10-minute headways on off-peak LRT service will be maintained as OC Transpo studies fall ridership

Ottawa City Council has voted to maintain O-Train Line 1 service at current levels to give OC Transpo additional time to study ridership patterns this fall.

As of Aug. 26, service on the LRT was reduced to one train every 10 minutes between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. and between 6:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. on weekdays in order to save the system money. OC Transpo is facing a $25.6 million deficit this year and a projected $120 million deficit next year. 

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Last week, Transit Services general manager Renée Amilcar said the move to cut off-peak LRT service will save OC Transpo around $600,000 this year.

"Which is not a lot, but each penny counts," she told last Thursday's Transit Commission meeting.

A motion by Jeff Leiper to restore off-peak service back to every five minutes once the Trillium Line opens was referred to Wednesday's council meeting to give staff time to determine savings that could still be achieved with headways between five and 10 minutes.

Stittsville Ward Coun. Glen Gower, however, introduced a replacement motion Wednesday calling on OC Transpo staff to study ridership patterns this fall—noting the return of federal public servants to downtown office buildings at least three days per week—and report back to Transit Commission within three months with recommendations for future service levels. Council was told that passing Gower's motion would eliminate the need for Leiper's motion.

Knoxdale-Merivale Coun. Sean Devine attempted to amend Gower's motion to also restore five-minute headways immediately, using a projected tax-supported program revenue surplus to cover the cost, but his amendment was voted down by a narrow vote of 13 nays to 12 yeas, even after Beacon Hill-Cyrville Coun. Tim Tierney suggested a seven-minute headway for off-peak service instead of a five-minute headway. 

• RELATED: How Ottawa LRT service has changed in 5 years

Gower's motion to revisit service levels in three months passed by a vote of 14 to 11.

Voting yes were Mayor Mark Sutcliffe and councillors Cathy Curry, Steve Desroches, Wilson Lo, David Brown, Marty Carr, Clarke Kelly, Catherine Kitts, George Darouze, Matthew Luloff, Glen Gower, Allan Hubley, David Hill, and Laura Dudas.

Voting no were councillors Laine Johnson, Stéphanie Plante, Jeff Leiper, Rawlson King, Tim Tierney, Sean Devine, Riley Brockington, Theresa Kavanagh, Shawn Menard, Ariel Troster, and Jessica Bradley.

Amilcar noted that staff have the delegated authority to change service patterns based on the needs of the system, and said one to two extra trains can be added to off-peak service if riderhship levels demand it.

Councillors also approved the 2025 budget directions Wednesday, which include a maximum 2.9 per cent increase to property taxes and most city operations, but without specific answers for transit, given the $120 million funding gap and the mayor's campaign for additional funding from the federal and provincial governments. Gower's motion also called on the mayor to continue to engage with federal and provincial governments to secure fair and adequate funding for public transit. 

For those who rely on the O-Train, the move to reduce service during off-peak hours has been a nuisance.

"With the train coming every ten minutes, it can be kind of rough to make my class on time," said Melany Hamilton.

"It's stupid. Because even off-peak hours, people still have to get to work and stuff. I don't like it. It's not good," said Mellissa Stillwell.

"It doesn't really bother me, but it would be nice to have it come every five minutes or three minutes," said Noemie Gahaya.

"I think it would be nicer obviously if it was more often, but I don't think it's too much of a problem. It hasn't like, really negatively impacted me to the point where I'm struggling," said Anna Marano.

Wednesday's decision to keep pushing forward with the current wait times and reassess the situation at a later date is something many councillors, including Shawn Menard, disagree with.

"We have heard loudly and clearly from small businesses, from students, from people that have no other option but to take LRT that the LRT is important for them, and they want to make sure it comes frequently for them," he said.

"What we saw today was a further cut and I think unfortunately it's been a precursor of where we've been going for a long time in this city which is cuts rather than investment in the service and enhancing service."

Others, such as Transit Commission chair Coun. Glen Gower, say every dime of savings is crucial as the transit system faces a sizeable deficit.

"We don't have an unlimited amount of money right now. We're already well over budget for OC Transpo, so we do have resources that we have to allocate, and we want to make sure we are focusing on where the need is greatest in our bus network," said Gower.

"If we had a billion dollars to spend on transit, that would be a good way to make decisions. We don't. We have a finite amount of money, and we have a responsibility to the public to spend money responsibly. We need to have the ridership data available to us to make those decisions." 

--With files from CTV News Ottawa's Austin Lee