youth centre in Bolton, believes the positive impact transit can have on younger community members is crucial to their independence.
“I worked with a lot of teenagers. They couldn’t get anywhere except to school and back,” he said. “They had to rely on their parents for transportation. That’s unfair for them.”
This is a sentiment shared by Sheralyn Roman, a community activist and mother.
“How does a student get to a part time job?” asks Roman. “If both parents are working in the city, how does their 17 year old get a part time job at a local grocery store?”
Like any commuter town, the majority of Caledon residents work outside of Peel, with 95 per cent using an automobile to get there. The lack of transit hours and routes reflect this, but there is concern that what exists isn’t aligned with the actual demand.
“People need to go elsewhere at other times. People work overnight shifts,” says Basmat. He says service expansion needs to be a priority, not just during weekday rush hours. “[Decision makers should] focus on transport, focus on getting people where they need to go.”
Roman’s concerns go beyond employment, to the opportunity to volunteer, access to libraries, and community spaces that exist within Caledon. She worries that people without reliable access to cars are not able to fully take advantage of what Caledon offers.
“In the village that I live in, there’s an art gallery. There’s a beautiful little cafe that also has a yoga studio. There are resources here,” she says, highlighting that people can’t enjoy these things if they simply can’t get there.
“Public transportation is access. It’s opening up the community to everybody.”