OC Transpo

[OCCheetos]

Originally Posted by Richard Eade

Thanks for the link to Better Transit Ottawa, OCCheetos. However, I don’t see where the numbers come from.

For example, in the top graph, it has a variable labeled ‘Trips removed from schedule’ – which it describes as: “Trips removed are the number of trips that have been removed from the schedule since the schedule published on January 6th 2026.”

Yet, on January 12, 2026, OC Transpo TEMPORARILY removed 255 trips from the schedule. This is not reflected in the graph, which indicates that only 3 trips were removed on the 12th. Also, the graph shows a jump in removed trips of 142 on January 23, 2026; yet OC Transpo did not announce any additional trip removals at that time.

The Better Transit Ottawa graph seems to suggest that 127 of the removed trips were returned on March 16, 2026. I have not heard that OC Transpo has returned any removed trips. In fact, with the April 19, 2026 Spring Schedule, the number of TEMPORARILY removed trips increased to 279. The graph does show an increase on removed trips, from 105 to 216 on April 24, 2026, but even that does not match OC Transpo’s announcement.

As of its April 24, 2026 update, OC Transpo had 99 e-buses running in its fleet. The second graph from Better Transit Ottawa shows just 81 e-buses in total for April 27, 2026.

I don’t see an easy way of settling the discrepancies in the numbers.

The discrepancies are primarily due to changes in the published scheduled data. The list of "temporarily cancelled" trips was manually defined by the maintainer of the website, so changes to the schedule data and the "trip IDs" can cause double counts or undercounts. That aspect of the graph is meant to be illustrative.

The rest of the data comes from OC Transpo's real-time data feed.

The temporary cancelled trips were, in fact, restored for the week of March 16th. School trips were not operating because of March break and so OC Transpo ran the other cancelled trips without any announcement or fanfare.

[Truenorth00]

We're halfway through Spring. E-bus deliveries are continuing apace. Really hoping the switch to the Summer Schedule gets them some slight relief and then (hopefully), they'll have a lot more capacity built up by the Fall, with CL East opening at the same time.

At least, the E-buses are providing some relief on fuel prices. This would all be so much worse if these were diesel buses. I've long argued that a big case for electrification is certainty in operating costs and relief from fuel price swings.

[dougvdh]

Originally Posted by Truenorth00

We're halfway through Spring. E-bus deliveries are continuing apace. Really hoping the switch to the Summer Schedule gets them some slight relief and then (hopefully), they'll have a lot more capacity built up by the Fall, with CL East opening at the same time.

At least, the E-buses are providing some relief on fuel prices. This would all be so much worse if these were diesel buses. I've long argued that a big case for electrification is certainty in operating costs and relief from fuel price swings.

As much as we like to complain about our trains, they (even the diesel ones) are providing a huge reduction in system wide fuel consumption. This only improves as Line 1 East and West open up.

[Truenorth00]

Originally Posted by dougvdh

As much as we like to complain about our trains, they (even the diesel ones) are providing a huge reduction in system wide fuel consumption. This only improves as Line 1 East and West open up.

Yeah. I'm really hoping the fuel bill didn't increase too much by the end of the year. I don't want to see service cuts to pay for rising fuel costs.

[Uhuniau]

Originally Posted by Truenorth00

At least, the E-buses are providing some relief on fuel prices. This would all be so much worse if these were diesel buses. I've long argued that a big case for electrification is certainty in operating costs and relief from fuel price swings.

Unfortunately, that is coming at the cost of crush-loading, and subsequent impossibility of adhering to any kind of schedule or reliability, on some of the trunk routes. The increasing reliance on 40-foot electric buses on routes 7 and 12, while actually REMOVING runs from both of those routes, is not going well from the customer point of view. But what do we even matter?

[Truenorth00]

Originally Posted by Uhuniau

Unfortunately, that is coming at the cost of crush-loading, and subsequent impossibility of adhering to any kind of schedule or reliability, on some of the trunk routes. The increasing reliance on 40-foot electric buses on routes 7 and 12, while actually REMOVING runs from both of those routes, is not going well from the customer point of view. But what do we even matter?

Compounding failures. Unfortunately.....

[J.OT13]

Ontario to give OC Transpo special constables the power to make arrests for drug use on public transit

Josh Pringle, CTV Ottawa
Updated: May 04, 2026 at 6:54PM EDT

OC Transpo special constables will soon have new powers to arrest and fine people using drugs on the O-Train, buses and in transit stations.

