Toronto ranked below average in global public transit index

While Torontonians love to hate the city’s transit system, Toronto’s been recently recognized for its averagely ranked mobility system.

A report from the Oliver Wyman Forum ranked 30 global cities on how prepared they are to incorporate the latest mobility technologies and what they are doing to reshape urban mobility.

“The index evaluates such factors as a city’s regulation, infrastructure, livability, and commitment to innovation and then identifies strategies cities can employ to transform mobility into a competitive edge,” reads the report.

• See also:
  • New TTC bus-only lanes could be coming to busy Toronto routes
  • There are even more subway closures planned for 2020
  • TTC offering FREE rides all night long this New Year’s Eve

Singapore topped the inaugural Urban Mobility Readiness Index, followed by Amsterdam, London, Shanghai, and New York. Toronto was the only Canadian city to make it onto the list, placing 19 out of 30. AKA, not the best, but also not the worst.

“Cities destined to become tomorrow’s mobility leaders are forward-thinking and user-centric,” said Guillaume Thibault, an Oliver Wyman partner and one of the creators of the new index in a statement.

“They take a data-driven approach and work with the private sector to find solutions.” The research was conducted with The Institute of Transportation Studies at the University of California, Berkeley.

To reach their findings, the Oliver Wyman Forum ranked the selected cities on a scale of one to 100, based on how well they met the following five core criteria: system efficiency, social impact, innovation, market attractiveness, and infrastructure.

While no two cities are alike, many of the problems they face — from congestion to air pollution to failing infrastructure — are similar, according to the index.

“The economic fates of cities moving forward will depend on their ability to turn the potential disruption from the new mobility into opportunities and solutions,” reads the index.

Urban Mobility Readiness Index 2019

Here in Toronto, the city received an overall score of 50.5 out of 100, just down 20.3 points from the number one ranking city, Singapore. It also is below the global average score of 51.

As for how Toronto scored for the five criteria, the city received 53.6% for the efficiency of its systems, 55% for social impact, 42.5% for innovation, 52% for market attractiveness, and 45% for infrastructure.

Toronto/Urban Mobility Readiness Index 2019

You can find the full report here.