Is London getting the best bang for its transit buck? Two councillors call for a review

Two council members are taking aim at the London Transit Commission (LTC). They say budget and service concerns warrant an audit of LTC's operations and performance, and ask whether it would be better if the city took over.

The audit request from Deputy Mayor and Ward 2 Coun. Shawn Lewis and Ward 12 Coun. Elizabeth Peloza, who is also the city's budget chair, is outlined in a letter going before next week's strategic priorities and policy committee meeting.

Council has fielded complaints from riders about service levels, the letter states. It also notes that with bus rapid transit (BRT) construction nearing completion and work underway on a new transportation planning road map, the city is at a "critical juncture" when it comes to its transit future.

"We've heard throughout this term of council… concerns about paratransit, about access to post-secondary students using transit, about secondary students using transit, about people being able to get to jobs via transit. Lots and lots of concerns," Lewis told CBC News.

"Frankly, what we're hoping for is for a performance audit to come back to us with some recommendations on how the investments we're making can better deliver service to Londoners."

The draft motion asks city staff to put out a call for bids for an external auditor whose scope would include a review of:

• the current routing of service compared to other major municipalities
• the structure of London Transit as an organization
• the financial structure of the commission's "various passes and contracts," and
• the LTC's "operational preparedness and readiness" to integrate with future corridors of BRT.

The auditor will also look at "alternate service delivery" models, including putting transit under direct municipal control.

Lewis said he doesn't know what will be recommended from an audit. "Maybe it's some tweaks, maybe it's a complete overhaul, I don't know," he said.

"What I do know right now is that I have concerns that we're not getting the best bang for our buck and that maybe we have been doing things a certain way for so long that we've neglected to consider that there are other ways to do things."

Audit already being explored: transit board chair

Responding to the letter, Stephanie Marentette, chair of the transit commission, said the agency considers regular audits to be a "healthy and responsible part of accountability."

"As long as the city is prepared to be a partner with us in this exercise, we are completely supportive of it and will cooperate fully," she said.

Marentette adds a third-party audit was already being looked at by LTC, saying commission staff were directed to explore the feasibility of one at its last meeting, a move prompted in part by criticism from members of council during budget talks.

"I personally did not appreciate some of the comments levied at our senior staff. But again, I don't think people getting defensive is conducive to resolving any of the very real operational concerns that, if we work together, we can definitely address," she said.

The audit request comes nearly a month after the approval of the city's new multi-year budget, with an additional $28.3 million for London Transit improvements, including $18.6 million for conventional service. LTC had sought around $42 million.

Lewis and Peloza point to the budget in their letter, charging that "despie a massive increase to its base budget," LTC told council it couldn't improve service or boost service hours.

The approved budget shows LTC's base budget will increase 22 per cent in 2024, rising around five per cent per year for the remaining years.

Marentette argues the base budget is to maintain the status quo, and doesn't address the need to expand service in a growing city. 

Council will vote on Lewis and Peloza's request when it sits as the strategic priorities and policy committee on Mar. 26.