OTTAWA - OC Transpo is calling in backups in case of issues with the two-month old Confederation Line.

The Transit Commission has been told that starting in December a dedicated fleet of 20 buses will be on stand-by for R1 bus replacement service. The buses will be available during morning and afternoon rush periods.

The 20 buses will be available as of the first week of December, and operators will be assigned to the buses.

OC Transpo has also deployed an additional 40 buses to deal with reliability and capacity issues.

The Transit Commission was told on Wednesday that the Confederation Line has been “operating well with no disruptions” during peak periods over the “last number of days.”

Transportation general manager John Manconi said “things are trending well”, but couldn’t say when transit riders can expect reliable transit service.

Staff say progress is being made to address issues and reduce delays associated with door and track switches, Train Control and Monitoring Systems and Vehicle On Board Control.  Rideau Transit Group and Rideau Transit Maintenance have mobilized a team of experts to investigate and resolve the issues.

Despite the issues with the Confederation Line and bus service, OC Transpo is reporting overall ridership is increasing.

Statistics show there was 9.6 million customer trips in October, up 3.2% from October, 2018. Ridership in September was 3.7% higher than in 2018.