Staff Report #1
October 27, 2025
To All Commissioners
Re: 2025 Work Program – General – Third Quarter Update
Recommendation
The report be RECEIVED for information.
Background
The Commission’s Business Planning Process includes the development of annual work programs which include initiatives intended to advance the business of the organization with a focus on the strategic objectives of the Business Plan. The Annual Work Program initiatives are grouped by Strategic Objective, and include priority, timelines and designated lead personnel for each initiative.
At the end of each quarter, department Directors provide update reports for the Commission on the initiatives that were intended to be completed within the previous quarter. These reports include reference to the Work Program initiative number for ease of tracking. Enclosure I provides a summary of the Work Program initiatives intended to be completed within the third quarter of the year as well as reference to where updates on each initiative can be found. In the cases where specific reports have previously been provided on an initiative, the Enclosure references the previous report and no further commentary is provided in the quarterly update. In the case where updates are provided on this agenda, reference is included to the specific Staff Report.
The remainder of this report provides commentary with respect to the initiatives that are listed as ongoing or new in nature and do not have associated timelines or specific projects associated with them.
3.5 – City of London – London Transit Reviews
London Transit administration continues to work with civic administration as required during the scheduled reviews to provide data and/or respond to queries. To date, data requests and questions have been limited to the Route Planning and Rapid Transit Readiness review, as well as the Subsidized Transit Program Review, all of which have been responded to. Given there were no dates associated with these reviews when the 2025 Work Program was prepared and approved, they were recorded as TBD on the work plan, and updates will be provided as the various reviews proceed.
8.1 – Ontario Public Transit Association (OPTA) Membership
London Transit administration is represented on the Board of Directors of OPTA, and are also active participants in the various OPTA Committees (Human Resources & Operations, Planning & Scheduling, Marketing, Maintenance, Customer Service and Labour Relations, etc.). Participation in this Association allows for the sharing of lessons learned and best practices across the Province.
OPTA also undertakes advocacy with the Ontario provincial government with respect to funding and legislative issues impacting public transit services. OPTA is currently working to finalize the messaging that will be shared at the annual advocacy day, which will be held at Queens Park in December.
8.2 – Canadian Urban Transit Association (CUTA) Membership
London Transit administration is represented on the Board of Directors of CUTA, and are also active participants in the various CUTA Committees (Workforce Development, Technical Services, Advocacy and Government Relations, Zero-Emission Bus, Labour Relations, etc.). Participation in this Association allows for the sharing of lessons learned and best practices across the country. CUTA works closely with the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) to ensure alignment on issues where applicable.
CUTA undertakes advocacy with the Federal government with respect to funding and legislative issues impacting public transit services. In 2025, focus will be directed at ensuring the Canadian Public Transit Fund remains intact, and is rolled out as prescribed by the previous government (baseline funding begins in 2026), and continued efforts to maintain exemptions for the bus manufacturing sector from retaliatory tariffs. The CUTA Bus Manufacturing Taskforce continues its work to develop a series of recommendations intended to address concerns relating to pricing and delivery timeframes for buses in the Canadian marketplace.
From a legislative perspective, CUTA will continue to advocate for a change to section 269.01 of the Criminal Code, which currently states that when a court sentences an offender for an offence involving a public transit operator, it must consider the fact that the victim was engaged in the performance of their duty as a public transit operator as an aggravating circumstance. Given there are numerous other roles in public transit agencies where an employee could be a victim, CUTA is advocating for “public transit operator” to be amended to “public transit worker”.
8.3 – Canadian Urban Transit Research & Innovation Consortium (CUTRIC) Membership
London Transit is a member of CUTRIC and participates in a number of their committees and working groups, primarily relating to new bus technologies (Electric and Hydrogen Fuel Cell). In addition to providing a forum to share lessons learned and best practices with respect to new and evolving technologies, CUTRIC also undertakes advocacy at both Provincial and Federal levels with respect to funding to support bus fleet transitions.
9.1 – Voice of the Customer Surveys
The annual Voice of the Customer surveys are scheduled to occur in mid November, with telephone surveys for the Specialized service and on-board surveys for the Conventional service. Results of the surveys will be utilized to establish areas of focus for the 2026 Work Program, all of which will be presented to the Commission in the first quarter of 2026.
10.14 – Zero Emission Bus Implementation Strategy
London Transit is participating in a joint procurement for a turn-key solution for the supply and installation of up to ten electric buses, five depot chargers and one opportunity charger. The request for proposal opened in June, and the close date has been extended to February 6, 2026 in order to provide proponents with adequate time to respond subsequent to the provision of responses to over 300 questions received. Following the close, participants in the joint procurement will assess the bids and select a winning bid. Based on the known timelines, it is anticipated that a report will be tabled with the Commission in second quarter 2026 seeking approval for a contract award, following which a contract will be finalized. Until such time as the contract is awarded, it is not possible to determine a delivery date for the buses and related infrastructure, however based on current delivery timelines being experienced, it is anticipated that delivery will be 18-24 months from date of purchase order. Retrofits at the Wonderland facility will be undertaken in 2026/27 to provide the ability to service and maintain the new buses.
10.16 – Highbury Facility Reconstruction Project
The request for proposal for a Consulting Engineer/Architect to act as the Prime Consultant for the demolition and replacement of the Highbury Transit Facility was released in September and has been subsequently closed due to concerns with respect to the clarity of project scope derived from the inordinate number of questions being received. In light of these concerns, an amended approach is being utilized, which includes the issuance of a Request for Qualification which will provide a short list of qualified proponents who will then be asked to provide a detailed bid submission including pricing. It is anticipated this process will see a recommendation for contract award in the first quarter of 2026.
Other – Community Partnerships
While not an explicit item on the Commission Work Program, working with community partners to encourage the use of public transit to attend local events is an ongoing activity. This year, London Transit partnered with Western Fair on a program that provided fair attendees with free transit rides to and from the fair with the presentation of a pre-paid fair ticket. This program was in place for the duration of the Fair (September 5-14).
The program was considered a success, with an estimated 2,150 rides to or from the fair during the event. Based on the contractual agreement between the parties, Western Fair will be invoiced for their share of the incremental ridership.
Enclosure
I – 2025 Work Program – Third Quarter Update
Recommended by:
Kelly S. Paleczny, General Manager