OC Transpo apologizes for surge in bus cancellations

Troy Charter, interim general manager for OC Transpo, apologized for the increase in cancellations and delays to the bus network on Friday, saying they were due to an increased number of buses requiring maintenance. Photo by Tony Caldwell /Postmedia

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The head of the City of Ottawa’s transit services department issued an apology on Friday after spikes in bus service cancellations and longer wait times sparked complaints from users.

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Troy Charter, interim general manager for OC Transpo, said the cancellations and delays had been due to an increased number of buses requiring maintenance work. An aging fleet and ongoing challenges to recruit mechanics to perform maintenance work had impacted fleet availability, he added.

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He also noted that supply-chain issues impacting the delivery of electric buses had also affected service, as had traffic congestion and winter weather.

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“This does not meet our service standards, and we feel for our customers at this time. Addressing this and providing reliable service for customers is the top priority for everyone at OC Transpo,” Charter wrote in a memo to Mayor Mark Sutcliffe and city council. “Sustainable improvements to service delivery and reliability require consistent investment in transit.”

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The OC Transpo budget increased to $938.7 million this year, about $300 million more than 2021 spending. According to budget documents, the increase was based on an eight-per-cent increase to the transit levy and a 2.5-per-cent increase in fares.

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Around $433 million of that funding was to be used to pay for short- and long-term measures to “improve service reliability for customers,” Charter said, explaining this would include software updates to manage bus fleet maintenance, upgrades to communication systems and upgrades to scheduling and control systems on buses.

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Charter also said in the memo that the funding would be used for road configurations and traffic signals at “key locations,” but didn’t specify where.

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“There are a number of plans and initiatives in progress to improve bus availability that will result in noticeable and consistent improvements in service delivery for customers. OC Transpo’s focus is making incremental improvements through these measures,” the memo read.

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“To mitigate the current daily reduction in bus availability, the Transit Operations Control Centre actively monitors the bus network in real time and adjusts where possible, with a focus on minimizing service gaps and improving trip consistency for customers.”

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Action plan

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In his memo, Charter outlined short-, medium- and long-term action goals that he said would help with fleet availability.

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Short-term goals include prioritizing critical fleet work and critical trips while also performing preventave maintenance work to ensure buses were returned to working order more quickly.