Olivia Chow to increase bus service if elected mayor of Toronto

ABOVE: Global’s Sean Mallen breaks down Olivia Chow’s latest transit proposal – and how it could leaver her open to attacks from the other candidates 

TORONTO – Mayoral candidate Olivia Chow wants to increase bus service by 10 per cent to help facilitate faster commute times in Toronto.

“It would immediately have less crowding and immediately make sure that families that are taking these buses arrive in dignity,” Chow told reporters at a bus stop on the corner of Jane Street and Wilson Avenue Thursday morning.

Chow’s plan would involve keeping buses slated for retirement to be put back into service as the Toronto Transit Commission’s (TTC) new articulated buses are slowly introduced to the public in the next two years.

READ MORE: LRT vs. Scarborough subway: where do the mayoral candidates stand?

“There are 130 new buses that are being delivered now… don’t retire those buses as quickly,” said Chow.

Chow says the extra $15 million needed to pay for drivers, maintain and service the vehicles, would come from the existing TTC budget, as well as property tax increases which she promises will be in line with inflation.

“The plan is affordable, very practical,” she said. “When Rob Ford got elected, he said he’s for the little guy. Since he got elected, there’s more crowding on buses.”

Since launching her campaign last week, Chow has been a staunch supporter of scrapping the Scarborough subway plan in favour of light rail transit.

The mayoral candidate also took a shot at her opponents, saying they have no plan for how to pay for transit ideas.

READ MORE:What do the mayoral candidates say about Porter’s expansion plans?

“John Tory and Rob Ford are announcing huge transit plans without saying where the money is going to come from,” Chow said.

Mayor Rob Ford favours a subway extension into Scarborough to replace the aging Scarborough Rapid Transit system, insisting the plan would be paid for with money from all three levels of government.

Tory’s transit ideas include continuing with the Scarborough subway plan and making the downtown relief line a priority. He plans to detail how he would pay for transit expansion in the coming weeks.

Mayoral candidate Karen Stintz described Chow’s transit plan as “short-term thinking.”

“Perhaps she doesn’t know that we have already added articulated buses to address capacity,” Stintz said in a statement.

Stintz said Toronto needs to focus its efforts on making improvements to the overall transit capacity and said she would focus on a downtown relief line.