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
Indian envoy warns of 'big red line,' days after charges laid in Nijjar case
India's envoy to Canada insists relations between the two countries are positive overall, despite what he describes as 'a lot of noise.'
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
With Donald Trump sitting just feet away, Stormy Daniels testified Tuesday at the former president's hush money trial about a sexual encounter the porn actor says they had in 2006 that resulted in her being paid to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
U.S. paused bomb shipment to Israel to signal concerns over Rafah invasion, official says
The U.S. paused a shipment of bombs to Israel last week over concerns that Israel was approaching a decision on launching a full-scale assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah against the wishes of the U.S.
Former homicide detective explains how police will investigate shooting outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion
Footage from dozens of security cameras in the area of Drake’s Bridle Path mansion could be the key to identifying the suspect responsible for shooting and seriously injuring a security guard outside the rapper’s sprawling home early Tuesday morning, a former Toronto homicide detective says.
Northern Ont. woman makes 'eggstraordinary' find
A chicken farmer near Mattawa made an 'eggstraordinary' find Friday morning when she discovered one of her hens laid an egg close to three times the size of an average large chicken egg.
Susan Buckner, who played spirited cheerleader Patty Simcox in 'Grease,' dead at 72
Susan Buckner, best known for playing peppy Rydell High School cheerleader Patty Simcox in the 1978 classic movie musical 'Grease,' has died. She was 72.
Jeremy Skibicki has 'uphill battle' to prove he's not criminally responsible in Winnipeg killings: legal analysts
Accused killer Jeremy Skibicki could have a challenging time convincing a judge that he is not criminally responsible for the deaths of four Indigenous women, a legal analyst says.
Bye-bye bag fee: Calgary repeals single-use bylaw
A Calgary bylaw requiring businesses to charge a minimum bag fee and only provide single-use items when requested has officially been tossed.
Alcohol believed to be a factor in boating incident after 2 men die: N.S. RCMP
Two Nova Scotia men are dead after a boat they were travelling in sank in the Annapolis River in Granville Centre, N.S., on Monday.