Toronto's auditor general found the TTC's paid sick leave costs increased to $33.9 million in 2015, an increase of some $1.2 million from the previous year.
Ah, summer. Pool parties, barbecues, the smell of honeysuckle and the sight of lightning bugs. Or — a rise in crime, agitated riders seeking air conditioning, heat stroke, a new fiscal year, and the necessary, but unpopular, fare increases. However you view the summer months, with a direct correlation between high temperatures and increased crime, it's vital for transit leaders to be asking themselves, "Have we done everything possible to keep our people safe?"
There is an epidemic of safety accidents, absenteeism and high turnover among transit's front line employees and it's bleeding the transportation industry billions of dollars. But the inoculation may be closer than you think. Employee engagement is the best immunization for what's ailing the industry.
Beverly Scott addresses several issues impacting the agency and public transportation in general during the interview, including criticism of excessive absenteeism and capital spending.