Is Mississauga & Brampton Transit Going to Become One?

It looks like Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie is not interested in the notion of developing a regional transit authority for the entire Region of Peel.

According to a recent article in the Brampton Guardian, a Peel-wide transit authority that would coordinate public transportation services in Mississauga, Brampton and Caledon is something that Caledon Mayor Allan Thompson is receiving little support for. While Thompson is all for the idea, Brampton and Mississauga mayors Linda Jeffrey and Crombie aren’t particularly keen on the idea.

The Guardian reports that back in February, Thompson suggested that the three municipalities look into sharing the cost of public transit. Now, the paper says Caledon’s mayor recently suggested that it’s high-time to figure out how to make a Peel Region transit system work.

While it makes sense for Caledon to pursue a transit initiative that’s created in conjunction with its larger and more populous neighbours, it’s also not surprising that Brampton and Mississauga aren’t particularly enthused by the idea.

According to The Guardian, Crombie appears to be happy with Sauga’s current transport trajectory. The article points out that Crombie is in no rush to change course, especially since the province is invested in the city’s transportation system and is set to fully fund Mississauga’s portion of the $1.6 billion LRT.

“Mississauga has a growing local transit system, run by MiWay Transit, that meets our city’s local transit needs,” Crombie told the Guardian in an email. “At this time, there is no compelling reason to study amalgamating transit systems on a Region of Peel level. However, Mississauga remains open to greater coordination with neighbouring transit providers in Halton, Oakville, Brampton and Toronto to ensure we provide a seamless and convenient transit experience for all riders.”

While it doesn’t look like Mississauga is about to embark on a Peel-wide transit project, it’s reassuring to know that the city has no intention of operating as an island and is open to improving connectivity between neighbouring cities. Transit is an ever-growing challenge in an evolving Mississauga, so it’ll be interesting to see how a host of concept and pre-construction phase projects pan out over the next few years.