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 King Charles' cancer treatment progressing well, says Buckingham Palace
King Charles III’s doctors are 'sufficiently pleased' with his cancer treatment and he is expected to return to public-facing duties, Buckingham Palace announced on Friday.
BREAKING Orca calf that was trapped in B.C. lagoon for weeks swims free
An orca whale calf that has been stranded in a B.C. lagoon for weeks after her pregnant mother died swam out on her own early Friday morning.
'Unacceptable': Trudeau reacts after AFN chief says headdress taken from plane cabin
After the Assembly of First Nations' national chief said her headdress was taken from an airplane cabin this week, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called the incident 'unacceptable' and a 'mistake' on the part of Air Canada.
DEVELOPING Bird flu outbreaks: WHO weighs in on public health risk
The current overall public health risk posed by the H5N1 bird flu virus is low, the World Health Organization said on Friday, but urged countries to stay alert for cases of animal-to-human transmission.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Regina police officer injured after being accidentally shot by fellow officer's gun
An investigation is underway after a Regina police officer was accidentally shot by a fellow officer’s gun during the search of a house early Friday morning.
From faulty kids' cribs to flammable kids' bathrobes, here are the recalls of the week
Health Canada issued recalls for various items this week, including kids’ bathrobes, cribs and henna cones.
Taylor Swift dons Montreal designer's dress in 'Fortnight' video
A pair of Montreal designers' work has now been viewed over 41 million times. Taylor Swift dons a Victorian throwback black gown in her latest music video, 'Fortnight', designed by UNTTLD due Simon Belanger and Jose Manuel Saint-Jacques.
Island near Mull of Kintyre for sale for US$3.1 million
An idyllic 453-acre private island is up for sale off the west coast of Scotland and it comes with sandy beaches, puffins galore, seven houses, a pub, a helipad and a flock of black-faced sheep.