'I got my credit card ready': Councillor offers to buy used buses for OC Transpo
An Ottawa councillor is offering to personally purchase used buses from the United States to help boost R1 replacement bus service during light rail transit shutdowns.
Commuters have complained about packed buses on the R1 replacement bus service during the four-week LRT shutdown, while dozens of trips on OC Transpo routes have been cancelled to divert buses to the replacement service.
During Wednesday's transit commission meeting, Coun. Catherine McKenney noted Metro St. Louis in St. Louis, Mo. is selling used articulated buses through the Public Surplus website.
"I have an offer to make, and it's a big offer and I'm serious about it," said McKenney. "I will personally purchase extra buses for this failing transit system."
According to the listing on Public Surplus, the 13 scrap buses are being sold as one lot, with eight New Flyer buses still in working order. One of the buses is missing a transmission.
"They're on sale for $100. The sale won't last long, I think it's up by Oct. 25. I am dead serious, I will pay the $100," said McKenney.
"Given the situation that we're in, we need to improve our service immediately and we need these buses for the next time the LRT is down. I got my credit card ready to go."
McKenney notes the New Flyer articulated buses are former OC Transpo buses. According to the listing, the buyer must pickup the items.
"We can get those here, and we can have them. We can have eight buses that can go through Coun. (Mathieu) Fleury's ward, as you heard those are low-income residents who are being left out, and they can go through our communities to ensure the people who are clerks in grocery stores, frontline workers, people going to work in hospitals, people who have no other way to get around this city at least will have eight articulated buses," said McKenney. "That's my offer."
As of 3 p.m. Friday, the current bid price was $1,525 US.
Director of Transit Operations Troy Charter told the transit commission that OC Transpo staff would look into buying the buses.
"That is something our staff can investigate and look at and consider what the timeline would be and what would be required to put them back into service," said Charter.
After the meeting's conclusion, a note was sent to the commission saying there were too many variables for this to be a reasonable option.
Transit Commission chair Allan Hubley thanked McKenney for the offer to purchase the buses to boost service.
"I think we’re all in agreement that we need more buses in the system," Hubley said.
When Hubley noted the asking price for the buses was $1,525, Coun. Jeff Leiper offered to pitch in to buy the buses.
The transit commission was told that R1 replacement bus service has the capacity to transport 2,100 passengers an hour in each direction.
Staff also said that 138 trips a day are being cancelled on OC Transpo routes to boost service on the replacement bus service along the Confederation Line.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Fluid in eye cells can 'boil' if you watch the eclipse without protection: expert
Millions of people in parts of Eastern and Atlantic Canada will be able to see the rare solar eclipse happening on April 8. But they should only look up if they have proper eye protection, experts say.
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
NEW More unauthorized products for skin, sexual enhancement, recalled: Here are the recalls of this week
Health Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency recalled various items this week, including torches, beef biltong and unauthorized products related to skin care and sexual enhancement.
Where is the worst place for allergy sufferers in Canada?
The spring allergy season has started early in many parts of Canada, with high levels of pollen in some cities already. Experts weigh in on which areas have it worse so far this season.
Do these exercises for core strength if you can't stomach doing planks
Planks are one of the most effective exercises for strengthening your midsection, as they target all of your major core muscles: the transverse abdominis, rectus abdominis, external obliques and internal obliques. Yet despite the popularity of various 10-minute plank challenges, planking is actually one of the most dreaded core exercises, according to many fitness experts.
He didn't trust police but sought their help anyway. Two days later, he was dead
Jameek Lowery was among more than 330 Black people who died after police stopped them with tactics that aren’t supposed to be deadly, like physical restraint and use of stun guns, The Associated Press found.
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Polar ice is melting and changing Earth's rotation. It's messing with time itself
One day in the next couple of years, everyone in the world will lose a second of their time. Exactly when that will happen is being influenced by humans, according to a new study, as melting polar ice alters the Earth’s rotation and changes time itself.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.