Comment 27307

By ADowntowner (anonymous) | Posted November 13, 2008 at 17:59:49

First of all, I don't think any logical person would dispute that transit is an important form of transportation.

Perhaps we should look at how it's delivered. For example, look at York Regional Transit. They contract out the operations of their VIVA system while retaining ownership - perhaps this is something that could be explored locally to see if this is beneficial and if it can cap escalating costs/fares?

Secondly, as we saw with the job action at the TTC back in April, riders need a guarantee that their transit system will operate. This is why I personally think Public Transit in Ontario should be declared an essential service. I understand that if transit unions cannot strike they would need to resort to binding arbitration as a last resort. Should Public Transit be declared as essential service, arbitrators need to incorporate in their decisions the region's availability to pay, especially in cities where taxes are high and cities where people's incomes are lower than average and cannot afford exorbitant increases.

I use Public Transit quite frequently and am so eager to see expansion and increased ridership. Public Transit is the way of the future and we need increased investments from higher levels of government and where possible/feasible, the private sector.

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