London Transit
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- For public transportation in London, United Kingdom, see Transport for London.
The London Transit Commission (LTC), is the public transit system for the City of London, Ontario. It serves well over 18 million passengers annually. Currently, the LTC has 38 regular bus routes, plus 3 community bus routes.
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[edit] History / Fleet
The LTC was formed in 1974, mainly as an updated name for the London Street Railway. It was at this time that the transit garage moved from Downtown to its current location on Highbury Avenue.
As of 2006, the LTC has 195 transit buses in its fleet. At one time, London Transit had one of the oldest transit fleets in Ontario, with some buses older than 20 years old. However, with new buses being purchased in recent years, this has changed.
[edit] Ridership
After the public transit boom of the 1960s and 1970s, ridership began to slip. At that time almost every transit route was passing through London's downtown area. An attempted building of two downtown malls and the economic recession of the 1990s combined to force the downtown area into serious decline. An economic slump echoed in a parallel drop in ridership, made even worse by the traditional responses of service cuts and fare increases. Between 1987 and 1996, LTC ridership declined by almost 40 percent.
In 1994, the LTC began developing a comprehensive business plan to turn these trends around. Innovations included an overhauling of fare structure, re-thinking routes, bringing buses into mall areas (which would later become true terminal areas), and making standard public transit buses increasingly wheelchair-accessible. Post-secondary students attending the University of Western Ontario and Fanshawe College now receive a subsidised bus pass incorporated into their tuition: a program which has become such as success that other Canadian cities are trying to implement it.[citation needed]
Due in large part to these measures, the LTC is currently experiencing a massive increase in ridership, straining current transit resources.
[edit] Future plans
With the recent announcement of federal and provincial gas tax money for municipalities, the LTC has decided to spend funds on improving service, creating bus depots at major shopping centres, and purchasing new buses. Also, there are talks of creating a second transit garage in West London to improve efficiency.
By the end of 2006, all LTC buses will be equipped with GPS technology. This will allow riders to find out when a bus will arrive at their stop either via the LTC website or digital message signs placed at strategic transit stops. There is also a proposal to allow LTC buses to lengthen the timing of traffic signals at key intersections to improve service.
By 2008, London Transit will have express routes serving high volume routes such as the Oxford, Wellington, and Wonderland Road corridors.
[edit] Fares
Since January 1, 2004, the cash fare is $2.50 for adults (students and seniors) and $1.25 for children (5 Years to Grade 6).
There are also a number of passes available:
- Citipass: $ 74.00 monthly.
- Weekday Pass: $ 63.00 monthly.
- Seniors Pass: $ 52.00 monthly.
- Post Secondary: $ 64.00 monthly.
- Summer Student: $ 74.00 for July and August for Grade 7 to OAC.
- Tuition Passes: added to student fees.
- Sight Impaired--CNIB Pass: $ 10.00 yearly.
Ticket Fares, effective January 1, 2006;
- Adult: 5 for $ 8.80 (from $ 8.25),
- Student: 5 for $ 7.15 (from $ 6.70)
- Senior: 5 for $ 6.60 (from $ 6.25)
- Child: 5 for $ 5.10 (from $ 4.75)
[edit] Roster
As of 2005, the LTC has over 180 buses in its fleet including:
- General Motors Diesel Division Buses 1975 GMDD T6H 4523N
- General Motors Diesel Division Buses 1982 GMDD T6H 5307N
- General Motors Diesel Division Buses 1986 GM Classic TC40-102N
- Motor Coach Industries 1987, 1989-90 MCI Classic TC40-102N
- Orion Bus Industries 1997-98 Orion VI 06.501 CNG
- New Flyer Industries 2002-03 D40 Invero
- New Flyer Industries 2003 D60LF Articulated
- New Flyer Industries 2004-06 D40LF
Denotes wheelchair-accessible vehicles.
