Accessing Transportation in Indigenous Communities

As students who live within the Greater Toronto Area, we often take transportation for granted. Whether it be a bus, a streetcar, the subway, or the comfort of our parents’ vehicle, accessible transportation is always near and there for us. This, however, is not the case for many communities, particularly Indigenous communities in British Columbia. What would life be like for us if we were not able to freely travel? We have all heard our parents claim they climbed mountains and crossed rivers to go to school, but what if that was reality for some communities? What if our daily commute to school meant trekking over expansive stretches of highway, cutting through sketchy shortcuts, or putting our safety in the hands of strangers? Many Indigenous communities are forced to survive in this broken system — a system that doesn’t serve the people directly — and end up assaulted, missing, or murdered. Public transportation should, by definition, ameliorate mobility accessibly. This essay will talk about the effects of a lack of transportation on vulnerable Indigenous communities including healthcare, ineffective solutions and where they fail, and propose solutions that address the issue.

In her memoir Unbroken: My Fight for Survival, Hope, and Justice for Indigenous Women and Girls, journalist and radio host Angela Sterritt covers multiple cases of young Indigenous women and girls who have gone missing or been murdered along a 724-kilometre corridor of Highway 16 between Prince George and Prince Rupert in British Columbia, otherwise known as the Highway of Tears. Most of these cases involved hitchhiking, which the government tried to address through billboards emphasizing the idea that hitchhiking was risky and dangerous (Sterritt 59). However, a lot of people, specifically vulnerable Indigenous populations, were not hitchhiking out of choice, but rather out of necessity and a lack of other options. Sterritt goes on to point out that the original intention of reserves was to isolate and alienate Indigenous peoples, which is clearly seen in the lack of fertile land and equal funding from municipalities and provinces — leading to a lack of essential services, public transportation, and retail establishments (Sterritt 59). In a statement on Indian Policy, the Canadian government admits to the intentional lack of services, stating that because Indigenous reserves were exempt from taxes, reserves were not required to participate in the development of their own communities. This led to these communities believing that property taxes were an “unnecessary element in their lives,” and ultimately did not develop services for themselves. Additionally, while Canadian society began to industrialize and more people began moving to the growing economic centres, Indigenous communities remained on their rural reserves in order to maintain their Indigenous identity. Although rural land was developable, many reserves were located in areas where development was difficult or insufficient, leading to what the statement calls “islands of poverty.” Without these essential services, those living on reserves are forced to make the commute on either inconvenient, inaccessible, or unaffordable public transportation in order to get what they need or go where they want. Many women have lost their lives or gone missing because of their risky commutes — a large portion of these cases occur on or near the Highway of Tears. The Highway of Tears website has listed over 20 missing and murdered Indigenous women, openly stating that there are far more than just those listed. Sterritt also includes a list of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls — her list accounting for 45 women (Sterritt 10–13). The government is aware of the problem and has taken action, though ironically prioritizing truckers over locals. Sterritt talks about signs and announcements of new upgrades to the highways, one of which includes a recent plan to construct more cell towers, but no changes to the existing system that forces locals to hitchhike.

Commuters do not have to rely only on public transportation — private transportation is also a viable option. However, these private companies, like Coach USA, parent company to Megabus, often financially struggle with maintaining routes that have lower ridership. A great example of this is Greyhound, a private bus company that used to be the only form of transportation in rural British Columbia, aside from hitchhiking. The company, though it had ultimately shut down in 2021, previously had fully cut service to Western Canada in 2018. This cut was met with a lot of criticism, but the company had stated that it was unsustainable to continue on routes in Western Canada because of the drop in ridership. For 300 of its 360 routes in Western provinces, Greyhound was the only service. In 2021, Greyhound was purchased by European company FlixBus, which has routes connecting cities all across the continent. However, there is only one stop in British Columbia — Vancouver, at the southern end of the province — meaning someone travelling to anywhere else in British Columbia would need to find other forms of transport. I disagree with the choice made by FlixBus and Greyhound to not continue serving riders in rural British Columbia — Greyhound was aware that it was the only service for a majority of its routes and shut down because of a lack of funding, but even following their acquisition by FlixBus, there is still a lack of service in areas in need. This means larger numbers of hitchhikers and therefore an increase in hitchhiking-related missing and murder cases.

