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.
"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
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
DEVELOPING 120 active fires burning across Canada, 30 are 'out of control'
The 2024 wildfire season has begun, and it's shaping up to follow last year's unprecedented destruction in kind, with thousands of square kilometres already consumed.
Veteran TSN sportscaster Darren Dutchyshen has died
Veteran TSN broadcaster Darren 'Dutch' Dutchyshen, one of Canada’s best-known sports journalists, has died. He was 57. His family says 'he passed as he was surrounded by his closest loved ones.'
A Toronto man killed his mother and decapitated her. His lawyers argue it wasn't murder
A ‘lifetime of abuse’ led Dallas Ly to snap and repeatedly stab his mother inside their Leslieville apartment in 2022 but he never intended to kill her, his defence lawyers argued during his murder trial in Toronto on Thursday.
Father charged with second-degree murder in daughter's stabbing death southwest of Montreal
A father has been charged with second-degree murder in the stabbing death of his 34-year-old daughter in southern Quebec.
Trudeau calls New Brunswick's Conservative government a 'disgrace' on women's rights
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau assailed New Brunswick's premier and other conservative leaders on Thursday, calling out the provincial government's position on abortion, LGBTQ youth and climate change.
Kevin Spacey receives star support as he fights to get his career back
Kevin Spacey is pushing back on the 'rush to judgment' against him and is being backed by some big names as he seeks to reclaim his acting career.
The latest advice for expecting parents? Sign up for childcare as soon as you're pregnant
Canada's new $10-a-day child care program is expanding, but there's growing evidence that demand for the program is rising even faster, leaving many parents on the outside looking in.
'Worried he might be carrying a handgun': Legislative Speaker cuts ties with Sask. Party, claims he was harassed and intimidated
The Speaker of the Saskatchewan Legislature Randy Weekes has severed ties with the Sask. Party after accusing some members of harassment and intimidation tactics, including a situation he claimed saw the Government House Leader bring a hunting rifle to the legislative building.
Apple resolves FaceTime, iMessage outage reported by thousands of users
Apple users are experiencing an iMessage outage, reporting issues with sending and receiving messages, Downdetector shows.