Grouped community information
- 2021 Census population
- Low-income, youth and older-adult shares
- Ward and grouped local-area boundaries
Behind the screening
How the transit equity screening works
No single measure answers whether transit is equitable. We bring several forms of public evidence together, keep their limits visible and stop where the evidence stops.
The starting point
Each question has a different job.
Population context cannot prove poor service. A vehicle snapshot cannot describe accessibility. A nearby stop cannot show whether a useful trip is possible. The five questions prevent one convenient number from carrying more meaning than it should.
People and place
Who may be affected?
Understand the community around the transit evidence without identifying or profiling individual residents.
Describe, then keep it separate
We place grouped population characteristics beside transit conditions. They help explain who may experience a condition, but they do not change a ward's service signal.
Mobility barriers
What barriers may matter?
Look beyond whether a route or stop appears on a map.
Access and service conditions
- Mapped stops and routes
- Generalized walking connections
- Scheduled frequency by time period
- Recent vehicles and stored route observations
Test several parts of a usable trip
We check whether service is nearby, whether frequent service is scheduled when needed and whether recent observations suggest that service is present or uneven.
Useful connections
What supports access?
Ask what transit helps people reach, not only how much infrastructure is nearby.
Routes, transfers and civic places
- Surface routes and subway connections
- Nearby schools, healthcare, libraries and parks
- Named OpenStreetMap destinations
- Representative complete journeys
Show the connection without overstating it
We identify routes and public places that may be connected. A nearby place is context, not proof that it can be reached quickly, reliably or accessibly.
Possible burdens
Where could burdens be greater?
Use differences in service and access to decide where closer review may be useful.
Differences worth examining
- Ward service-distribution signal
- Access to mapped and frequent bus service
- Observed gaps and uneven route spacing
- Time-of-day differences where history is sufficient
Flag a question, never label a community
A lower signal can point to a place or time that deserves review. We then check other measures and community context before describing a possible burden.
Evidence before conclusions
What must be checked next?
Identify the evidence needed to confirm, challenge or better explain the first signal.
Check the pattern from more than one angle
- Service across days, seasons and time periods
- Boardings, waits, travel times and transfers
- Accessible vehicles, stops and walking paths
- Community knowledge and lived experience
Publish the limit with the finding
Every interpretation should identify its source, date, coverage and whether evidence is observed, estimated or contextual. Weak evidence is withheld or described as incomplete.
A simple example
What happens when a ward has a lower live signal?
The signal begins a review. It does not finish one.
- 1Check whether it repeats at comparable times.
- 2Review routes, stops and scheduled frequency.
- 3Look at walking and useful destination connections.
- 4Place grouped community context beside service evidence.
- 5State what remains unknown before interpreting the pattern.
Civic boundaries
What this approach will not do
- Rank neighbourhoods from most to least equitable.
- Turn identity or demographic characteristics into a score.
- Infer conditions for a person, household or address.
- Replace community engagement, accessibility review or transit planning.
Framework reference
Adapted carefully, not adopted as an official assessment.
This independent approach is informed by the City of Toronto's Transportation Equity Lens for the 2021 Cycling Network Plan. We apply its question-led logic to public transit evidence. This is not a City of Toronto or TTC equity assessment.