OC Transpo launching bus system rework alongside Trillium Line LRT launch

OC Transpo is releasing specific details about how bus commutes will change when the north-south Trillium Line LRT launches later this year.

This follows a major route review undertaken into bus service following years of below-normal ridership across the bus network.

"New Ways to Bus includes more than 100 routes and will start at the same time as O-Train Lines 2 and 4 in the south, opening up new convenient connections across the city. Every neighbourhood and most customers will see changes to their trip," OC Transpo said in an announcement Friday.

There will be changes to 123 bus routes in the city. Some will be lengthened, some will be shortened some will be cancelled, and some will be new. Twenty-six routes are not changing.

Among the changes is 27 "frequent" routes that will run seven days a week every 15 minutes or less on weekdays, 58 local routes that connect to neighbourhood destinations and transit hubs, and 17 "Connexion" routes that connect to the O-Train during peak periods. Twenty-seven existing routes will be removed, 15 existing routes will be replaced by other routes, and 17 new routes will be introduced.

"You will see a shift from downtown-focused bus routes to routes that improve connections to community hubs and key destinations," OC Transpo said. "Some customers may have to go further to the bus stop, have additional transfers to buses or trains and/or have faster travel times.

"At this time, there will not be any changes to existing 300-series Shopper routes, 400-series Event routes, 600-series School routes, Night routes, and summer-only routes/trips."

Several of the 200-series “Connexion" routes that connected suburban communities to downtown Ottawa are being eliminated and others will be changed. Six current Connexion routes will remain unchanged.

You can see specific details about all affected routes on OC Transpo's website.

Transit Commission Chair Coun. Glen Gower says the full network map that was released Friday gives riders an early idea of how trips will change.

"The big new thing is the route map. This is something that riders can really dig into to take a look at what the entire network will look like," he told CTVNewsOttawa.ca by phone. "At Transit Commission, we saw the frequent route map, but this new map shows the entire network."

The frequent routes will serve most commuters and regular bus travellers but the changes to local routes, he said, will reflect how travel patterns have evolved.

"Our bus network, the last 40 years, was designed around the idea of getting commuters in the suburbs to downtown, but those patterns are changing," he said. "Not everyone works downtown, and there are employment centres outside of downtown that will see increased bus service. We're also seeing the after work travel patterns changing, people wanting to get to retail areas."

Gower says OC Transpo plans to launch a new travel planner online by the end of April that will let riders input trips into the new network to get an idea of how regular commutes will change when the new system comes online.

"We know people make decisions about where to live and work and shop based on the bus system, so there will be a lot of information and a lot of reminders in the coming weeks and months about these changes," he said. "If people have questions, they're encouraged to reach out to OC Transpo or their city councillor to discuss them."

The changes will include 74,000 fewer service hours on OC Transpo. The transit service is in deep financial trouble as lower ridership continues to persist years after the disastrous launch of Stage 1 LRT and the COVID-19 pandemic. OC Transpo is projecting a $49.8 million budget deficit in 2024.

Overall ridership in 2023 was 66 per cent of pre-pandemic levels and transit staff believe it could be 10 years before ridership fully recovers to 2019 levels. 

The north-south Trillium Line LRT, which will connect Bayview Station to Riverside South and the Ottawa Airport, is expected to launch sometime this spring or summer. Timelines provided to the Transit Commission show a handover date between May and September, though Transit Services general manager Renée Amilcar insists Line 2 and 4 will be open this spring.

These current routes will be removed when the new bus network launches: 50, 54, 114, 140, 141, 154, 155, 164, 166, 171, 186, 190, 199, 231, 232, 236, 252, 257, 258, 267, 270, 271, 272, 273, 278, 282, 290.