A significant problem Indigenous people face as a side effect of a lack of transportation and living on reserves or in rural areas is a lack of essential services, including healthcare. Healthcare is extremely important, especially in remote areas where essential services are either lower quality or inaccessible, whether that be due to longer wait times or otherwise. With healthcare spread thin in rural areas on top of a lack of effective transportation, many Indigenous people struggle with their health. An example of this is AUD — alcohol usage disorder. Alcohol use is especially prevalent in Indigenous communities. Put into perspective, according to a Canadian Student Alcohol and Drugs Survey (CSADS) in 2024, 22% of children in grades 7–12 who live in rural areas have higher rates of past 30-day non-cannabis vape use, 45% have used alcohol in the past year, 8% self-medicate, 9% use drugs illegally, and 24% use polysubstances, which makes screening and proper treatment even more important. Women in particular are a heavily impacted group when it comes to testing and treatment, not only for AUD but all health-related concerns in general, facing barriers such as stigma, location, transportation, and childcare, which contribute to the treatment gap. Another situation where transportation impacts accessibility of quality healthcare is with the elderly. In a study by Wendy Hulko, a professor and researcher on aging and health care with equity-denied groups, and Noeman Mirza, an associate professor and researcher on aging and education, they determined the social factors that impact older adults’ ability to age in place, which include income, living situation, living rurally, Indigenous ancestry, ethno-racial minority status, gender and transportation. A study by Statistics Canada in 2025 finds many elderly rely on community support services for transportation. However, these are less available in rural areas, and living in more urban areas, while more convenient and accessible, may not fit their lifestyle, or may not be financially viable. This highlights how a lack of accessible transportation can affect people in more ways than just commuting.

Some people may turn to personal vehicles, but even then, those who live rurally are still put at a disadvantage. Under British Columbia’s Community Benefits Agreement, workers are to be provided with a travel allowance if they are using their own vehicle, but there are barriers to accessing this benefit. For one, certain areas are exempt from this benefit, and it is only available during the winter months. Additionally, acquiring a driver’s license is difficult if a person did not grow up in the city. Living in a rural Indigenous community means driving into town with a car, parental consent, and payment for the test. In order to be able to get a full license in British Columbia, there are three driving stages, which take a total of 36 months and require a driver who is willing to teach in the community or nearby. This makes obtaining a driver’s license much more difficult and makes solo commute a hassle, in both time and money, making commuting via personal vehicles an unrealistic option for many.

While the government is working on solutions that could make travelling and hitchhiking through certain areas less dangerous, these are still considered bandage solutions; increased cell coverage means nothing to those who do not have access to a mobile device, and rest stops do not change the fact that those who have to commute and travel will still have to be on the road at some point. My perspective on these changes is not that they are unnecessary — increased cell coverage and rest stops are important. I do believe, however, that these changes do not address the underlying issue: that there is a lack of accessible transportation. The solution? Bringing back bus routes and potentially decreasing public transit fares for vulnerable populations or for certain routes. Bussing companies could run fewer buses through more routes, running only a few buses a day at intervals, ensuring that transportation is still available and efficient. Even if there are only a few buses being run daily, keeping the option open for those who need to commute daily. For example, there could be two or three buses running in the early morning, another one or two at noon, four or five in the evening, and one in the late night. This ensures that people can commute to and from work or school and, if need be, have a safe way home in the late hours of the night. Other transportation companies could decrease their fares for members of certain communities or for stretches that are particularly dangerous, like the Highway of Tears, making the route more accessible to those who may not be able to pay the fare. A potential problem that could arise is funding. The British Columbia provincial government has forecasted $558 million in transportation — a cut of which could go to constructing infrastructure to support bus routes in rural areas of the province.

The transportation system in British Columbia does not work in favour of vulnerable Indigenous populations, and without further action, there will only continue to be tragic cases of lives lost along the roads of British Columbia — tragedies that could have been prevented. While the decision-makers advise on what to do, there aren’t any advancements on moving forward and making transportation more accessible and reliable. This is especially visible in the examples given in Unbroken. By encouraging vulnerable Indigenous populations to take transit and bringing buses back, transportation becomes less of an inconvenience.