OC Transpo misses reliability targets again

No reliability: It’s no secret OC Transpo isn’t always on time. Many report the buses not showing up at all. And commuters are angry, while ridership targets are not where they should be. Fare prices keep going up. And later this month, there will be a slight reduction in service when “New Ways to Bus” is launched on April 27. 

At a transit commission meeting on Thursday, OC Transpo General manager René Amilcar said OC Transpo’s average service delivery was 96.9 per cent in March — below the target set of 99.5 per cent.

• “For the bus side, when we deliver a 96, 97, even 98 per cent of the service, is bad,” said Amilcar, according to CTV. “It’s very bad. That’s why when we compare with best transit around the world, we need to deliver what we planned 99.5 per cent.”

So what’s the cause? One per cent of trips were cancelled due to a lack of available vehicles, while 0.9 per cent of cancellations were due to on-street adjustments for construction and detours. Another 0.7 per cent of trips were cancelled because there were not enough drivers.

If you’re a commuter on Route 11, you might have experienced the most burden. A total of 501 trips were cancelled in March. Route 6 saw 480 trips cancelled, and there were 413 times Route 8 did not run. The city said those routes run on streets with the most congestion. 

The buses are aging: So far this year OC Transpo had to retire 18 buses it thought would only last until the end of the year. Out of the old diesel buses, over half are past their 15-year life expectancy. And by this time next year, all articulated buses will be past that useful lifecycle as well, reported the Ottawa Citizen. 

• “The 78 double-decker buses will be the only high-capacity buses below retirement age,” said Rami El Feghali, director for transit bus operations. 

The aging fleet means more maintenance. That leads to more money and more resources at the OC Transpo garage on St. Laurent Boulevard. This winter caused havoc on operations because of on-street defects and corrosion damage to the structure and wiring systems 

• “Not only do we find an increase in the quantity of defects during maintenance inspections, but the defects that are found also increase in severity, which drives both the time and parts needed to put buses back into service,” said El Feghali. 

More buses are coming: In 2026, 80 new e-buses will join the fleet. If the targets can be met, OC Transpo wants to have 114 e-buses in service by early 2026 and 354 e-buses by the end of 2027.

You can soon ride for free: After “New Ways to Bus” is launched later this April, OC Transpo will provide a free weekend of transit to allow residents to explore the O-Train and buses. But we will need to wait to learn about the date. 

On X, Capital Ward Coun. Shawn Menard applauded the initiative. Menard has been a supporter of free transit in the city. 

• “After all the city has been through, some have been hesitant to try transit in Ottawa. I’ve been encouraging incentives. OC Transpo has responded and will offer a free weekend in the near future to encourage people to try the new Line 2 and Line 4, Line 1 and buses,” Menard wrote.