OC Transpo ridership steady in November, still below projections

An OC Transpo LRT leaves Bayview Station on the Confederation Line during a snowstorm in Ottawa, Thursday, Feb. 27, 2020. (Justin Tang/THE CANADIAN PRESS)

OC Transpo ridership remained unchanged last month from October, but fell farther below projections.

New numbers from OC Transpo show there were 5.6 million customer trips in November, unchanged from October.

However, the service had projected a slight bump in riders, expecting 9.1 million in November compared to 8.9 million in October.

November's ridership represented 60 per cent of pre-pandemic figures, up from 58 per cent in October. That's because November 2019 saw fewer riders than October 2019 did.

Fare revenue in November was $13.3 million, below the projected $18.1 million.

In a memo to council, transit services general manager Renee Amilcar said the November revenue includes $1.75 million in deferred U-Pass revenue. The U-Pass is available to post-secondary students.

September ridership represented 64 per cent of pre-pandemic levels. The 5.7 million riders OC Transpo saw in September was the service's highest figure since March 2020.

OC Transpo is projecting an $85 million deficit this year, largely due to lower-than-anticipated ridership. Earlier this month, the Ford government pledged more than $63 million to help cover the deficit.