Killick Coast Regional Transportation Initiative

“The Affordability Action Council of the Institution for Research on Public Policy¹ and the Canadian Urban Transit Association (CUTA)² note that public transit options in rural areas are a key component in addressing equity concerns, creating a durable community fabric, and tackling the affordability crisis. Transportation poverty is at its highest in rural areas where vulnerable populations and equity-deserving groups often have proportionally higher representation. It is understood that the cost of owning a vehicle is a significant portion of typical household budgets. Safe, reliable, and affordable public transit options can make an enormous difference to a household’s social and economic stability.

Additionally, the Affordability Action Council has stated that transportation solutions are critical to the rural net zero transition. Those living in rural areas must travel longer distances, face higher costs, and generate more greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Within Newfoundland and Labrador, it is known that transportation accounts for a large portion of the emissions at a provincial scale – much of these emissions are from travel in personal vehicles. Providing regional public transit through zero emission vehicle options will have significant environmental and climate change benefits. While public transport in general has been shown to reduce overall GHG emissions, zero emission transit vehicles can offer an additional means of GHG emissions reductions. More broadly, implementation of a zero-emission public transit system across the Killick Coast offers an opportunity for decoupling GHG emissions from community economic development. This would make the Killick Coast Region a leader across Canada and create a potentially replicable business model for climate conscious public transit in a rural area.“