M II A II R II K
Senior Member
TTC operations are next stop on city's cost-cutting route
Jul. 20, 2011
By ELIZABETH CHURCH
Read More: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news...n-citys-cost-cutting-route/article2103062/?ut
Scrapping night buses, privatizing routes and contracting out cleaning and maintenance jobs will be some of the cost-cutting measures on the table when consultants hired to find savings at city hall turn their attention to the always contentious topic of Toronto’s transit system. The TTC options are part of an extensive KPMG review of more than 150 services provided by the city and will be released Thursday. A source familiar with the study outlined the findings to The Globe and Mail, saying it zeroes in on a handful of operational changes, including the late-night service.
The Toronto Transit Commission is one of the final stops for the city’s core service review, part of an effort by Mayor Rob Ford to find gravy in Toronto’s operations and close an estimated $774-million funding gap in next year’s budget. Rather than gravy, the consultant’s report, released in stages over two weeks, has classified most city services as essential. Even so, the review has generated a long list of penny-pinching proposals including selling old-age homes, slashing daycare spaces and taking fluoride out of tap water. The report’s last and likely most contentious menu of options will come Thursday when consultants focus on the city’s agencies, boards and commissions, which include the TTC as well as police – two services many regard as being at the heart of what the city does.
Ending the TTC’s “Blue Night Network” bus service that kicks in during the wee hours when subway lines stop, is likely to provoke outrage from the public. As well as revellers and other nighthawks, the all-night routes are a mainstay for shift workers in marginal jobs who cannot afford cars or cab fare. “That service is really there for the most vulnerable,” the source explained. Earlier this year, TTC commissioners learned firsthand what a hot political potato cutting bus service can be. As part of this year’s budget review, late-night and weekend service cuts were proposed on 48 little-used routes. Faced with public outcry, commissioners settled on a compromise that rolled back the planned service reductions. The KPMG report classifies the barriers to cutting the overnight routes as “low,” but estimates savings will be small, as well.
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Jul. 20, 2011
By ELIZABETH CHURCH
Read More: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news...n-citys-cost-cutting-route/article2103062/?ut
Scrapping night buses, privatizing routes and contracting out cleaning and maintenance jobs will be some of the cost-cutting measures on the table when consultants hired to find savings at city hall turn their attention to the always contentious topic of Toronto’s transit system. The TTC options are part of an extensive KPMG review of more than 150 services provided by the city and will be released Thursday. A source familiar with the study outlined the findings to The Globe and Mail, saying it zeroes in on a handful of operational changes, including the late-night service.
The Toronto Transit Commission is one of the final stops for the city’s core service review, part of an effort by Mayor Rob Ford to find gravy in Toronto’s operations and close an estimated $774-million funding gap in next year’s budget. Rather than gravy, the consultant’s report, released in stages over two weeks, has classified most city services as essential. Even so, the review has generated a long list of penny-pinching proposals including selling old-age homes, slashing daycare spaces and taking fluoride out of tap water. The report’s last and likely most contentious menu of options will come Thursday when consultants focus on the city’s agencies, boards and commissions, which include the TTC as well as police – two services many regard as being at the heart of what the city does.
Ending the TTC’s “Blue Night Network” bus service that kicks in during the wee hours when subway lines stop, is likely to provoke outrage from the public. As well as revellers and other nighthawks, the all-night routes are a mainstay for shift workers in marginal jobs who cannot afford cars or cab fare. “That service is really there for the most vulnerable,” the source explained. Earlier this year, TTC commissioners learned firsthand what a hot political potato cutting bus service can be. As part of this year’s budget review, late-night and weekend service cuts were proposed on 48 little-used routes. Faced with public outcry, commissioners settled on a compromise that rolled back the planned service reductions. The KPMG report classifies the barriers to cutting the overnight routes as “low,” but estimates savings will be small, as well.
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