Building the Knowledge to Design Better, More Connected Transit Systems
Great transit doesn’t happen by accident — it’s the result of thoughtful planning, data-driven decision-making, and coordinated service design. The Transit Planning for Sustainable Communities Training Program gives planners, supervisors, and municipal decision-makers the applied skills and theoretical foundation to create efficient, sustainable transit networks that serve riders and strengthen communities.
Developed by the Canadian Urban Transit Association (CUTA), this program is trusted by agencies across North America to build planning capacity, reduce costly missteps, and design future-ready networks.
Speak with our training experts to learn how this course can fit your system.
Public transit is the backbone of sustainable communities. But planning transit systems today is more complex than ever — with growing populations, climate targets, and shifting travel patterns. Planners must balance operational feasibility with rider expectations, equity goals, and land-use planning.
This program helps agencies respond to those pressures with:
Introductory Program – Planning Overview
Ideal for municipal staff, councillors, students, and emerging professionals who need foundational knowledge without technical depth.
Full Program – Applied Transit Planning
Format & Duration
Who Should Attend
Transit agencies and municipalities across North America use this training to:
Build internal planning capacity and reduce reliance on costly external consultants.
Accelerate staff development and onboard new planners quickly.
Align service planning with city-building, climate, and equity goals.
Produce stronger service plans that earn council and public support.
You need practical, tool-based training that helps your staff plan services they can actually operate. This program delivers:
You invest in training when it reduces risk, builds credibility, and creates lasting community impact. This program speaks to your goals:
This course is taught in a virtual format with live facilitation. Learners are expected to have audio and visual capabilities to join online meetings and be able to interact live with course facilitators via microphone and video chat. In-person or hybrid can be offered as customized training options for groups.
All learners who participate in most of the virtual sessions will receive a digital certificate proving their completion of the course.
You can participate in Transit Ambassador training by organizing it at your own organization as a host or send learners to other organizations who are hosting. Training is scheduled on-demand. Get in touch with us today to organize training at your organization or inquire about when the next training might be elsewhere.
Yes. Learners who have completed the introductory course can register for the full course without having to pay twice, they only need to pay the difference in cost between the full and introductory course.
As an introductory course, this program will give you the general knowledge necessary to help you talk about transit planning and understand its importance and impact on its community. As a full course, new and experienced transit planners and adjacent professionals will get a refresher of the latest transit planning practices and theories through technical practice. Both programs will offer time to network and work with peers and the facilitators who will be in similar positions.
The program is offered two times annually with one offering in the spring and another in the fall/winter season. Registration typically opens 2 – 3 months in advance. You can register online through our registration pages. Groups or organizations with unique training needs can get in touch with us to coordinate trainings outside our standard schedule or arrange custom tailored training curriculums.