The Ontario government introduced amendments to the Restricting Public Consumption of Illegal Substances Act, which was passed last year to prohibit drug use in public spaces. The province says the changes would “crack down on illegal drug use” on public transit.

The regulatory changes would give OC Transpo special constables the authority to stop individuals from using illegal substances on transit and in transit areas, and issue tickets or make arrests if individuals refuse to comply.


“Protecting Ontario means making sure people feel safe when they use public transit,” Solicitor General Michael Kerzner said in a statement on Monday.

“Through these proposed changes we are giving law enforcement and their partners the tools they need to keep our communities and transit systems safe, while holding offenders and those who enable them accountable.”

Those convicted could face a maximum fine of $10,000 and/or six months in prison.

In a statement on social media Monday morning, Premier Doug Ford said “tough new rules” were coming to combat public drug use on transit.


“We’re bringing in tough new rules to crack down on people using drugs on public transit so we can keep our communities safe,” Ford said.

In February, Ottawa council voted 17 to 7 to express support for the proposed Ontario government legislation to expand enforcement powers to OC Transpo special constables.

OC Transpo special constables have the authority to investigate, arrest and lay charges under the federal Controlled Drugs and Substances Act when dealing with possession of illicit drugs, Chief Safety Officer Sabrina Pasian told CTV News Ottawa in February.

Pasian told reporters in February that the Ottawa Police Services Board would still need to approve granting the new powers to special constables once implemented by the Ontario government.

In a statement to CTV News Ottawa on Monday, Pasian said OC Transpo would be reviewing the legislation.

“The safety of our customers and employees remains our top priority. OC Transpo Special Constables already play an important role in supporting a safe and secure transit system, working closely with the Ottawa Police Service,” Pasian wrote.

“We will review the new legislation in detail and work with the Province and policing partners to understand how any changes will be implemented in Ottawa, including any required training for our staff. Our focus will remain on ensuring that any measures are applied appropriately, consistently, and in a way that supports both safety and customer service across the system.”

Rideau-Vanier city councillor Stéphanie Plante, whose ward includes the ByWard Market and Rideau Street, says she supports the plan.

“I hear a lot from people in my community about this issue,” Plante said.

“I hear about it frequently in my inbox and I think we have to keep in mind that most people who are taking public transit, especially in Ward 12, don’t really have options to take a car either.”

Some riders agree drugs are a problem on transit, buy wonder whether this is the right approach.

“I don’t think that [special constables] are equipped with whatever the knowledge or the training,” said Natalia Valdes, who was taking transit on Monday.

“It would be adding to the work that they have without probably proper training.”

“Not sure about a ticket,” said transit rider Josef Narbuada.

“How can you really ticket someone who has already lost everything in their life and who doesn’t care about if you give them a ticket?”

According to the OC Transpo special constable‘s report in 2024, there were 250 drug offences on OC Transpo property in 2024, down 39 per cent from 2023.

With files from CTV News Ottawa’s Ted Raymond and Natalie van Rooy

https://www.ctvnews.ca/ottawa/article/on...-arrests-for-drug-use-on-public-transit/

[Uhuniau]

Originally Posted by J.OT13

In a statement to CTV News Ottawa on Monday, Pasian said OC Transpo would be reviewing the legislation.

“The safety of our customers and employees remains our top priority. OC Transpo Special Constables already play an important role in supporting a safe and secure transit system, working closely with the Ottawa Police Service,” Pasian wrote.

I wish this was remotely true.

[rocketphish]

Here's how OC Transpo says riders could be compensated for poor service
Report to councillors says discounts and refunds could cost millions

Arthur White-Crummey · CBC News
Posted: May 05, 2026 5:50 PM EDT | Last Updated: 2 hours ago

OC Transpo is giving councillors options to compensate riders for a drop in bus reliability and ongoing issues with the LRT — but some of those ideas come with hefty price tags.

A shortage of buses forced OC Transpo to cancel hundreds of trips starting in early January. Just weeks later, a new bearing issue took most LRT cars off the rails, a problem that still hasn’t been fixed.

In a February motion, council asked city staff to explore scenarios to compensate passengers for those service disruptions.

"Transit users are suffering right now," Coun. Shawn Menard said at the time. "People are very upset about the service that they’re receiving."

On Tuesday, the city came back to councillors with some ideas.

Retroactive refunds?

