90% of respondents to our survey indicated that they would use transit more often if frequency was increased. 87% of respondents indicated that more on-time service would lead to them using public transit more often. Investments in the fundamental quality of transit service is apparently much more impactful than investing in things like on-demand transit: only 34% of respondents indicated that on-demand transit would lead to them using public transit more often.

1. Transit is essential to people getting to work, accessing goods and services, and otherwise participating in the economy. 50% of public transit users who responded to our survey use public transit to get to work, and 60% use it to complete errands.

Among those who had used Transit Windsor, only 29% of women were satisfied with their experience using the service, compared to 44% of men. Among non-binary respondents (n = 14), only 14% were satisfied with their experiences using Transit Windsor. 46% of women agreed that many places they wanted to go to were too difficult to get to, compared to 43% of men.

1. Dependency on a public transit system that is unreliable keeps many in Windsor-Essex in the cycle of poverty and locked out of opportunities for employment. Only 24% of people who rely on transit believe that it is easy to access employment opportunities, compared to 44% for everyone else. Among respondents who depend on public transit to get around and do not have access to a private vehicle, 8% were unemployed (not working and looking for work), compared to 3% for respondents with access to a vehicle. Many comments we received illustrated how challenging it is to get ahead in Windsor due to an underinvested transit system:
   • “I need better hours. I have been turned down for every full time opportunity because I am tied to the bus schedule. I can't get ahead because of this.” – Woman, age 35-44, Windsor Ward 3
   • “I think it's especially difficult to get a job when you say you travel by bus. I was denied a job because my transportation was not reliable, but I am a student at the university. I can't afford a car and can only take the bus, so it's extremely difficult when places won't hire you because you can't drive or don't have 'reliable' transportation. It doesn't help the buses are always late or just dont show up at all” – Woman, age 18-24, Windsor Ward 2

As gas prices, the price of vehicles, and the cost of housing continue to rise, owning a vehicle becomes increasingly inaccessible to people who are stuck in the cycle of poverty. A dependable transit system that grants people access to employment and employers access to workers is becoming an increasingly essential part of offering individuals a way out of that cycle. In doing so, we can also relieve our entire community from the burden of chronically high unemployment.