All facets of transportation in the city are working hard to be more efficient. Public transit is expected to be more reliable following the SHIFT initiative and taxi services are going green by choosing hybrid cars.

“For the last number of years we have heard that we are not meeting Londoners’ demands,” said General Manager for the London Transit Commission (LTC) Kelly Paleczny. “[Public and private sectors] need to work together to give the community more options.”

Accessibility is the key focus of all this change.

As the city works on SHIFT, the LTC is looking to increase the reliability of public transit.“[The LTC] is looking to add 17,000 hours a year of service,” said John Ford, director of Planning and Transportation.

The plan would allow London to exemplify a system of rapid transit that could be incorporated into public transit in other cities. Although private transportation such as taxis and limousines do not have a specific initiative for change, many companies have turned to technology and social media.

London’s Chief Municipal Law Enforcement Officer, Orest Katolyk has been keeping track of the changes.

“A lot of the brokers have embraced this technology and have apps so that you know where it is, how long it’s going to take to get to your location,” he said. “You can follow [your taxi] as it’s taking you where you want to go.”

With the student population provided by Western University and Fanshawe College, mobile apps and a social media presence are useful opportunities for the companies to organize the demographics of the users.

Under the service by-laws in the city, many private transportation companies are going green. “We allow a longer life span for hybrids to be in service because of the savings and benefit for the environment,” Katolyk said.

Being able to remain cost-effective is important when implementing the new innovations, however, the change causes private transportation companies to adapt quickly.

Transportation is not the only thing being upgraded but also business models in order to stay competitive. Theresa Matthews, president of Voyageur Transportation Services, expects a ripple effect but is not concerned with the impact.

“It might change how [public and private] interact; we really fill a gap,” Matthews said. “I don’t think anything stays the same for very long. When there’s change, there will be a ripple effect.”

But the changes for public and private do not have to compete with one another. The London Community Transportation Brokerage allows the city to work contractually with private transportation companies.

“Pretty much every taxi company in the city – at one point in time – [has] had contracts with [the LTC],” Paleczny said.

Voyageur Transportation Services currently works with the city to provide special vehicles for residents. Matthews attends meetings held by the LTC and works with the transportation committee to understand where the changes will be taking place.

“It is important that we keep pace with the environment that is changing in the city,” she said. “There may be new opportunities available to us.”