Back in the old days, kids used to walk to school, allegedly many kilometres, uphill both ways. Youth today can still avail themselves to active transportation such as walking or cycling, but transit is also generally a viable option, especially in larger urban centres.
Unlike the old days, over four in five 15- to 24-year-olds living in urban centres in 2025 faced treks of 500 metres or less to get to a transit stop. For youth and young adults living in rural areas, however, just over 1 in 10 were within 500 metres of a transit stop.
United Nations Sustainable Development Goal of convenient access to public transport
The United Nations has deemed access to public transportation convenient “when a stop is accessible within walking distance along the street network of 500 m from a reference point such as a home, school, workplace or market to a low-capacity public transport system (such as a bus or Bus Rapid Transit) and/or within 1 km of a high-capacity system (such as rail, metro or ferry)” (United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 11.2.1 metadata).
Most youth in Atlantic Canada live within 500 metres of a transit stop
In 2025, over half of urban youth aged 15 to 19 years in Atlantic Canada lived within 500 metres of a transit stop, ranging from 56% in Newfoundland and Labrador to 69% in Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia. Conversely, most young adults aged 20 to 24 years in urban centres lived within 500 metres of a transit stop, ranging from 68% in Newfoundland and Labrador to 82% in Nova Scotia.
As for rural youth and young adults in Atlantic Canada, Prince Edward Island came out on top, with 11% of 15- to 19-year-olds and 14% of 20- to 24-year-olds living within 500 metres of a transit stop. In comparison, these shares in New Brunswick were 5% for youth and 6% for young adults.
Youth in Quebec more likely to live within 500 metres of transit than those in Ontario
When it comes to youth proximity to transit in Central Canada, Quebec led the way, especially in rural areas.
In Quebec, 83% of 15- to 19-year-olds and 88% of 20- to 24-year-olds in urban areas lived within 500 metres of a transit stop in 2025, compared with shares of 79% and 83% in Ontario.
The gap was even more pronounced in rural areas. In Quebec, approximately one in five rural youth aged 15 to 24 years lived within 500 metres of a transit stop in 2025, compared with approximately 1 in 20 in Ontario.
The urban-rural youth proximity-to-transit divide is widest in the Prairies
In 2025, approximately 9 in 10 urban youth aged 15 to 24 years living in Manitoba were within 500 metres of a transit stop, the highest share among the provinces, followed closely by Saskatchewan.
Conversely, approximately 3% of 15- to 19-year-olds living in rural Manitoba and Alberta were within 500 metres of a transit stop, the lowest share nationally.
Rural youth in British Columbia among the most likely to live within 500 metres of a transit stop
In 2025, proximity to transit for urban youth in British Columbia aged 15 to 19 years (80%) and 20 to 24 years (84%) essentially mirrored the national average.
In contrast, British Columbia had a higher-than-average share of rural youth living within 500 metres of a transit stop, with one in five 15- to 24-year-olds.
Youth proximity to transit up north closer than you might think
Given the remoteness and relatively small populations of urban centres in the territories, one might assume that youth proximity to transit would be an issue up north. However, 9 in 10 urban youth aged 15 to 24 years in Yukon and the Northwest Territories lived within 500 metres of a transit stop in 2025.
Rural youth in the Northwest Territories were the most likely to live within 500 metres of a transit stop, with 33% of 15- to 19-year-olds and 60% of 20- to 24-year-olds living within a few minutes’ walk of a transit stop, which is undoubtedly welcome news during a polar vortex in the depths of winter.
Contact information
For more information, contact the Statistical Information Service (toll-free 1-800-263-1136; 514-283-8300; infostats@statcan.gc.ca) or Media Relations (statcan.mediahotline-ligneinfomedias.statcan@statcan.gc.ca).