Greg Percy named TTC interim CEO

Veteran railway executive Greg Percy has been appointed the interim CEO of the Toronto Transit Commission.

Percy, who has worked in the North American transportation industry for almost four decades, takes over from Bruce Macgregor who was named acting CEO just nine days ago following Rick Leary’s resignation on August 30.

Macgregor will return to his previous role as deputy CEO.

Percy spent the last six years as Executive Vice President, Passenger Services and Strategic Planning with railroad equipment supplier CAD Railway Industries. He was the president of GO Transit in 2013 before transitioning to the first CEO of Metrolinx in 2016.

Percy starts an eight-month contract on Sept. 9 and when asked if he would be a candidate as the transit agency begins its search for a full-time CEO, he was blunt in saying, “I’m not sure.”

“I think in fairness to the board they need some time to know who I am and I need to do the same,” he told reporters. “I think it’s too stressful, too onerous to just say yes and then it being not a fit. So we will talk about it, we’ll work together and if we both feel strongly then I’ll put my name in the hat.”

Percy made it clear, though, that he’s not here to just be a caretaker for the next eight months.

“If after my time here someone calls me a caretaker I’ll be offended. It’s not in my DNA. I’m very aware to get stuff done you have to work with your team. I look really bad in tights and a cape, I’m going to get stuff done through my team.”

TTC Board Chair Jamaal Myers says while the search for a permanent CEO will be a more complex undertaking with an expanded scope of candidates, he’s really pleased to have Percy filling the interim role.

“We weren’t looking for a caretaker, we really wanted a leader and I think that’s what really came across in Greg’s interview was this is a leader,” he said. “This is a guy who gets it, this is a guy who has a passion for transit, his passion for people – it was a very easy decision.”

ATU Local 113, the union representing 12,000 transit employees, say they look forward to working with Percy, noting the organization is at a crossroads when it comes to prioritizing safety over savings and sustainable operational funding.

“TTC workers know too well how deeply the TTC has been cut,” Local 113 President Marvin Alfred said in a statement. “We’ve been fighting for years to protect service and hope the new CEO is ready to work with us. The TTC needs a champion who understands public transit service and who will fight for it.”

Percy agrees that among his top challenges are reliability and safety of the system and asset investment.

“Safety has to be the highest priority, and that’s from little things to big things,” he said. “Safety has to be a culture, customer experience has to be a culture – everything else is important too but without those two what have you got.”

“I’m not an alarmist by any stretch but it’s good due diligence to make sure your assets are in good shape. Unfortunately, nothing to do with rail – freight, commuter, TTC – nothing’s cheap. So you’ve got to plan for it, you’ve got to deliver it and then you move on. It’s an expensive business but it’s an important business.”