Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown is warning residents to expect service reductions to Brampton Transit after ridership fell by 20 per cent in 2025, a decline he attributes largely to federal caps on international students and temporary workers.
A staff report presented to council in November estimates the drop in ridership resulted in approximately $26 million in lost fare revenue for the city. Brown said the decline marks a sharp reversal for a transit system that had seen consistent growth for years.
“For the first time, we’ve seen a steep decline,” Brown told reporters at a news conference Friday. “Largely due to federal immigration changes, we’ve seen a dramatic drop in the number of international students.”
The mayor noted that Brampton Transit demand had previously risen alongside rapid population growth, with Brampton now ranking as Canada’s seventh-largest city after surpassing Mississauga last year.
Brown emphasized that the city had supported federal student visa caps, arguing they were necessary to ease pressure on housing and public services. He said council cannot now object to the consequences of policies it advocated for.
“We thought the system was out of control,” Brown said. “We can’t complain about changes we pushed for. Now we have to realign transit to reflect current needs.”
The mayor has previously criticized what he described as “diploma mill” colleges, saying as many as 80 such institutions once operated in Brampton, contributing to overcrowded housing and illegal rooming houses. The city continues to address those issues through measures such as its expanded residential rental licensing (RRL) program.
Despite Brampton remaining a destination for international students, Brown said the reduced numbers have significantly affected transit usage, forcing a review of routes and service levels.
“We can’t continue running routes at volumes that no longer exist,” he said. “Transit resources have to align with where riders actually are.”
City staff are expected to bring forward proposals to adjust transit service as part of upcoming budget deliberations.