Buckle Up: LTC chair tells council it’s going to have to dig deeper for better transit service
The chair of the London Transit Commission (LTC) sent out a pointed message to London City Council Wednesday, saying that if council wants service improvements in transit, it’s going to have to dig deeper.
“So when we put our business case towards the budget, be prepared, buckle up because if you really want us to do all those things that people really want, it’s going to cost a significant amount of money,” said Sheryl Rooth.
“I find it very disheartening when I hear city council say they’re disappointed that this hasn’t been enacted, and that hasn’t been enacted. It costs money,” she added.
The comments came after a meeting of the London Transit Commission, in which the commission was asked to provide direction to LTC staff on the 2024-2027 budgets for growth in conventional and specialized transit.
But just maintaining a base budget without improvements comes with no small number of financial pressures, including rising diesel fuel pries, now 45 per cent higher than projected, along with a 48 per cent increase in general insurance costs.
LTC General Manager Kelly Paleczny said there’s no two ways about it, bus fares are going to have to go up. When that happens is to be determined.
“I think it’s fair to say that there will be fare increases in the next multi-year budget,” said Paleczny.
A number of paratransit riders were on hand for the Wednesday meeting as well, advocating for a service many say has let them down.
Among them was paratransit user Julie Iesinga, who is frustrated with the service, “Never knowing whether I can actually book a ride to get to where I need to go, and most importantly medical,” she expressed.
One of the ideas being looked at to reduce the burden on paratransit is to integrate it with conventional service, meaning that where possible, some paratransit users could take a regular bus instead of waiting for hours to take a specialized transit bus that may or may not arrive.
“So that will help mitigate the pressure on specialized, but at the same time we also recognize that we have to grow the hours on specialized because the number of registrants are growing,” said Paleczny.
The LTC’s final multi-year budget goes to city council at the end of August.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Ottawa public school board, 3 Toronto-area school boards launch lawsuit against social media giants
The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board and three school boards in the Toronto-area have launched legal action against social media giants, accusing them of "disrupting students' fundamental right to education."
Several flight attendants from Pakistan have gone missing after landing in Canada
Multiple flight attendants from Pakistan International Airlines have abandoned their jobs and are believed to have sought asylum in Canada in the past year and a half, a spokesperson for the government-owned airline says.
Tipping is off the table at this Toronto restaurant
A Toronto restaurant introduced a surprising new rule that reduced the cost of a meal and raised the salaries of staff.
Rainfall warnings of up to 90 mm among weather alerts in effect for 7 provinces
Rainfall warnings of up to 90 millimetres, air quality advisories and other alerts have been issued for seven Canadian provinces, according to the latest forecasts.
King Charles calls for acts of friendship in first public remarks since Kate's cancer diagnosis
King Charles III gave public remarks for Maundy Thursday, addressing the importance of acts of friendship, following his and Catherine, Princess of Wales’ cancer diagnoses.
A Nigerian woman reviewed some tomato puree online. Now she faces jail
A Nigerian woman who wrote an online review of a can of tomato puree is facing imprisonment after its manufacturer accused her of making a “malicious allegation” that damaged its business.
Donald Trump assails judge and his daughter after gag order in N.Y. hush-money criminal case
Donald Trump lashed out Wednesday at the New York judge who put him under a gag order that bars him from commenting publicly about witnesses, prosecutors, court staff and jurors in his upcoming hush-money criminal trial.
A fight to protect the dignity of Michelangelo's David raises questions about freedom of expression
Michelangelo's David has been a towering figure in Italian culture since its completion in 1504. But in the current era of the quick buck, curators worry the marble statue's religious and political significance is being diminished.
Doctors visiting a Gaza hospital are stunned by the war's toll on Palestinian children
An international team of doctors visiting a hospital in central Gaza was prepared for the worst. But the gruesome impact Israel’s war against Hamas is having on Palestinian children still left them stunned.