This week at Transit Commission 30 delegates spoke about the proposed cuts to OC Transpo Line 1 service. We heard from residents across Ottawa who shared their experiences with transit and what it means to cut services even further. We heard that residents have a great desire to choose transit for their trips, so long as it is reliable, and service is frequent.
Councillor Leiper put forward a motion to reverse OC Transpo’s decision to reduce service. This motion was referred to next weeks’ Council meeting. I will be voting in favour of the motion. The LRT system is meant to be the backbone of our transit system, and this means ensuring the service level remains high. With seven Stage 2 LRT stations coming to Bay ward we are making decisions to build intensification near these stations, and we need transit service to be frequent and reliable to get residents to where they need to go in their neighbourhoods and across the city. We cannot starve our transit system. Transit is an essential service. Without transit we cannot meet our goals in the Official Plan or our targets for reducing greenhouse gases.
From the City of Ottawa:
The City of Ottawa’s Transit Commission received details on OC Transpo’s fall service, which began on August 25, and was planned to accommodate forecasted ridership as customers return to school and working in the office. Staff have been closely monitoring ridership since schedule adjustments on O-Train Line 1 were introduced on August 26 and confirmed that service continues to meet current customer demand, with additional capacity available for increases to ridership, if required.
Commission members heard plans for upcoming work on Line 1 that will require a temporary full line closure on the morning of Sunday, September 29, and all day on Saturday, October 5 as well as other temporary closures or adjustments to service later in October. Work includes communications system integration for the Stage 2 O-Train East Extension as well as rail grinding across the full line and significant ballast work between Hurdman and Tremblay stations. Further information on service adjustments will be shared in advance with customers across OC Transpo’s communications channels, including OC Transpo’s website, social media, customer alerts, public service announcements and signage at stations.
Staff provided details of increased fare compliance efforts that began in early September. Fare inspectors will be checking fares across the transit network and educating customers throughout this month. Results of the Fare Compliance Initiative, introduced earlier this year, will be provided at an upcoming Transit Commission meeting.
The Commission received an update regarding the ongoing work by Rideau Transit Group (RTG) on the vehicle axle bearing issues, including confirmation that Alstom has resumed work and is committed to the redesign of the cartridge bearing assembly. Staff also highlighted RTG’s commitment to delivering the consolidated Status and Remedial Assessment Report to the City by the end of the year. These key commitments ensure continued progress towards a sustainable solution for Line 1 service, that will improve the overall service reliability for customers.
Commission members heard that O-Train and conventional bus ridership was at 4.4 million customer-trips in July, an increase of 500,000 compared to the same time last year. Para Transpo ridership for August was at 68,200 customer-trips, which is an increase of 6,500 trips when compared to the same month last year. Safety indicators showed that there have been zero serious assaults on operators since the addition of barriers in conventional buses in 2021.
The Commission received the 2024 Transit Operating and Capital Budget Q2 Status Report(link is external) with the 2024 year-end forecast. The report highlighted a $11.6 million deficit in Q2 primarily due to lower-than-expected ridership and the higher number of customers using discounted fares.
The 2024 year-end forecast showed a deficit of $25.6 million and an additional projected revenue shortfall of $7.4 million. The forecast also showed additional expenditure of $6.7 million due to the higher fleet maintenance, insurance claims, and Para Transpo costs. These costs are slightly offset by the delay in opening O-Train Lines 2 and 4.
The Commission also received presentations from the presidents of the three main unions representing transit staff: Amalgamated Transit Union, Locals 279 and 1760 and the Canadian Union of Public Employees, Local 5500.
For more information on OC Transpo, visit octranspo.com(link is external), or follow us on Facebook(link is external), X(link is external) (formerly Twitter) and Instagram(link is external).
