Winnipeg Transit misses the bus

Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 26/07/2016 (2827 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

There’s no shortage of controversies at city hall these days, but Coun. Scott Gillingham opened up the door to more by dropping the “P” word in response to overtime costs at Winnipeg Transit — privatization. In an exclusive Free Press report, city hall reporter Aldo Santin detailed the rise of overtime in Winnipeg Transit for several mechanics and other unionized staff. In fact, one mechanic worked so much overtime he made just a few thousand dollars less than the transit director, whose salary is $173,710.

Mr. Gillingham responded to the Free Press report Sunday suggesting all options, including privatization, would be considered to try to control costs. Mr. Gillingham clarified he was speaking about privatization for the maintenance department only, something that has been done in other cities.

According to American public policy researcher Lynn Scholl, bus transit services in the U.S. were largely privatized until the mid-1960s, when it was no longer profitable as automobiles became more popular. In the U.K., prime minister Margaret Thatcher privatized the country’s bus and rail system in the 1980s. It didn’t go particularly smoothly. More recently, in London, one of two transit companies contracted to maintain the subway went bankrupt in 2007, leaving taxpayers on the hook for billions of pounds.

Transit privatization in the U.S. usually means the government controls planning, route and scheduling co-ordination, while private bus companies own, maintain and operate the buses — seemingly what Mr. Gillingham was proposing. Would this work in the Winnipeg scenario? Not likely.

If one of the reasons overtime costs are so high is the city doesn’t pay their mechanics the industry standard, making hiring and maintaining staff difficult, how could a private contractor cut those costs?

According to Ms. Scholl’s study, critics of privatization suggest, among other things, cutting costs can result in poor vehicle maintenance. That’s a problem.

In 2015, Winnipeg Transit officials were forced to scale back services during rush hour because of a backlog of buses in the shop for repair.

Private transit can work well but only in areas where there is already a strong ridership who rely on it as an alternative to busy commutes.

Winnipeg Transit struggles with ridership issues, particularly in the outlying areas of the city. Privatization could mean cutbacks to lesser-subscribed areas, further eroding accessibility.

But the main reason privatization should not be considered right now in Winnipeg is this: it requires a watchful eye to ensure standards are maintained and lives are not being endangered.

It’s difficult to have any type of faith in city hall to ensure a careful monitoring of the situation. City Coun. Janice Lukes, the chairwoman of the public works committee that oversees Transit, said she was not aware of the overtime issues and has asked Transit director Dave Wardrop for an explanation.

That’s like not bothering to read the schedule and then chasing down the sidewalk after the first bus you see.

And this is a worrying trend at city hall: bureaucrats not releasing information, leaving councillors holding the bag. Before privatization can even be put on the agenda, accountability needs to improve first. Otherwise, Winnipeggers are going to miss more than their bus.