More riders, more road congestion and new buses that hold less people -- it’s a recipe for a vehicle shortage at the TTC. Not enough buses are available during morning rush hour, meaning there is less service on the streets than is actually scheduled.

 TTC commissioner and Toronto city councillor Joe Mihevc says there are many causes, but the bus fleet is stretched too thin. “We have zero contingency. Zero -- which means no spare buses if there is any emergency redirection, a breakdown on a streetcar line, rerouting because of a bridge that’s fallen apart, etcetera.”

 He wants the transit board to address the problem at its public meeting Wednesday, and consider buying more buses than already planned. His message is also aimed at the city’s budget committee, which must approve any new expenditures.

 Although the TTC has assumed an increase in the number of buses of around one percent a year, ridership has been increasing yearly by three percent. “That doesn’t sound like a big number, but it’s 15 million rides a year,” he says -- greater than all the rides taken on Brampton Transit annually.

 The shortage is partly due to the reduced passenger capacity on low-floor buses, which is exacerbated by the fact that too few riders are moving to the back of the vehicle. Also, older buses are being retired “earlier than necessary” says Mihevc, and the manufacturer is delivering brand new buses “slightly later than we scheduled.” As long as this is remedied, he says “by September we’ll be fine, assuming nothing new happens.”

 To get some long term breathing room, the councillor says the TTC must “reevaluate” this year’s bus order, and continue pursuing technical and city planning fixes. This includes satellite technology to keep buses better spaced, and designating exclusive transit lanes.

 Adding to the list of controversial decisions that must be made, the TTC must choose how to deal with its aging streetcar fleet -- should we rebuild the existing cars, design new ones or try to adapt available models to Toronto’s unique needs? Mihevc believes the TTC will opt for the custom-made version in June.

 There are as many ideas to fix the vehicle shortage as reasons why we’re in this pickle in the first place. From my perspective, transit officials must acknowledge the problem is due not only to government underfunding and increasing gridlock.

 It’s true that rush hour conditions make it a real challenge to keep service running evenly, and that more vehicles must be added simply to compensate for buses and streetcars bogged down in traffic congestion.

 Yet greater attention must be paid to the way each route is managed, and what both drivers and riders can do to help speed service. It’s crucial to look closely at why TTC buses aren’t serving customers better -- and not expect technology, road planning or more funding to solve our problems.

© Ed Drass 2008