From My Bottom Step

As first noted HERE, the Community and Protective Services Committee finally got the ball rolling at it’s 2009/02/09 meeting.

City Council subsequently passed a motion on 2009/02/23 directing that the possibility of subsidizing public transit using provincial funds and/or provincial gas tax funds be investigated and reported back to CAPS.

Today’s LTC agenda contains a staff report which addresses the issue.

The report says that the province’s guidelines do not permit it’s gas tax funds to be used as a fare subsidy. Clear enough I guess. But rules can be changed. Did LTC staff make any inquiry to investigate that possibility or simply not bother?

And then it gets unnecessarily confused.

First it says that “such programs do not reside as part of the Ministry of Transportation.” Does that mean that there aren’t currently any similar programs as part of that Ministry? And if it does, so what? That isn’t the same as saying that there couldn’t be. It isn’t the same as saying that inquiries had been made and that the LTC had been told “no” by the Ministry. Or does the phrase mean that such programs aren’t permitted by the Ministry?

Then the report states that “such programs would generally be the responsibility of the Ministry of Community and Social Services, which is best accessed by the City of London’s Community Services department.”

Is that a polite way of telling the City that it shouldn’t try to pass the buck to the LTC?

The City does currently subsidize two specific groups. Seniors receive a 25% discount from the normal adult tickets/passes cost. And CNIB registrants get a 100% subsidy.

But let’s not forget that the LTC subsidizes students (click HERE to read an article about that sweet deal)! While disabled citizens living on sub-poverty CPP-D and ODSP incomes are charged full adult prices, able-bodied young adults get unlimited travel for only $13.64 a month!

There’s something evil about that.

And it’s not as if the City and the LTC are unaware of the disparity. The LTC staff report quite brazenly states that “over the past number of years, both the City of London and London Transit have received requests…for reduced fares…working poor, war veterans, seniors, individuals on ODSP… The potential move to an income based subsidy is seen as the most equitable means of providing assistance supporting the identified groups…”

So, enough with the back-and-forth “it’s in your court” bureaucratic games! Somebody stand up and demonstrate some ethical behaviour and fix the problem!