That's one option. It would cost about $3 million to grant a 50 per cent refund to passengers who paid single-ride fares with a Presto card between Jan. 22 and March 31.

The price tag would be $5.2 million to give pass holders for January, February and March that same discount, for a combined cost of $8.2 million.

But OC Transpo says that approach has its limits. In a report to council's transit committee, staff say it isn’t technically feasible to grant that refund to passengers who paid in cash or by credit or debit card. It also wouldn’t help passengers who gave up using transit altogether.

Future discounts?

That's another potential option. Staff say that would help more people and could draw new riders to the system.

One example is a 50 per cent discount for monthly passes, at a cost of at least $2 million per month. For single-ride fares, that level of discount would run at $3 million or more.

A weekend of free fares from Friday to Sunday would cost about $400,000 to $450,000.

Staff do not recommend a specific option but say they will work to implement whatever, if anything, council decides.

'Non-fare options'?

Staff also ran though what they call “non-fare options” that could compensate riders by improving bus reliability.

That includes buying more buses, at a cost of $1.65 million for one new diesel articulated bus.

The report also mentions transit priority measures, like bus stop bulb outs and advance transit signals. Some of those ideas could cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, though some measures, such as continuous bus lanes and Transitway construction, would cost considerably more.

But the city is already moving forward with many of those ideas. OC Transpo has also been exploring another option mentioned in the report: “heat tracing” of the overhead lines that power the LRT. That would involve installing an additional wire to heat the line and melt ice buildup.

OC Transpo has said that idea could prevent a repeat of the power failures that shut down the LRT in March. It would cost about $2 million and could be ready next year.

OC Transpo has offered free transit in the past. In 2021, after the LRT was shut down for 54 days, riders enjoyed a month of free transit at an estimated cost of $7.2 million.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/he...e-compensated-for-poor-service-9.7188834

[Truenorth00]

They need to fix the service. Not give discounts on crap.

[J.OT13]

Originally Posted by Truenorth00

They need to fix the service. Not give discounts on crap.

Fully agree. The reliability issues are due to underfunding (at least from the bus service perspective). Taking more money out of the budget for compensation will only make it worse.

[Richard Eade]

I don’t know about that: People seem to be attracted to deeply discounted crap. Look at the popularity of ‘Dollar Stores’.

(My experience with a ‘Dollar Store’ hammer – and, NO, I wasn’t the one who bought it. It was a brand-new hammer – still with the sticker on it that proudly proclaimed “Finest Chinese Quality”. I had a 3” spiral nail that needed pulling from a 2x4. I pounded it back so that only the one-and-a-half inches remained in the wood, flipped the board, set the claw, and pulled. The “Finest Chinese Quality” tubular ‘steel’ handle buckled and bent. I handed it back to its shocked owner and went to get my old reliable Estwing.)

But, seriously, looking at the numbers presented:
A 50% future discount for monthly pass-holders will cost about $2M per month. So that means that the revenue from pass-holders is about $4M per month, or $48M per year. The actual fares collected in 2025 were $177.6M. Clearly, pass-holders account for a smaller portion of riders these days. I expect that a lot fewer customers are buying a monthly pass when they are only traveling to work three days a week. Once they need to travel more often (4, or even 5, days a week), more passes will be purchased. That is probably why the report says “at least $2 million per month”.

If it would cost about $3M for a retroactive 50% refund for single-ride fares for more than 2 months (Jan. 22-Mar.31), why is it $3M for a month of future 50% discount for single-rides? Has the number of single-ride customers suddenly more than doubled? That’s not the case for passes. Three months of retroactive 50% rebate is only $5.2M for passes. So, a bit less than 3x the $2M per month for a future 50% discount.

And. It seems to me that, at this point, any future discount would be set for the summer months; which, historically, have had lower ridership – so should have smaller losses.

If I recall correctly, OC Transpo used to buy articulated buses for about $1M-$1.2M each. Has the price really jumped up to $1.65M each?

Seriously; forget about discounts for unreliable, uncomfortable service. Even free, it will not draw back many riders. What people need if a good, dependable service.

• Ditch the ‘Capacity Planning’. Make the rides comfortable. Transit riders are not sardines, and, thus, shouldn't be treated as such.
• Strive to unwind the tangle of inter-lining buses. Let buses go back and forth along the routes (with reasonable layup/catch-up times), allowing people to get to know the operators.
• Add frequency so that ‘FREQUENT’ routes truly are frequent. (Or, at least, start being truthful and get rid of the moniker ‘FREQUENT’.)
• Create a reasonable NIGHT SERVICE bus network, where most walks are reduced to less than 2 kilometres.