[edit] Routes
- 1 Kipps Lane/Thompson Road
- 2 Dundas Extended service to Masonville Place on Sundays only
- 3 Hamilton
- 4 Oxford East
- 5 Springbank Trips after 6:00 pm Monday to Friday and all day Saturday, Sunday at statutory holidays do not service Griffith between Boler and Byron Baseline. The bus routes along Boler Road to Commissioners to regular route. After 7:00 pm Monday to Saturday and all day Sunday, there is no service on Springbank Drive in both directions between Berkshire and Gardenwood. The bus routes eastbound via Berkshire, Gardenwood, Ridgewood, Greenwood to Springbank, and westbound the reverse.
- 6 Richmond After 7:00 pm Monday to Saturday and all day Sunday, interlines at Natural Science with route 9C Whitehills.
- 7 Wavell
- 8 Riverside Operates during weekday peak hours only
- 9 Whitehills Operates Monday to Saturday until 7pm
- 9C Whitehills Operates after 7pm Monday to Saturday and all day Sunday.
- 10 Wonderland Certain trips extended to Masonville Place Monday to Saturday. After 7:00 pm Monday to Saturday and all day Sunday, this route is extended south of Westmount Mall to service the Dalhousie area, and also operates in both directions via Berkshire and Teeple Terrace.
- 11 Southcrest
- 12 Wharncliffe South
- 13 Wellington Certain weekday trips proceed from White Oaks Mall to Exeter Road, then directly north but do not return to the mall.
- 14 Highbury
- 15 Westmount After 7:00 pm Monday to Saturday and all day Sunday, this route is extended south of Westmount Mall to service the Dalhousie area.
- 16 Adelaide
- 17 Oxford West After 7:00 pm Monday to Friday, 9:00 pm Saturday and all day Sunday, buses route eastbound only via Riverside, Hyde Park, Oxford to regular route.
- 19 Oakridge No Sunday service
- 20 Cherryhill
- 21 Huron Heights
- 22 Trafalgar No Sunday service
- 23 Berkshire No Sunday service
- 24 Baseline No Sunday service
- 25 Kilally Weekdays only
- 26 Jalna Blvd. West
- 27 Fanshawe College No Sunday service
- 30 Newbold Operates during weekday peak hours only. PM route is reverse of AM route.
- 31 Orchard Park Weekdays only. Interlines with 32 Windermere at Alumni Hall.
- 32 Windermere Weekdays only. Interlines with 31 Orchard Park at Alumni Hall.
- 33 Proudfoot Weekdays only
- 34 Medway Operates during weekday peak hours only
- 35 Argyle No Sunday service
- 36 Airport/Industrial Operates between Fanshawe College and the London International Airport, and the airport industrial area on weekday peak hours and weekday late nights only.
- 37 Sovereign Road Operates between Argyle Mall and the Sovereign Road industrial area on weekday peak hours only.
- 38 Stoney Creek Operates between Masonville Place and the new Sunningdale subdivision except on Sundays and holidays.
Denotes wheelchair-accessible routes.
In addition to these routes, London Transit also operates the following routes that operate only during the University of Western Ontario school year during weekdays only:
- 2C Dundas (Downtown-University) follows the 2 Dundas route. Most trips to the university begin at Queens & Ridout, but all evening trips to the university begin at Dundas & Richmond. All trips from the university end at Dundas & Richmond.
- 6A Richmond (Downtown-University) follows the 6 Richmond route from Richmond & Dundas. All northbound trips end at Natural Science, while all southbound trips end at Richmond & Carling. Except weekends and Fridays, there are extra evening trips on this route that operate between the University and Downtown only.
- 10A Wonderland (Westmount-University) follows the 10 Wonderland route. All trips start/end at Westmount Mall.
- 10B Wonderland (Capulet-University) follows the 10 Wonderland route, but ends at Wonderland & Oxford, routing via the Capulet Lane subdivision.
[edit] Criticisms
London Transit has been criticized for not having 24 hour bus service, for a city with a population of almost 400,000 people, a large student population, and many different work centres that operate outside of the 6am-12pm service schedule. Some students of Fanshawe College and the University of Western Ontario, who receive a subsidized bus pass as part of compulsory fees, feel an option to opt out of the bus pass should be available.[citation needed]
