The City of Windsor of Windsor received just over $4.4 million in gas tax funding for 2025-2026, the same amount as the last two years.
The number has stayed stagnant because of a drop of ridership at Transit Windsor. That drop is linked to a reduction of international students in the city who rely on transit to get to and from the college and university.
"We're appreciated of the $4.4 million, we hope to grow that over time as we get more students coming back to the college and university and as get more people living in the community comfortable using Transit Windsor as well as we continue to enhance the services here," said Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens.
Last year, Transit Windsor recorded an $8 million deficit.
"[The $4.4 million] goes right into our operating budget for transit and so we don't want to cut back service, we want to continue to deliver it. We recognize that this challenging time that we're seeing with respect to international students and that number dropping off a cliff is probably just a moment in time and so we're hoping that normalizes and stabilizes sooner rather than later," said Dilkens.
The gas tax funding was established in 2013 as a permanent funding source for public transit. Each municipality's allocation is based on transit ridership, population growth and the amount of gas sold each year.
“Investing in public transit is investing in the people of Windsor,” said Windsor-Tecumseh MPP Andrew Dowie. “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.”