One of the advertised features of the LRT is that you can just go to the station, and a train will soon happen along. That should be the same for all ‘FREQUENT’ bus routes, at all times (except during late evening). A schedule should not be necessary. (Oh, and every quarter of an hour is not really ‘frequent’, is it?)

(Actually, I have found that I don’t need to look at schedules any more for most of the buses that I take. Not because the buses arrive frequently enough, but because they arrive when/if they arrive – schedule be damned. I now often get comments like: “Your appointment isn’t for another hour.” They understand when I tell them that I travel by bus.)

[phil235]

Originally Posted by Richard Eade

Seriously; forget about discounts for unreliable, uncomfortable service. Even free, it will not draw back many riders. What people need if a good, dependable service.

• Ditch the ‘Capacity Planning’. Make the rides comfortable. Transit riders are not sardines, and, thus, shouldn't be treated as such.
• Strive to unwind the tangle of inter-lining buses. Let buses go back and forth along the routes (with reasonable layup/catch-up times), allowing people to get to know the operators.
• Add frequency so that ‘FREQUENT’ routes truly are frequent. (Or, at least, start being truthful and get rid of the moniker ‘FREQUENT’.)
• Create a reasonable NIGHT SERVICE bus network, where most walks are reduced to less than 2 kilometres.

I fully agree with your list. It would of course require prioritization, as OC Transpo can't do everything at once with limited resources. But a simple prioritization of the items on your list would go a long way.

One thing that I would add is the idea of a broader range of pass options that fit the way people are travelling. With Presto it should be easy to offer family passes, weekend and evening passes, plus something aimed at people who only commute a few days a week. That way you could start to make use of some of the excess capacity they have off peak, and siphon off the crowd that has gone to Uber because it isn't that much more expensive than the $4.00 single bus fare (which I think is a substantial number of people).

I'd also double down on the environmental advantages of transit. You hear very little about that these days, and it's not like climate change has gone away.

[OCCheetos]

If I recall correctly, OC Transpo used to buy articulated buses for about $1M-$1.2M each. Has the price really jumped up to $1.65M each?

The last time OC Transpo purchased articulated buses, in 2010, they acquired 306 of them at a cost of $155M. However, this was a steeply discounted price of almost 20% due to certain fortunate circumstances. (Original report here)

Unclear if those costs included the fit-up costs that they now decided to include in this report.

[Richard Eade]

Thanks for that info, OCCheetos. Thinking about it more, I guess I was thinking of the price WAY back, when we were buying a large number of the artics. (The 40’ buses were $650K-$800K.) Time flies.

On the point of a rebate for transit riders: I think that a ‘Service Level Guarantee’ only makes sense for a service that is expecting a profit. If an organization looses actual profit because it was forced to return money due to poor service, it is a penalty for that organization. If a not-for-profit agency can’t meet its goals because it does not have the money to do so, returning money only hurts customers – since it will mean even worse service to come.

[lrt's friend]

Originally Posted by Richard Eade

Seriously; forget about discounts for unreliable, uncomfortable service. Even free, it will not draw back many riders. What people need if a good, dependable service.

• Ditch the ‘Capacity Planning’. Make the rides comfortable. Transit riders are not sardines, and, thus, shouldn't be treated as such.
• Strive to unwind the tangle of inter-lining buses. Let buses go back and forth along the routes (with reasonable layup/catch-up times), allowing people to get to know the operators.
• Add frequency so that ‘FREQUENT’ routes truly are frequent. (Or, at least, start being truthful and get rid of the moniker ‘FREQUENT’.)
• Create a reasonable NIGHT SERVICE bus network, where most walks are reduced to less than 2 kilometres.

I am all for working towards this.

I will add one more to the list. Re-imagine the network to reduce the number of transfers. Most popular trips should not require more than one transfer.

Let's face it, it almost impossible to plan a transit trip requiring two or more transfers and get to your destination in a reasonable time.

I have given up on our bus network because of unreliability and too many unpredictable transfers to reach my destination.

