Staff Report #3
September 18, 2018
To All Members of the Accessible Public Transit Service Advisory Committee
Re: Conventional Service Update
Recommendation
The report be NOTED and FILED.
Background
The following report is provided as an update on initiatives affecting the conventional transit service.
2018 Conventional Service Plan
At the January 2018 meeting, the Commission approved the 2018 Conventional Service Plan which calls for the net increase of 17,700 annualized service hours. The changes associated with the service plan impacts approximately 36,000 hours of service, and took effect on September 2, 2018.
The information campaign related to the service changes included notices and Transit Talks available on-board all buses beginning in mid-July, advertisements in four cultural newspapers including French, Spanish, Arabic and Mandarin, advertisements in Western University and Fanshawe College newspapers orientation editions, stop level notifications at stops along affected routes, detailed information on the London Transit website and an ongoing social media campaign. Additionally, Customer Service, Planning and Operations staff were at Masonville Mall, White Oaks Mall, Westmount Mall, Argyle Mall and Downtown the week of September 3-7, 2018 to answer questions and direct passengers to the correct bus stop locations.
Post 2019 Framework Update
In August 2016, the Commission approved the Post-2019 Rapid Transit Integration Framework as the basis for progressive development of the overall conventional transit service including the Rapid Transit corridors. When the study was completed, a number of key rapid transit decisions were yet to be finalized, including the final corridors and the associated operating conditions on each (i.e. curbside or centre running), and final location of all stops on the rapid transit corridors. Given these unknowns, it was anticipated that the Post-2019 Framework would be revisited once the final Rapid Transit design had been approved by Council (anticipated for late 2018).
Given ongoing confusion for many stakeholders with respect to the fact that the Bus Rapid Transit corridors are one piece of the required transformation for the conventional transit service, coupled with the desire to have detailed financial estimates which include all required transit enhancements for the next financial horizon, it was determined that the review of the Post-2019 Framework be undertaken in 2018 to allow for the final recommended transit structure and related financial requirements to be presented at the same time as the Transit Project Assessment Process (TPAP) for the Bus Rapid Transit project. Dillon Consulting has been retained to conduct a review of the initial document, with the plan to have the draft updated document presented to the Commission at their September 2018 meeting.
The public was invited to provide input into the update of the Post-2019 Framework at a drop-in session held on September 11, 2018 from 2pm to 4pm and from 6pm to 8pm at the Central Library. In addition, a survey is available on the LTC website for those wishing to provide feedback.
All input will be consolidated and considered in the draft Post-2019 Framework report. Subsequent to the Post-2019 Framework being confirmed by the Commission, a 5 Year Service Plan will be developed for the period of 2020 through 2024.
Bus Stop Spacing Review
Planning staff have continued to review stop spacing along major corridors throughout the city to ensure stop spacing is in line with London Transit’s Service Standards, as approved by the Commission on April 29, 2015. The location and number of stops along a bus route is a balance between customer service (providing convenient access to the service) and operational efficiency (faster travel time along the route).
A significant number of routes and corridors throughout the city have stop spacing far below the minimum guidelines, primarily as a result of historic requests for stops, service re-alignments etc. where new stops were added, but others not removed. Having stop spacing that falls within the approved service standards improves route performance and schedule adherence on the system as a whole.
In 2018, three sets of stop removals/relocations have been implemented to date and are set out in the table below.
Bus Stop Spacing Review Status
| Date of Implementation | Location | Impacted Routes |
| April 29 | Baseline, High and Grand | 6 and 24 |
| Horton and Ridout | 4, 15, 26 and 104 | |
| Southdale | 10 | |
| Wharncliffe | 11, 12 & 26 | |
| May 28 | Route 7 east of Downtown | Also impacts stops on Route 2, 14, 17 and 37 |
| Dundas- Egerton to Highbury | 2 | |
| Cherryhill | 20 & 33 | |
| Richmond- Queens to University Drive | 1, 4, 6, 13, 21, 104 and 106 | |
| Route 12 south of Commissioners | Also impacts stops on Routes 10 and 24 | |
| Route 4 south of Baseline | Also impacts stops on Routes 10 and 26 | |
| August 8 | Dundas- Highbury to Clarke | 2 |
| Fanshawe Park Road West and Aldersbrook Gate | 31 and 39 |
Corridor and route level stop reviews will continue throughout the remainder of 2018.
Industrial Service Strategy
Individual follow-up meetings with each of the Industrial areas were held. The intent of these meetings was to review each of the three alternative service delivery models; namely, Employment Shuttles, TransCab/Dial-a-Ride, and Trippers approved by the Commission at its June 27, 2018, in an effort to determine which model will work best for each of the areas. An update on the Industrial Service Strategy is anticipated to be presented to the Commission at the September 26, 2018 meeting.
Recommended by:
Katie Burns, Director of Planning
Concurred in by:
Kelly S. Paleczny, General Manager