Here’s why it would cost up to $430K each year to put local art inside London Transit buses

The London Transit Commission is pumping its brakes on a plan to display local art in city buses due to a price tag of up to $430,000. Daryl Newcombe explains.

The London Transit Commission (LTC) wants to consult with the London Arts Council before making a final decision about displaying prints of local art and poetry inside city buses.

Last August, a public delegation suggested that poetry and art from schools or artists could be displayed in the advertising area above passengers’ heads when there is unutilized space.

On Monday, the commission considered a staff report detailing how a program would operate, and its potential costs.

“What we tried to do was give a range of scenarios,” explained Kelly Paleczny, general manager of London Transit. “Obviously it depends on how frequently you want to change that art and recognizing the fact that we’ve got almost 250 buses in the fleet.”

Three scenarios are detailed in the report:

1. Printing the same piece of art/poetry for all 250 buses and changing it monthly would cost $39,000 per year
2. Printing a selection of five pieces of art/poetry and changing it monthly would cost $118,000 per year
3. Printing a selection of 15 pieces of art/poetry and changing it monthly would cost $330,000 per year

Adding the cost of an additional staff position results in a total program cost ranging from $130,000 to $430,000 per year.

Paleczny explains that an additional staff member would need to be hired to oversee the program to confirm that the artwork meets content guidelines and is provided on time to the printer in the proper format.

“We currently do not have the capacity within our within our current [staff] complement to be able to manage a program like that,” she told CTV News.

The report notes, “The costs borne by London Transit would be dependent upon any agreement with the parties posting the artwork, noting this could be a shared arrangement where the parties pay all or a portion of the printing and installation costs.”

Several commissioners expressed support for the concept of an art program but could not justify bringing the cost forward as a business case in the 2027 Municipal Budget.

Instead, they directed staff to consult with the London Arts Council about playing a role in a potential program.

“I’m wondering if there might be more economical ways to do this, in so far as participating artists might want to provide more copies [of their printed art],” said Coun. Sam Trosow who sits on the Transit Commission. “That’s why I want to get the Arts Council more involved in this.”