I also comment about my recent trip through Riverside South in the PM peak period. I have complained about the waste of money building Park n Ride lots not served by rapid transit. Riverview adjacent to Vimy Bridge and Nepean Woods west of the bridge were remnants of the 2006 rail plan. Both are poorly used, maybe 10 cars when I went by. Almost every bus reaches Limebank Station via Earl Armstrong Road where most housing faces away from the street with a wall on Earl Armstrong. So, we run the buses mostly by Earl Armstrong not serving the local population at all well. Naturally, most of the buses are empty. But it is worse. because all those buses need to negotiate themselves through heavy traffic into and out of those two almost empty Park n Ride lots, slowing the trip on every bus route (70, 73, 74, 110). What a waste.

[rocketphish]

New OC Transpo chief Rick Leary leaves behind 'adversarial' history with Toronto unions
Leary promises Ottawa tenure will be founded on respect, transparency

Arthur White-Crummey · CBC News
Posted: May 07, 2026 4:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 6 hours ago

As soon as the City of Ottawa announced that Rick Leary would be the new head of OC Transpo, Noah Vineberg heard about it.

“To say that my phone blew up the day that he was hired would be a vast understatement,” said Vineberg, president of Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) 279.

Vineberg represents OC Transpo operators and mechanics. The ensuing messages and phone calls, which Vineberg described to CBC, came from members of ATU 113, the local for those same jobs at the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC).

“He’s going to make your job hard,” one said.

“Doesn’t respect collective agreements,” said another

“Good luck,” a third said.

In interviews with CBC, current and former Toronto union leaders explained the history behind those warnings. They said they haven’t forgotten the atmosphere of strained labour relations, frequent grievances and low morale during Leary’s seven-year tenure at the helm of the TTC.

Marvin Alfred, who became president of ATU 113 in 2022 and still heads the local, said the relationship with Leary could be cordial and collaborative at times.

But at others, it was "unnecessarily adversarial."

That was especially true during collective bargaining, he said, as his members almost went on strike.

"At those times of a heightened situation, I do admit that the relationship [was] extremely strained. There's no substitute for that word," he said.

But it wasn't just bargaining. Alfred also mentioned “a general malaise” stemming from issues around scheduling, working conditions and the state of repair of the transit system.

"Culture and morale did take a hit” during Leary's tenure, he said.

<more>

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/ne...al-history-with-toronto-unions-9.7188359

[ponyboycurtis]

Most stupid org known to human kind.

Line 2 arrives and parks itself on the far side of the tracks from the station. Not like there was a broken down train or anything. Naturally... the pathetic single LRT car goes to the far side of the platform.

I have an idea as someone who hasn't used this dogshit service in a couple weeks.

MAKE IT AS ANNOYING AS POSSIBLE FOR ME PLEASE

hopeless

still 1 shitter out of service. Maybe the toilets are out of service because OC is constantly flushing themselves down the drain.

Like.. straight goods I honestly hate the ever loving heck out of OC. They do things that are just like WTF that has nothing to do with their lack of budget. Lack of budget means you should be creative and resourceful. Everyone who works for upper management should fly the next Artemis mission without any hope of coming back.

Gnite y'all.

BTW... Check out Urban Art Collective on Somerset W. and support your local Uber driver.

[lrt's friend]

There was a video posted in the last couple of days. The next train arrives and goes to the far platform at Bayview and everybody goes there to board and once their, everybody is informed that the train is out of service so everybody has to walk back

I suspect scheduling problems required a spare train at Bayview. Line 2 trains are not always as punctual as we are led to believe.

[Richard Eade]

Originally Posted by rocketphish

New OC Transpo chief Rick Leary leaves behind 'adversarial' history with Toronto unions
Leary promises Ottawa tenure will be founded on respect, transparency

Arthur White-Crummey · CBC News
Posted: May 07, 2026 4:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 6 hours ago

<snip>

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/ne...al-history-with-toronto-unions-9.7188359

VERY disappointed with Arthur White-Crummey over this. It is nothing but smearing mud.

If a person has conflicts in their work place, and it causes them to move on, they should have the freedom to start over. Having someone rake up any animosity from a previous job is hardly allowing them to have a fair start.

Where were the interviews with people who supported Rick Leary?

Being a reporter comes with responsibility. The responsibility to know right from wrong. I can’t believe that an Editor would have allowed such a character assassination to have occurred.

Arthur White-Crummey should ask himself this: If he left his current position after a fight with management, would he want that to be dragged up and put out so publicly while he was trying to move on with a fresh start?

Arthur White-Crummey, I think, should be personally apologizing to Rick Leary for deliberately poisoning the waters so publicly.