Regional and Intercity Bus\Rail Transportation

[waterloowarrior]

starting a new thread separate from the commuter rail network...

Russell got some bad news regarding the Ottawa LRT transition

Staff Report
https://russell.civicweb.net/FileStorage...20Transpo%20-%20LRT%20Update)%20fin.docx

City Presentation
https://russell.civicweb.net/FileStorage...ppendix%201%20-%20City%20of%20Ottawa.pdf

OC Fare structure
https://russell.civicweb.net/FileStorage...0-%20OC%20Transpo%20Fare%20Structure.pdf

On November 6, 2018, we met with the City of Ottawa where they updated us on upcoming changes to both the operations of transit and the fares as we move closer to O-Train Line 1 opening (see Appendix 1).

The major changes that will impact our service, including all other rural bus services, are the following:

1. Fare integration will be discontinued:
Currently: passengers are charged an extra $6 per monthly pass and need to purchase a Regional ID Card ($8.75 one-time fee) – this pass allows our passengers to transfer to regular OC Transpo and STO Buses at all time at no additional fee. This is an administration fee to cover the cost of producing the pass itself and does not recover the cost of passengers using OC Transpo’s services.

The transit user survey (as part of the study) revealed that a small proportion (at most 7% which represents 9 to 10 passengers) of Russell Transpo users use a non-Russell transit service to reach their destination. However, if future service terminates at an LRT station, most passengers would need to transfer to OC transpo.

Ottawa Proposal: In addition to purchasing the Russell Transpo monthly pass, passengers will be required to pay the full cost of appropriate OC Transpo/STO fare products if they need to transfer (see Appendix 2 for fare structure). However, we anticipate a reduction in the Russell Transpo fare price after June 30th, 2019, if the level of service is reduced.

The Township will only be informed of this change, by the City of Ottawa, one month before the fare integration is discontinued.

2. Access to reserved bus lane on the Highway 417 and downtown Ottawa will no longer be available to Russell Transpo
Currently, Russell Transpo has access to existing Transitway and bus-only lanes.

Ottawa Proposal: Bus lanes on Highway 417 will no longer be available, transitway on downtown streets will no longer be available (including Albert and Slater Streets).

No date has been confirmed when the reserved laneways will be reinstated to road shoulder.

What does those changes mean for Russell Transpo’s service?

The Township will have to revisit the route options that were evaluated in the Transit Feasibility Study and further assess the financial impact of the upcoming changes. We are aware that existing users highly value the directness of the current service; most users implied they would stop using the service altogether if a transfer was added (Transit user survey Results in the Transit Feasibility Study). If the service would continue as it is with no transfers, longer commute times would be in effect due to the removal of bus-only lanes.


In regards to potential transit to Amazon, preliminary discussions are currently underway between the City of Ottawa and Amazon but at this time there were no specific details that were shared with us. The Department of Economic Development will continue to entertain this conversation with the City of Ottawa in order to increase the OC Transpo service to our Vars 417 Industrial Park.


The contract with our service provider, 417 Bus Line, is ending on June 30, 2019. We are currently preparing an RFP to extend our service. However, because the opening of the LRT has been pushed back and we still do not know when the official opening will be, issuing an RFP is difficult as there are many unknowns to the service we will be offering in the near future. Consequently, issuing a tender beforehand would require bidders to estimate the effects of the LRT on their operational costs. This may result in higher operating costs because it is likely that bidders would be conservative in their estimates.

Our goal is to follow the recommendations that were provided to us in the Transit Feasibility Study and evaluate the financial impact associated with the proposed changes. At the same time, we also need to take into consideration the updates we received from the City of Ottawa. We will be presenting another report early 2019 when we receive further update from the City of Ottawa.

In order for OC Transpo to reconsider the proposed changes ahead, we recommend that a coalition be formed with other municipalities facing the same dilemma. People will be more encouraged to drive instead of using a public transit service if fares and travel times increase, which goes against the province’s environmental goals.

In conclusion, the removal of the reserved lane way on the Highway 417 and downtown Ottawa will definitely affect the future of Russell Transpo. Therefore, we will have to find feasible options to best accommodate our passenger’s schedule.