London Transit

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 operates transit bus service and para-transit service. In 2014, annual ridership totaled 24.1 million. The LTC has 28 regular bus routes, six express routes, four school-year-only routes and six community bus routes.

Rapid Transit, formerly known as Shift, is a bus rapid transit (BRT) system under construction. The network consists of two corridors that converge at a central downtown hub. As of October 2024, the East London Link is scheduled for completion in 2026, with operations expected to begin in mid-2027 and a target opening in August 2027. The Wellington Gateway is expected to be completed by 2027, with operations slated to begin in mid-2028 and a summer 2028 opening.

History

London Street Railway

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, on Dundas Street.

Fleet

• Single truck horsecars from Ontario Car Company.
• Large double truck cars from Ottawa Car Company were acquired in 1903 (5) and 1907.
• 5 ex-Cleveland Railway Peter Witts arrived in 1923.
• Ex-Montreal Park & Island Railway cars - non-enclosed cars

Facilities

• Car barns at Dundas and Lyle Streets - since demolished

Routes

• Dundas Street - Eva Street to Wharncliffe Road; north on Wharncliffe to Oxford Street; east on Oxford to Gunn Street
• Adelaide Street - Dundas Street to Central Avenue; along Central to Clarence Street
• Oxford Street - Clarence Street to Adelaide Street
• Ridout Street - Garfield West to Horton Street; along Garfield to Wortley Road to Briscoe Street to Elmwood Avenue; Elmwood to Wharncliffe Highway; to Askin Street to Stanley Road; to Elmwood Avenue to Ridout
• Hamilton Road - Egerton to Maitland Street and Horton Street; Horton Street from Maitland to Thames Street; north of Thames to Stanley Street; along Stanley to Wharncliffe Highway
• Central Avenue - from Adelaide to Clarence Street
• Richmond Street - Horton Street to St James Street; along St James to Wellington Street then Clarence Street to Regent; along Regent to Clarence and then north to Huron Street
• Springbank Park
• South Street - Hamilton Road to Horton Street to Richmond Street or Thames Street; either north to Stanley Street to Ridout north to Dundas Street or Richmond Street to Dundas Street

Ownership

Privately owned from 1875 to 1920, the Ontario Railway and Municipal Board took over control of LSR in 1920.

Demise

The Springbank Park streetcar route ended in 1936, as well as the remaining streetcar routes by 1940. In later years, the city would assume operation of some routes. In 1951, the city assumed control over all routes and formed the London Transportation Commission to operate them. Until 1940, streetcars provided the bulk of the service. The streetcar system was fully converted to buses in late November 1940 (originally planned for the end of 1940, but hastened by a blizzard that damaged trolley wires).

London Transit

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 express lines as the backbone. In 2003, the LTC opened bus terminals at Argyle and Masonville malls.

2009 transit strike

On November 16, 2009, Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 741 representing bus drivers and support workers went on strike, the first transit strike for London Transit since 1980. The strike affected all public routes; however, specialized transit services for the disabled continued to operate.

To lessen the inconvenience on university students, the University of Western Ontario (UWO) increased its shuttle bus service. As well, the University Students' Council (USC) secured rental vans driven by volunteers, looping around the city picking up students at key areas and dropping them off at the university. A community-based approach was taken by the USC including a flag-a-ride program and a shuttle service for groceries. David Empey, president of the UWO staff association, was against this volunteer service, calling it "scab labour". He said it was irresponsible to set up a system which replaced the job of striking workers. Despite this, pickets were set up at the university encouraging students to help their cause. "The strike is really inconveniencing people who are paid even less than the drivers," said a third-year Western student. "This shuttle is a good idea. I had hoped they'd put something like this together. We still have to pay for our transit pass [even if there's a strike]".

On December 7, 2009, ATU turned down the LTC's "Final Offer" of 9.3% wage hike over three years. This offer was rejected by 78.5% (322 of 410) of the ATU membership.

The strike ended on December 14, 2009.

MagusCards

In October 2021 London Transit has partnered with MagusCards to help people for those with autism or other cognitive special needs. It is the key initiatives outlined in the LTC's five-year Accessibility Plan to make the city's transit system more accessible and easier to navigate.

Fleet

2027 bus rapid transit (BRT - Rapid Transit)

Rapid Transit, formerly known as Shift, is a bus rapid transit (BRT) network under construction in London, Ontario, consisting of two corridors that converge at a central downtown hub. The project aims to improve traffic flow, enhance streetscapes, and replace aging underground infrastructure.

The rapid transit system features dedicated bus lanes, including curbside and centre-running lanes, and transit priority signals for smoother operations. Enhanced stations are being designed to accommodate large passenger loads, with seating areas, route information, security cameras, and tempered glass for safety and comfort. The project also includes the installation of new streetscape elements and urban design improvements, which will help ease traffic flow and improve the overall public transit experience in London.

As of October 2024, the East London Link is scheduled for completion in 2026, with operations expected to begin in mid-2027. The route will run between downtown and Fanshawe College, with a target opening in August 2027. Similarly, the Wellington Gateway project is expected to be completed by 2027, with service slated to begin in mid-2028 and a summer 2028 opening for the segment between downtown and White Oaks Mall.

Ridership

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.

In 1994, the LTC began developing a comprehensive business plan to turn these trends around. Innovations included an overhauling of fare structure, re-thinking routes, bringing buses into mall areas (which would later become true terminal areas), and making standard public transit buses increasingly wheelchair-accessible. Post-secondary students attending the University of Western Ontario and Fanshawe College now receive a subsidised bus pass incorporated into their tuition a program which has become a great success.

Due in large part to these measures, the LTC is currently experiencing a massive increase in ridership, straining current transit resources.

In March 2020 the LTC has experienced decreased ridership due to the COVID-19 pandemic cutting jobs for drivers and reducing service in areas with low ridership to match the demand. For safety of the drivers and to limit the spread of the coronavirus paying a fare was suspended. Passengers had to board and exit from the rear door while people with accessibility needs can still board and exit at the front of the bus. The London Transit Commission announced that in August front door boarding will continue with new driver barriers installed and a yellow line to help with social distancing requiring passengers to stay behind the yellow line. Passengers are required to enter through the front door and exit through the back door to comply with the social distancing rules and to limit spread of the virus and bringing back fare collection although passengers with accessibility needs can still exit the front door. They also announced that routes serve Western University and Fanshawe College would return and other routes to 90% of its service levels.

By 2026 the LTC is still recovering from the pandemic with an annual ridership of 17.5 million, but is predicted to gain ridership by the start of the BRT system.

Routes

Regular routes

Buses serving these routes stop at blue bus-stop signs. The bus destination signs display the route number "to" a destination "via" a street or neighbourhood. These routes are updated as of April 11, 2026.

Express routes

These routes are limited-stop service. Buses on Routes 90, 91, 92, 94 and 95 stop only at express bus stops, which have orange bus-stop signs. Buses on Route 93 provide express service (at orange-signed stops only) north of Wharncliffe & Highview and local service (at blue-signed stops) south of Wharncliffe & Highview.

Community routes

The following Community Route operate to provide special access to seniors and individuals with impaired mobility to major shopping destinations. They are not designed as an alternative to the Paratransit service.

Western University and Fanshawe College Short-Turns, September - April Only

See also

• London Street Railway – the precursor to the London Transit Commission
• Public Transit in Canada

External links