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  1. The financial performance of the Canadian passenger bus and urban transit industries continued its upward trend in 2007, fuelled by strong growth in government operating and capital funding.
  2. Total revenue for the industries (comprised of five bus industries and bus-related activities in two non-bus industries), rose to $10.2 billion in 2007, up 6.2% from 2006. Gains were realized in all industries, with the exception of the school and employee bus industry and the category called 'other' under bus activity in non-bus industries.
  3. Total expenses rose 3.9% to $8.2 billion in 2007. As a result of the strong growth in revenue in comparison to expenses, net income for the bus and non-bus industries climbed 16.4% to $2.1 billion.
  4. Both operating and capital subsidies from various levels of government rose in 2007, with operating subsidies rising to $2.6 billion in 2007, representing an increase of 13.6%. Capital subsidies also increased by 10.0%, from $1.7 billion in 2006 to $1.9 billion in 2007.
  5. Human resource expenses continued to account for more than 60% of operating expenses for all bus and non-bus industries.
  6. Ridership levels for companies offering urban transit services increased to 1.7 billion passengers in 2007, up 4.9% from the 2006 level.
  7. The passenger bus and urban transit industries continued to make significant capital-related investments in 2007, spending more than $2.4 billion on the purchase of buses and other rolling stock as well as on other capital related expenditures. The largest investments occurred within the urban transit industry, which saw its overall capital expenditures rose by 15.4% to $2.2 billion. Slightly less than half (48.0%) of the urban transit capital expenditures were spent on rolling stock.
  8. Total employment in the bus and non-bus industries fell 1.9% in 2007 to 92,819. However, the average expenditure per employee rose by 8.3%, from about $48,306 to about $52,322.
  9. Ontario still accounted for over 44.0% of the total operating revenues of the urban transit industry. Quebec followed at 26.4%.

How the information is presented

Statistics Canada uses the North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS) to classify all companies operating in Canada. For passenger bus and urban transit, there are five industries as follows:

485110 - Urban transit systems

485210 - Interurban and rural bus transportation (major activity is scheduled intercity services)

485410 - School and employee transportation

485510 - Charter bus industry

485990 - Other transit and ground passenger transportation (i.e. companies whose major business activity is the provision of shuttle services)

There are some urban transit, school bus and passenger bus operations that generate economic activity but are not included in one of the five NAICS categories. To provide data users with a more complete picture of passenger bus and urban transit activities, each table presents information that includes the five NAICS industries as well as other activity that has been identified and for which data could be collected for operations that are outside of the five NAICS industries.

There is no duplication of activity across groups (e.g. urban transit operations in the "Other" category are not duplicated in the urban transit NAICS).

The Canadian passenger bus and urban transit industries can be looked at either by "sector" (i.e., by main company activity as classified under NAICS), or by "activity" (or service lines) performed.