OC Transpo proactively cancelling dozens of bus trips a day for R1 service

OC Transpo is proactively reassigning dozens of buses from regularly scheduled routes to R1 service every day and moving LRT operators back to buses, to keep transit riders moving during the extended O-Train shutdown.

R1 replacement bus service has been running since July 17, when the light-rail transit service was abruptly taken out of service after an axle-bearing issue was discovered on one train during routine inspection. 

Thirty-six R1 buses are running during peak periods, while OC Transpo is also using 12 buses during peak periods for an R1 Express route between downtown and Blair Station.

To ensure there are enough buses for the R1 service, OC Transpo is redirecting buses from regularly scheduled routes to the replacement bus service.

"OC Transpo is closely monitoring the performance of R1 bus replacement service and is adding capacity where possible while balancing the resource impacts across our system," Troy Charter, Director of Transit Service Delivery and Rail Operations, said in a statement to CTV News Ottawa.

"Staff are balancing how resources are deployed in order to minimize impacts across the system and deliver the best possible experience to our customers.

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"The decision to redirect resources is based on the possible impact to customers. For example, high frequency trips are more likely to have trips that are not delivered than school routes, first and last trips on a route, and on less frequent routes."

Charter says last week, OC Transpo's public trip schedule was updated to "address proactive reassignments of planned trips" on regular routes to the R1 service.

"The number of proactive reassignments varies by day, with 117 reassignments per weekday, 80 on Saturdays, and 84 on Sundays."

The head of OC Transpo says drivers are being assigned to buses to provide more service.

"We are lucky because it's summer so the ridership is a little bit slow," Transit Services general manager Renee Amilcar told CTV Morning Live Wednesday morning.

"I want to thank all my operators who normally should ride the train, that they have accepted to come and give us a huge help to have the R1 Express – this is very good news for customers."

Amilcar says OC Transpo "continues to listen to customers" and will adjust R1 service during the continuing LRT closure.

OC Transpo typically operates 7,725 trips a day during the average weekday.

OC Transpo provided CTV News Ottawa with a breakdown of bus trips not delivered during the first 13 days of the LRT shutdown, and planned trips reassigned to R1 on the day of.

Here is a look at the number of planned OC Transpo bus trips cancelled the day of the scheduled trip so the buses could be reassigned to R1 service.

• July 18: 116 trips reassigned to R1
• July 19: 154 trips reassigned to R1
• July 20: 171 trips reassigned to R1
• July 21: 210 trips reassigned to R1
• July 22: 17 trips reassigned to R1
• July 23: 0 trips reassigned to R1
• July 24: 10 trips reassigned to R1
• July 25: 23 trips reassigned to R1
• July 26: 12 trips reassigned to R1
• July 27: 4 trips reassigned to R1
• July 28: 13 trips reassigned to R1
• July 29: 0 trips reassigned to R1
• July 30: 0 trips reassigned to R1

Here is a look at the number of OC Transpo trips not delivered during the first 13 days of the LRT shutdown (not counting trips proactively reassigned for R1)

• July 18: 339 trips not delivered
• July 19: 340 trips not delivered
• July 20: 391 trips cancelled
• July 21: 372 trips cancelled
• July 22: 123 trips not delivered
• July 23: 23 trips not delivered
• July 24: 274 trips not delivered
• July 25: 214 trips not delivered
• July 26: 242 trips not delivered
• July 27: 235 trips not delivered
• July 28: 299 trips not delivered
• July 29: 105 trips not delivered
• July 30: 63 trips not delivered