expect 'some issues' as oc transpo bus route redesign rolls out sunday
the chair of ottawa’s transit commission is asking for ...
4 minute read
new ways to bus signs remind transit users of the changes. tony caldwell, postmedia.
tony caldwell
/
postmedia
the chair of ottawa’s transit commission is asking for patience from oc transpo riders as the largest-ever overhaul of city bus routes rolls out on april 27 with the “new ways to bus” campaign.
“it’s a big change and any time you’re changing things on this scale, i expect we’re going to see some issues on sunday when it launches and on monday when people are back to work and school,” said coun. glen gower, chair of the city’s transit committee.
“oc transpo says they’re ready to make adjustments where we need to, but it will be a big change to people’s routine … i don’t want to minimize the impact it’s going to have.”
the bus route redesign will impact almost every oc transpo customer, said general manager renée amilcar during a recent update to the transit committee.
the redesign introduces new routes and retires others with low ridership, while making numerous changes to schedules, with some routes shortened, extended, or divided. oc transpo is also changing its service for some middle schools and high schools and revising routes to “major destinations” like hospitals, universities and colleges.
“i’ve been saying to people, ‘every route is changing.’ and reminding them to check their travel planner or online at octranspo.com,” gower said.
advertisement
“there are some routes that are retired, some new routes, some routes that have a different trajectory that may be taking different streets, some might be a little bit shorter or a little bit longer,” he said.
stittsville coun. glen gower is the city’s transit chair. ashley fraser/postmedia
ashley fraser
/
postmedia
“i don’t want to minimize it. i think there will be some people who will have a longer commute or an extra transfer.”
on the flip side, oc transpo will be providing service to some new areas and improving service to some high-demand areas, he said.
“a lot of people will see some more reliability on their route, and they’re going to have easier access to a wider number of locations.”
amilcar told councillors the bus network redesign “will give customers a more reliable and efficient system” as oc transpo aims to improve service to its target of 99.5 per cent reliability.
the transit authority continues to fall short of that target, with the 12-month average service delivery for buses at 97.6 per cent for the period from march 2024 to march 2025, 1.9 per cent lower than the target.
that ratio dipped to 96.9 per cent for bus trips delivered as planned in march 2025.
the new bus network is designed, in part, to address ongoing issues around the reliability and punctuality of buses, gower said.
advertisement
“there are a lot of changes that are being made that should improve the on-time performance and should mean less cancelled routes.”
the redesign also recognizes where ridership is right now and where people need to go, he said.
“the current network was designed to move 100 million people a year. this year we’re anticipating 80 million people. most of that is due to the shift to work-from-home in all sorts of industries.”
oc transpo is seeing higher ridership in popular crosstown routes while fewer customers are going in and out of downtown, said gower.
“a review and a redo of routes is something every transit service should be doing on a cyclical basis,” he said. “it’s been a long time and this is the biggest-ever network redesign … there are new employment areas, new residential areas, new entertainment and retail areas, so it’s meant to adjust to that change in ridership and change in demand.”
new ways to bus signs are going up at octranspo stops across the city. tony caldwell, postmedia.
tony caldwell
/
postmedia
the “new ways to bus” rollout follows the openings of the trillium lines 2 and 4 in january, and will feature greater access to rapid transit connections.
“i think, overall, it will be a benefit and it’s a better route network going forward,” gower said. “but the change is going to be difficult.”
oc transpo is already finding itself in “a delicate balance” with a shortage of available buses in its rapidly aging fleet.
advertisement
staff warned councillors that a “serious” maintenance backlog means the transit authority is running short of the minimum requirement of buses for april. oc transpo has been running with an average of 521 buses in service each day, which is short of the 540-minimum service requirement for april.
gower said he has a pretty high level of confidence, but recognizes and acknowledges the risks that staff brought during an april 10 committee meeting.
“we have a fleet that’s aging quickly on one hand and we have delays in deliveries of new buses,” he said.
“with both of those (factors) it’s a pretty delicate balance to try to get the number of buses on the road that we need.”
oc transpo will be placing additional pressure on newer buses in the fleet and would need to “overdrive” its younger buses to meet demand, said city staff.
the winter had a “profound” impact on the aging fleet of 735 conventional buses, with 18 buses retired so far this year and another 39 requiring major work, according to city staff. more than half the diesel fleet is already above its 15-year “useful life” cycle.
the city is dealing with delivery delays with electric buses and is also facing problems with the procurement of more diesel buses. both kinds of buses are difficult to procure said gower, and staff are exploring new and used options for diesel buses as the city awaits its new electric fleet.
advertisement
“we’re trying to look at every option because across north america the supply chain for new buses was really hit in the pandemic and is still trying to recover post-pandemic.”
in canada, a lot of the transit agencies are shifting to electric buses, so there’s a huge demand and some issues with the manufacturers in keeping up with that demand, said gower.
“we still need to add service, we still need more investments in transit — that doesn’t stop.”
our website is your destination for up-to-the-minute news, so make sure to bookmark our homepage and sign up for our newsletters so we can keep you informed.
share story
