Staff Report #1
November 17, 2025
To All Commissioners
Re: Annual Accessibility Plan Update
Recommendation
That the report be RECEIVED for information.
Background
Consistent with the requirements of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) regulations, the Commission’s Accessibility Plan was updated in 2019, and covers the period of 2020-2025. The plan was developed in consultation with the Accessible Public Transit Service Advisory Committee (APTSAC), and included public feedback gathered through drop-in sessions, online survey and customer contacts. The final 2020-2025 Accessibility Plan was approved by the Commission at the November 27, 2019 meeting.
The following table provides an overview of the initiatives from the 2020-2025 Accessibility Plan which were scheduled to be addressed as part of the 2025 work program as well as a status of each, with additional commentary on the larger initiatives following the table. It should be noted that initiatives with the status indicating “completed for 2025” are annual initiatives that are ongoing in nature.
The following provides a brief overview of the initiatives that were included in the previous plan and the status of each, noting that status updates were also provided to the Commission and posted on the corporate website annually in compliance with the AODA regulations.
2025 Accessibility Plan Initiatives
| Initiative | Status |
| General | |
| Ensure compliance with AODA | Completed for 2025 |
| Complete 2026-2030 Accessibility Plan | Complete |
| Annual Public Meeting | Complete |
| Information & Communications | |
| Ensure compliance with AODA | Completed for 2025 |
| Customer Service | |
| Ensure compliance with AODA | Completed for 2025 |
| Employment | |
| Ensure compliance with AODA | Completed for 2025 |
| Public Transit Service General | |
| Ensure compliance with AODA | Completed for 2025 |
| Conventional Transit Service | |
| Ensure compliance with AODA | Completed for 2025 |
| Provide City with list of bus stops requiring sidewalk access | Completed for 2025 |
| Assessment of Multi-Use Stop Issues | Ongoing |
| Specialized Transit Service | |
| Ensure compliance with AODA | Completed for 2025 |
| Installation of new booking software including online trip request functionality | Complete |
| Utilize non-accommodate trip data to plan for service growth | Complete for 2025 |
| Public Spaces | |
| Ensure compliance with AODA | Completed for 2025 |
| Ensure major retrofits include removal of barriers | Completed for 2025 |
The following provides greater detail with respect to the specific projects listed above.
Ensure Compliance with AODA – Ensuring compliance with existing standards and participating in the standard review process for each of the sections of the Integrated Accessibility Standards Regulation is a standing item on the Annual Work Program. This includes reviewing programs and policies on an annual basis to ensure continued compliance, as well as scheduling a more in-depth review on specific aspects of the regulation each year to identify best practices in compliance and implementing same.
In 2025, administration reviewed the proposed changes to the Customer Service standards with the Accessible Public Transit Service Advisory Committee (APTSAC) and subsequently provided feedback through the formal process (see Staff Report #3 dated February 11, 2025). The feedback provided by London Transit, as well as numerous other transit system providers and the Ontario Public Transit Association, identified the following issues:
- clarity around expediting requests based on medical information that would only be available to health care providers;
- the value of the proposed requirement for organizations to track the number and nature of requests for documents in alternative formats;
- suggestion for additional requirements for service animals that are un-certified and used in public settings (eg. emotional support animals), noting these animals have the potential to distract a certified service animal that is providing potential life-saving duties; and
- suggestion for transit providers to be exempted from proposed requirements around limiting the use of support person noting the new recommendation is in direct conflict with a requirement for transit providers to allow support persons to travel free of charge on their services.
Compliance with the AODA is measured in part through the use of desktop audits, undertaken by Ministry staff. In 2025, London Transit participated in a desktop audit sharing copies of all requested documentation and materials. The audit did not identify any non-compliance issues.
Administration was also asked to participate in the review of a new approach to filing required compliance reports. This new approach provides for easier access to forms as well as direct links to sections of the AODA for reference when completing the form. This new approach has been launched and will be utilized to file the 2025 Compliance report by the end of December as required under the AODA.
2026-2030 Accessibility Plan – As set out in Staff Report #6, dated November 17, 2025, the 2026-2030 Accessibility Plan is being recommended for Commission approval subsequent to which it will be posted on the corporate website in compliance with the AODA.
Annual Public Meeting – A requirement of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) is for Conventional Transit Service providers to hold an annual public meeting to allow the public, including persons with disabilities, the opportunity to participate in a review of the accessibility plan and provide feedback. This year’s annual drop-in session to allow the public to comment on the 2026-2030 Accessibility Plan as well as the Draft Conventional Service Plan was held on November 6, 2025 from 2pm – 4pm and again from 6pm to 8pm at the downtown library.
Provide City with list of bus stops with no connecting sidewalks – This initiative is undertaken annually to ensure the City of London is aware of all London Transit stops that do not have a connecting sidewalk to the bus stop pad. The updated list is provided to the City of London at the end of each year.
Assessment of Multi-Use Stop Issues – Issues relating to the functionality of multi-use stops resulted in this review being placed on the previous Accessibility Plan. The primary concern relates to customers with visual disabilities who rely on the external announcement to identify the bus they wish to board. There are a number of stops, primarily in the core, that are utilized by multiple routes, which have caused challenges in the past. A number of initiatives were undertaken in 2025 in an effort to address these concerns, including the following:
- reminders to all London Transit Operators that they must pull up, stop and open their doors at the front-most position of the multi-use stop in order to ensure that customers waiting at the stop can hear the external announcement; and
- splitting one of the multi-use stops in the core to two locations, which reduces the number of buses utilizing each of the stops, and reduces the queuing of buses and the wait times associated with each bus pulling up to and stopping at the stop location.
While these efforts have reduced the number of issues at multi-use stops, there are still instances where customers experience difficulty, and as such this item has been carried forward to the 2026-2030 Accessibility Plan for further review.
Implement new Scheduling Software for Specialized Service – A scheduling software upgrade was completed in spring 2025. The new software provides a number of features that had been requested by customers over the past number of years including:
- an online portal which provides customers with the ability to make trip request online versus calling a booking agent directly. The portal also allows customer to manage trips once they have been booked (eg cancel a trip online) without the need to call;
- trip notification feature which provides customers with a reminder of a booked trip the day prior as well as a notification when the vehicle is on the way to the customers designated pick-up location;
- dynamic scheduling feature which provides for the system to continuously look for ways to schedule non-accommodated trips, and sends a notification to customers when a trip has been scheduled; and
- more efficient schedules resulting in better on-time service performance.
Utilize non-accommodated data to plan for service expansion on Specialized – Data collected through the second half of 2025 (subsequent to completion of scheduling software update) indicated the periods with the highest levels of non-accommodated trips were weekdays between 8am and 6pm, weekends during festival season, and Sunday mornings. As set out in Staff Report #5, dated November 17, 2025, the recommended 2026 Service Plan for the Specialized service will allocate the incremental 10,000 hours to these periods beginning in January 2026.
Subsequent to Commission review, the status update included in this report will be posted on the corporate website.
Recommended by:
Katie Burns, Director of Planning
David Butler, Manager of Operations Administration
Shawn Wilson, Director of Operations
Craig Morneau, Director of Fleet & Facilities
Joanne Galloway, Director of Human Resources
Caroline Roy, Manager of Corporate Communications
Concurred in by:
Kelly S. Paleczny, General Manager