Inquiry submitted November 6 2019
- Does OC Transpo track how many Para-transpo rides are requested vs. how many rides are actually booked, and if so, what are the numbers for years 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019?
- How many trips were completed by Blue Line Taxi rather than Para-Transpo buses?
- How many Para-transpo buses are in our current fleet?
- What is the lifespan of our current fleet of Para-buses?
- When was the last time OC Transpo purchased new Para-buses?
- On average, how much does a single Para-bus cost and how many buses would be required to meet demand?
Response submitted November 21, 2019
1. The following table shows the total number of Para Transpo trips requested by customers as subscriptions or next-day bookings, as well as the number of trips accepted by year from 2015 to 2018. For 2019, Q1 to Q3 results are shown. Please note that the number of trips delivered is different, because it includes both cancellations by customers and same-day bookings by customers.
| Year | Trips Requested | Trips Accepted |
| 2015 | 1,038,013 | 977,664 |
| 2016 | 1,033,863 | 985,885 |
| 2017 | 1,003,123 | 995,950 |
| 2018 | 1,047,090 | 1,047,081 |
| 2019 (Q1 to Q3) | 793,642 | 793,637 |
2. The following table shows the percentage of trips delivered by Para Transpo minibuses versus contracted taxis, by year, from 2015 to 2018. For 2019, Q1 to Q3 results are shown.
| 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 (Q1 to Q3) | |
| Para Transpo minibus | 49% | 48% | 44% | 39% | 37% |
| Contracted taxi | 51% | 52% | 56% | 61% | 63% |
3. Currently, there are 82 Para Transpo minibuses in our fleet.
4. The planned lifespan of our current fleet of Para Transpo minibuses is seven years.
5. The last time OC Transpo purchased new Para Transpo minibuses was in 2015.
6. On average, a single minibus costs approximately $155,000 (in 2015), not including ongoing operational and maintenance costs.
Para Transpo’s current service delivery model of door-to-door service provided by 82 City-owned, operated, and maintained minibuses, as well as up to 130 taxi vehicles (vans and sedans), which are owned, operated and maintained by a contracted taxi company, is currently meeting the customer demand for Para Transpo trips. OC Transpo currently does not refuse any next-day booking requests.
In terms of providing an analysis on changing the current service delivery model to deliver all trips using Para Transpo minibuses, staff consider that a significant undertaking which is not currently part of the 2020 work plan. As a result, staff could not provide this information using existing resources. Staff will take direction from Transit Commission if the Commission wishes to proceed with the analysis.
