Staff Report #12
April 27, 2026
To All Commissioners
Re: Financial Update – Conventional Transit Services – Operating Budget – March 31, 2026
Recommendation
That the report be RECEIVED for information.
Background
Set out in the table below is the Statement of Operations for Conventional Transit Services for the three-month period ending March 31, 2026. The statement sets out actual to budget performance for the period.
London Transit Commission Statement of Operations – Conventional Transit Services Three Months Ending March 31, 2026 (000’s omitted)
| Description | Actual | Budget | Amount Better (Worse) | Percent Better (Worse) | |
| Revenue | |||||
| Transportation | $ 10,809.5 | $ 10,793.8 | $ 15.7 | 0.1 % | |
| Operating | 566.9 | 517.3 | 49.6 | 9.6 % | |
| Transfers from reserves | 309.5 | 272.1 | 37.4 | 13.8 % | |
| Province-provincial gas tax | 2,522.7 | 2,522.7 | – | 0.0 % | |
| City of London | 10,667.0 | 10,667.0 | – | 0.0 % | |
| Total revenue | 24,875.7 | 24,772.9 | 102.8 | 0.4 % | |
| Expenditure | |||||
| Personnel cost | 16,718.3 | 16,980.9 | 262.6 | 1.5 % | |
| Direct bus maintenance | 3,112.9 | 2,748.5 | (364.4) | (13.3)% | |
| Fuel | 2,568.0 | 2,336.2 | (231.8) | (9.9)% | |
| Facility costs | 1,128.8 | 1,197.0 | 68.3 | 5.7 % | |
| Insurance | 207.8 | 170.4 | (37.4) | (22.0)% | |
| Contribution to reserves | 143.4 | 155.2 | 11.8 | 7.6 % | |
| All other material expense | 1,144.8 | 1,184.7 | 39.9 | 3.4 % | |
| Total expenditure | 25,023.9 | 24,772.9 | (251.0) | (1.0)% | |
| Net favourable/(unfavourable) | $ (148.2) | $ – | $ (148.2) | (0.6)% | |
As indicated in the above table, the conventional service has a net unfavourable operating budget performance to date of 0.6% or $148,200. An explanation of the key variances is set out below.
Revenue
- favourable operating income of $49,600 due mainly to higher than anticipated proceeds received on the disposal of fixed assets (buses and scrap) as well as net favourable interest on operating and reserve accounts, noting discrepancies to budget for reserve fund interest are offset by additional/reduced contributions to the applicable reserve; and
- favourable transfers from reserves of $37,400 due to higher than budgeted insurance expenditures (liability claims), noting that insurance claims are supported by the public liability reserve fund as a direct offset.
Expenditures
- favourable personnel costs of $262,600 due primarily to the ongoing vacant positions, nothing the vacancies within the Fleet & Facilities department are supported by the outsourcing of repairs to a third party as evidenced by the unfavourable direct bus maintenance expenditure;
- unfavourable direct bus maintenance costs of $364,400 directly related to the outsourcing of repair work due to mechanical staff shortages as well as timing of repairs completed for engines and break work;
- unfavourable fuel costs of $231,800 due mainly to higher than budgeted diesel fuel prices relating to the current conflict in the middle east; and
- favourable facility costs of $68,300 due lower than budgeted utilities (hydro and natural gas).
Ridership
The table below sets out actual to budget ridership performance as well as a comparison to the same period in the previous year.
Ridership Performance – Actual vs. Budget Three Months Ending March 31, 2026 (000’s omitted)
| Description | Actual | Budget | Variance | % Variance | 2025 Actual | % Variance |
| Total Passengers (000’s) | 4,297.4 | 4,368.8 | (71.4) | (1.6)% | 5,016.4 | (14.3)% |
| Average Fare | $ 2.515 | $ 2.471 | $ 0.045 | 1.8 % | $ 2.214 | 13.6 % |
| Revenue Service Hours | 187.0 | 190.8 | (3.9) | (2.0)% | 181.3 | 3.1 % |
| Rides/Rev Service Hour | 23.0 | 22.9 | 0.1 | 0.4 % | 27.7 | (16.9)% |
Ridership is just slightly below the year-to-date budget level but 14.3% lower than 2025 levels for the same period due mainly to the flow-through impacts of the reduction in tuition pass riders that began in September 2025 related to the declining enrollment of international students.
Administration will continue to monitor the operating budget performance, including ridership, on a monthly basis.
Recommended by:
Mike Gregor, Director of Finance
Concurred in by:
Kelly S. Paleczny, General Manager