London Transit
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| Slogan | Wherever Life Takes You |
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| Founded | 1951 (from London Street Railway) |
| Headquarters | 450 Highbury Avenue N |
| Service area | London, Ontario |
| Service type | Public Transit |
| Routes | 39 regular routes 3 community buses |
| Fleet | 195 buses |
| Annual ridership | 24.1 million (2014) |
| Operator | City of London |
| Website | www.ltconline.ca |
The London Transit Commission (LTC) is responsible for the operation of the public transit system on behalf of the City of London, Ontario, Canada. It offers the typical conventional bus service, and a para-transit service, for those unable to use the conventional service. In 2014, annual ridership totaled 24.1 million. The LTC has 39 regular bus routes, 3 express routes, and 3 community bus routes.
London Street Railway Company (LSR) a privately operated transit service, brought public transit to the city with the start of horse-drawn streetcar operations May 24, 1875, with electric power being introduced in 1895. In later years, the city operated some routes, but in 1951 assumed control over all routes and formed the London Transportation Commission to operate them. Until 1940, streetcars provided the bulk of the service. Streetcar system was converted to buses in late November 1940 (planned for the end of 1940, but forced by a blizzard that damaged trolley wires). In 1974, the LTC adopted its present name, and greatly expanded its service area to cover the newly annexed area in Middlesex County. The system has evolved to feature community bus routes, para-transit services and accessible low floor buses with the rapid transit lines as the backbone. In 2003, the LTC opened bus terminals in Argyle Mall and Masonville malls.
As of 2010, the LTC has 191 transit buses in its fleet. Until recently, London Transit had one of the oldest transit fleets in Ontario, with many buses older than 25 years old. However, with new buses being purchased within the last decade, this has changed. All older model high-floor buses were phased out in 2012, making the LTC fully operated with low-floor accessible buses.
During peak service periods on weekdays there are over 154 buses on the road. Sunday service reduces that number to fewer than 50.
hybrid system
hybrid system
hybrid system
(originally equipped with Detroit Diesel Series 50, re-powered in 2008)
After the public transit boom of the 1960s and 1970s, ridership began to slip. At that time almost every transit route was passing through London's downtown area. An attempted building of two downtown malls and the economic recession of the 1990s combined to force the downtown area into serious decline. An economic slump echoed in a parallel drop in ridership, made even worse by the traditional responses of service cuts and fare increases. Between 1987 and 1996, LTC ridership declined by almost 40 percent.
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Wikipedia