OC Transpo hosting open houses to discuss bus route changes
Transit users in Ottawa will be able to give their opinion about the future of the bus network at several open house public consultations over the next two weeks.
The transit service is conducting a system-wide review of all bus routes with the aim of "optimizing routes to support residents’ changing transit needs, while also responding to new realities, such as hybrid work."
The COVID-19 pandemic cratered ridership on OC Transpo as two of its biggest cohorts of users, federal public servants and students, stayed home. To date, OC Transpo has yet to see ridership recover to 2019 levels.
OC Transpo has budgeted for ridership in 2023 to be 70 per cent of where it was in 2019.
The system hit its predicted ridership target of 6 million trips in March, but fare revenues were still more than $1 million below budget. A report prepared for the transit commission said fares were nearly $4 million below budget in the first quarter of the year.
The transit service is projecting a $39 million deficit in its 2023 budget, and no new funding for transit was announced in the federal and Ontario budgets this spring, though city staff say they continue to request help from senior levels of government.
The city says the upcoming public consultation sessions will give residents an opportunity to provide feedback as part of the bus route review that will help inform the future of OC Transpo's bus system. Accessible formats and communication supports are available, upon request. If you cannot attend the sessions listed, there are alternative ways to share your views, either by completing OC Transpo's bus route review survey online or by emailing routereview@ottawa.ca.
Here is where and when the open house meetings will be held:
Wednesday, May 17
- Ray Friel Recreation Complex, 1585 10th Line Rd.
- 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Tuesday, May 23
- Virtual, Zoom Link
- 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Wednesday, May 24
- Nepean Sportsplex, 1701 Woodroffe Ave.
- 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Thursday, June 1
- City Hall, Champlain Room, 110 Laurier Ave. W.
- 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
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