York Region Transit GM leaving for TTC

YorkRegion.com
April 15, 2014
By Sean Pearce

After five years at the helm of York Region Transit/Viva, Rick Leary is preparing to depart for The Better Way.

Recently, it was announced Mr. Leary, who has been general manager of YRT/Viva since 2009, would be joining the TTC as its new chief service officer.

The role will involve station management, improving on-time performance and ridership numbers for the TTC’s bus and streetcar routes and also working on the transition over to the Presto fare card, he said, adding he’s enthusiastic about the challenge.

Mr. Leary views the upcoming move as a logical next step and just the latest chapter of his lengthy career in the public transit realm. As of June, he will have been in the mass transportation business for 30 years.

“I spent 25 years with the MBTA (Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority) and I took what I learned there and brought it with me here,” he said. “I’m very excited now to be moving on to the TTC.”

In Toronto, Mr. Leary faces a similar task to the one set out for him when he first came aboard YRT/Viva five years ago.

During his tenure, the region’s transit service saw ridership rise close to 23 per cent, on-time performance hit 95 per cent on some routes and the successful, albeit occasionally rocky, roll-out of Presto. Mr. Leary is especially proud of the progress made on ridership and on-time performance and stressed customer service and reliability must be priority No. 1 for any transit service if it hopes to thrive.

“There’s a saying about truth in advertising,” he said. “If we advertise a schedule and say that someone will be there to pick you up, we darn well better be there; I stand by that.”

Many in the region have the option to drive to get where they’re going, so YRT/Viva may not have a second opportunity to make a good impression if buses are late or overcrowded, he added.

And while he’s proud of the progress, there were some tough times along the way.

The three-month YRT strike that ran from October 2011 through January 2012 and affected thousands of riders was a very trying ordeal, Mr. Leary said. It was not an easy period for anyone, he said, describing it as a “learning experience”.

“The strike was a real challenge,” he said. “I remember getting calls from frustrated riders and drivers who just wanted to go back to work and your heart sinks when you see the impact it has on so many people.”

Granted, service changes weren’t always well received and increases to fares - which have risen from $3 to $4 in the past five years in the case of a single-zone trip paid by cash - are never popular, Mr. Leary said, but noted he tried his best to publicize the details behind any route change and provide a complete accounting for any recommended hike. Any customer complaints received were welcome and looked at as a chance to improve, he said.

“I can’t fix something, if I don’t know it’s broken,” he said. “I’m also not going to try and defend the indefensible.”

The region’s new transportation and community planning commissioner, Daniel Kostopoulos, explained the search for a new YRT/Viva general manager is underway with an interim replacement to takeover May 1. It will be business-as-usual at YRT/Viva during the transition, he said, and operations will continue on in line with the region’s 2014 service plan.

That said, regional chairperson Bill Fisch offered high praise for Mr. Leary and said he will be a tough act to follow.

“Rick’s leadership as general manager, combined with council’s commitment to transit investment, has resulted in YRT/Viva experiencing significant improvements that coincide with regional growth, including on-time performance and a renewed commitment to customer service,” he said. “Rick has raised the bar for transit services in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area.

“He has helped to accomplish much during his time with the region and I wish him well in his new role at the TTC.”

For his part, Mr. Leary gave much of the credit for YRT/Viva’s success to those on regional council, including Mr. Fisch.

Given its status as third largest transit service in North America, the move to the TTC is a huge leap, Mr. Leary said, but, even so, he doesn’t know where he’d be had YRT not hired him five years ago. It’s difficult to thank York Region enough, he said.

“I’m so grateful to YRT for hiring me back in 2009,” Mr. Leary said. “They gave me the opportunity of a lifetime.”