Parts and labour shortages blamed on COVID-19 pandemic stall LTC bus service improvements
Plans to enhance London Transit bus service next month have been delayed until next year.
In a new report to the London Transit Commission, administration blames a shortage of bus parts and drivers for stalling service improvements on Routes 31 and 34 until at least February 2022.
The routes link Western University to Masonville Place Shopping Mall and the Hyde Park neighbourhood.
Currently, 14 city buses are idled because pandemic-related supply chain issues have impacted parts needed to make repairs.
“The parts required are outstanding, noting in some cases, suppliers are indicating a delivery date of 16 weeks out from date of order,” reads the report.
In addition, five buses are out of service because of a North America-wide shortage of Diesel Exhaust Fluid (DEF) sensors — the delivery date is unknown.
London Transit has also learned of an impending tire shortage, “shipments will be limited until further notice.”
Meanwhile, staffing issues continue to plague the public transit agency.
Since the beginning of August, 14 new drivers completed their training, but 17 unexpectedly retired.
The average age of the retired drivers was 66, and their decisions are being linked to the worldwide pandemic employment phenomenon dubbed The Great Resignation.
The report concludes, “This compliment level is not sufficient to return to full fall 2019 service levels, nor can it support the frequency improvements on Routes 31 and 34 as planned.”
Hiring efforts are also being thwarted by candidates declining job offers.
“There has been a discernible increase in the number of candidates who complete the entire recruitment process, and then decline the position when it is offered, with most indicating they had chosen to move forward with other opportunities, or to stay with their current employer,” explains the report.
The London Transit Commission will discuss the pandemic’s impacts on service at its Oct. 27 meeting.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Bodies found by U.S. authorities searching for missing B.C. kayakers
United States authorities who have been searching for a pair of missing kayakers from British Columbia since the weekend have recovered two bodies in the nearby San Juan Islands of Washington state.
Amid concerns over 'collateral damage' Trudeau, Freeland defend capital gains tax change
Facing pushback from physicians and businesspeople over the coming increase to the capital gains inclusion rate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy Chrystia Freeland are standing by their plan to target Canada's highest earners.
'It's discriminatory': Individuals refused entry to Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
Individuals being barred from entering Ontario’s legislature while wearing a keffiyeh say the garment is part of their cultural identity— and the only ones making it political are the politicians banning it.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
Saskatchewan households will continue to receive carbon tax rebate: Trudeau
Households in Saskatchewan will continue to receive Canada Carbon Rebate payments, despite the province refusing to remit the federal carbon price on natural gas, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Tuesday.
'It's just so hard to let it go': Umar Zameer still haunted by death of Toronto police officer
“It's just so hard to let it go. I mean, everyone is telling me, ‘you have to move on,’ but I know someone is not here [anymore]. So I don't know how I will move on." That’s what Umar Zameer, the man recently acquitted in the death of a Toronto police officer, told CTV News Toronto in a sit-down interview on Tuesday.
Senate expenses climbed to $7.2 million in 2023, up nearly 30%
Senators in Canada claimed $7.2 million in expenses in 2023, a nearly 30 per cent increase over the previous year.
Canucks goalie Thatcher Demko won't play in Game 2
The Vancouver Canucks will be without all-star goalie Thatcher Demko when they face the Nashville Predators in Game 2 of their first-round playoff series.
Pedestrian, baby injured after stroller struck and dragged by vehicle in Squamish, B.C.
Police say a baby and a pedestrian suffered non-life-threatening injuries after a vehicle struck a baby stroller and dragged it for two blocks before stopping in Squamish, B.C.