Staff Report #1
April 24, 2019
To All Commissioners
Re: 2018 Draft Annual Report
Recommendation
That the Commission:
- APPROVE the Draft 2018 Annual Report, attached as Enclosure I; and
- DIRECT the administration forward the approved 2018 Annual Report to Municipal Council for its review and consideration.
Background
The Draft 2018 Annual Report, as set out in Enclosure I, is being presented for Commission review and approval. Subsequent to Commission approval, the final Annual Report will be presented to Municipal Council via the Civic Works Committee for their review and consideration.
The 2018 Annual Report will include the Chair’s letter of submission, which is to be drafted in consultation with the Commission Chair.
The LTC Business Plan sets the direction respecting the development of LTC as an organization and the services it delivers. The Business Plan process, as depicted below serves as the basis for accountability and transparency.
In the 2015-2018 Business Plan, London Transit is defined by its vision to be the valued and trusted mobility choice for Londoners. The vision is supported by the mission statement which is moving Londoners – progressively, reliably and affordably. The vision and mission are supported by five strategic outcomes:
- An integrated, affordable and valued mobility choice
- Demonstrated fiscal accountability
- Being open, transparent and understood
- Effective utilization of infrastructure
- An engaged, diverse and respectful workplace
Consistent with the Business Planning Process, each year an annual report is completed and shared publicly. The report provides an overview of how the LTC performed against each of the strategic outcomes identified in the Business Plan.
The table below sets out the performance against the outcomes for the 2018 fiscal year.
| Strategic Outcome | Grade | Comments |
| An integrated, affordable and valued mobility choice | Good | Implementation of 5 year service plan is anticipated to address the majority of service concerns relating to both service quality and levels of service provided. |
| Demonstrated fiscal accountability | Excellent | Overall effective cost management including a flat-line of both City of London investment and rider investment (fares). |
| Being open, transparent and understood | Good | Allocation of additional resources to corporate communications including the launch of corporate social media accounts in 2018 formed the basis for continued improvement going forward. |
| Effective utilization of infrastructure | Excellent | Assets are considered to be ‘very good – fit for the future’. |
| An engaged, diverse and respectful workplace | Good | Continued focus on the Mental Health Strategy in 2018 set the stage to rollout custom resiliency training to all employees in 2019. |
The grades of ‘good’ in the areas of ‘an integrated, affordable and valued mobility choice’, ‘ being open transparent and understood, and ‘an engaged, diverse and respectful workplace’ highlights the areas of focus going forward.
With respect to ‘an integrated, affordable and valued mobility choice’, combined ridership on London’s conventional and specialized transit services increased in 2018 to 24.029 million rides, up approximately 3.5% over 2017 ridership levels, exceeding budget expectations. Revenue service hours were increased by a total of 31,000 hours on the services. With respect to the conventional service, the increase in hours was targeted primarily at service quality improvements versus service into new areas. The increase in hours on the specialized service is directly tied to increased ridership given the ongoing and unmet demand for the services.
The objective of ‘being open, transparent and understood’, which received a ‘good’ score, will also be the focus of work programs going forward. 2018 saw the continuation of the Voice of the Customer program, which provides insight into how LTC customers perceive their conventional transit service as well as what their priorities are for the service going forward. In 2018, the Voice of the Customer program was expanded to include the specialized service. The information gathered from these surveys, as well as other customer feedback received will continue to be utilized going forward as more initiatives are undertaken to address the shortfalls identified by LTC customers. 2018 saw the introduction of a new corporate website and social media accounts, as well as the new Infoweb service, which provides real-time service information to riders. The website, social media accounts and Infoweb service together provide significant enhancements to the manner in which service information is communicated with customers. Additionally, 2018 saw the investment of resources into the area of Corporate Communications with the establishment of a Manager of Corporate Communications position as well as a Communications Specialist position.
The objective of ‘an engaged, diverse and respectful workplace’ also received a grade of ‘good’ with the understanding that the creation and maintenance of an engaged, diverse and respectful workplace is a work in progress and something that will never be considered complete given the ongoing and constant changes faced by a growing organization. Primary areas of focus in 2018 on this objective included a continued focus on the implementation of the various initiatives outlined in the Mental Health Strategy, the Workplace Violence Prevention Program with the Operator Shield pilot program as well as enhancing employee support programs and implementation and further diversity initiatives.
Subsequent to Commission approval of the Draft Annual Report, the transmittal letter will be drafted by the Commission Chair and the report will be finalized for distribution to LTC stakeholders and presentation to Municipal Council.
Enclosure
Recommended by:
Kelly S. Paleczny, General Manager