Lack of OC Transpo riders could prompt system overhaul
An ongoing lack of ridership could force OC Transpo to overhaul its entire system.
Downtown Ottawa streets remain quiet. Many federal public servants are still working from home. OC Transpo had projected ridership would peak to 100 per cent by the end of the year. Omicron changed all that.
From the beginning of 2022, the transit system had a deficit of nearly $18 million.
Over $4 million in revenue was lost during the trucker convoy, which affected transit service for more than three weeks.
“It kind of makes sense,” says transit rider Jacob Paulin. “A lot of jobs in town kind of went to online and at home and what not. So not a complete shock.”
OC Transpo is counting on the federal government to cover the $4-million deficit caused by the convoy closures.
Councillor Allan Hubley, chair of the city's transit commission, is calling for a major rethink to bus service in the downtown core unless ridership gets back to normal levels.
“We have to start looking at more mid- and long-term. And to me, even in the mid-term, even with the price of gas today, I don’t think we’re going to get back to the numbers that we had,” says Hubley. “It’s got to be in the local streets in Kanata, Stittsville, Barrhaven, Orléans. That’s where we’ll pick up ridership, and provide a better service to our riders.”
And as the pandemic drags on, some transit riders are not relying on OC Transpo as much.
“I would take it at least three times a week. It also depended on my classes,” says transit rider Rebecca Wieler. “Sometimes I would only take it twice if I could take the car instead because if I had a late night class I didn’t always want to take the bus.”
“This is my first time in two and a half years,” says Kirsten Wahl. “I’ve been working from home since May 17, 2020. I don’t even know if my bus pass still works to be honest with you.”
Andrea Recht still uses transit every day. She’s just not sure if all the new LRT construction is going to put them even more into the red.
“I see how the construction is going and I don’t know how they’ll ever recover from that,” says Recht. “But I do use it every day and I have no complaints. I take the train and the bus.”
The transit commission will receive a major report in June that will crunch the latest financial numbers, including the option of free transit. That report could set a new road map for the future of OC Transpo.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Orca calf that was trapped in B.C. lagoon for weeks swims free
An orca whale calf that has been stranded in a B.C. lagoon for weeks after her pregnant mother died swam out on her own early Friday morning.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
Powerful tornado tears across Nebraska, weather service warns of 'catastrophic' damage
Devastating tornadoes tore across parts of eastern Nebraska and northeast Texas Friday as a multi-day severe thunderstorm event ramped up in the central United States.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Trump's lawyers try to discredit testimony of prosecution's first witness in hush money trial
Donald Trump's defence team attacked the credibility Friday of the prosecution's first witness in his hush money case, seeking to discredit testimony detailing a scheme between Trump and a tabloid to bury negative stories to protect the Republican's 2016 presidential campaign.