Don’t use Hamilton LRT to save a few bucks on the bus budget: Union
The city's transit union is warning councillors against using LRT as an excuse to cut Hamilton's bus budget or workforce.
The federal and provincial governments have offered $3.4 billion to resurrect Hamilton's cancelled light rail transit line provided the city agrees to take on gross operating costs estimated at $20 million a year.
Before voting on the offer, councillors asked staff to report back on what net operating costs might be after factoring in fare revenue and potential savings, including from replacing 18 buses and 30 drivers with trains.
But any displaced HSR buses should be redeployed" to better serve the rest of the city, not mothballed for budget savings, said Eric Tuck, who heads ATU Local 107.
To ensure the success of LRT, you have to build ridership," said Tuck ahead of a June 16 meeting on the project.
To have our city council adopt this type of thinking, Oh, here's an opportunity to cut back,' that is absolutely wrong," he said. You're going to end up with an empty train ... because you haven't built out the rest of the network."
Coun. Lloyd Ferguson, who asked for the cost savings breakdown, said he believes swapping buses for trains on the Main-King LRT corridor will result in default savings.
But the Ancaster councillor also acknowledged some B-line buses will need to stay in service despite LRT - to link train riders to Dundas, for example. The HSR is also working on a separate (Re)-envision" project to improve bus routes and connections in the city.
Ferguson said he will listen to the arguments" if the HSR recommends beefing up bus service to complement a light rail system. But I still want to see the net operating costs we are facing before I sign on for LRT," he said.
Via email, Mayor Fred Eisenberger said he anticipates efficiencies" stemming from the arrival of LRT, but he also emphasized the project will ultimately mean more buses and enhanced services across the entire community."
It's not yet clear if the HSR will be offered the opportunity to run LRT - a long-running concern for the union.
Provincial transit agency Metrolinx said it will seek input" from the city on the potential role of the HSR in future operations - but the first priority is getting a go-ahead for LRT.
-With files from Teviah Moro
Matthew Van Dongen is a Hamilton-based reporter covering transportation for The Spectator. Reach him via email: mvandongen@thespec.com