TTC hires New York City transit executive as new CEO

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The TTC has hired a new chief executive who said he hopes to get the city’s buses, subways and streetcars moving more efficiently.

On Thursday, the Toronto Transit Commission Board unanimously voted in favour of the recommendation from its selection committee to hire Mandeep S. Lali as the new CEO.

For the last three years, Lali was the New York City Transit Authority’s executive vice-president and CEO responsible for its subway system.

“Mr. Lali has over two decades of global experience in transit,” Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow said at a press conference in Scarborough.

“He deeply understands public transit in a big, busy city. Mandeep Lali’s depth of experience managing the most complex subway system in the world is exactly what we need to get Toronto moving.”

Lali replaces former CEO Rick Leary, who announced a year ago that he was leaving the agency after a decade on the job.

Lali will officially step into his new role on July 7.

“My vision for the TTC is to be world class,” Lali said. “World class in safety, reliability, affordability, and accessibility. Those are all basics which are fundamentals to a great transportation system.”

Some of the top priorities for Lali include addressing slow zones and bunching of buses.

“Looking ahead, this is a very exciting time here in Toronto,” he said. “You’ve got a metamorphosis and transformation happening in respect to the transport sector.”

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Councillor Dianne Saxe, who sits on the TTC Board, congratulated Lali for his appointment.

“I look forward to working together towards making the TTC the reliable, safe and efficient public transit service Torontonians deserve,” she wrote on social media.

Transit advocacy group TTCriders said they hope Lali can restore trust in the TTC, deliver reliable and accessible service, and build a stronger, more transparent transit system.

“TTCriders looks forward to working with the new CEO to put riders first and grow the TTC into a world-class transit system,” Andrew Pulsifer, Executive Director of TTCriders, said in a statement.

“This is a moment to change course and bring real improvements that transit users across the city are calling for.”

Before his time in New York, Lali was employed by Transport for London as its head of power management and signals from 2002 to 2015 and at Otis Elevator from 2015 to 2022.