OC Transpo to conduct review of all bus routes this spring

An OC Transpo bus turns onto Elgin St. from Wellington St. in downtown Ottawa, Ont. in this undated photo. (Photo by Shubham Sharan on Unsplash)

OC Transpo is set to begin a review of bus routes running across the city of Ottawa this spring, as the transit service looks to optimize the existing transit system and prepare for the launch of Stage 2 of the light rail transit system.

The review will include briefings with councillors, a survey with riders on the OC Transpo website and public consultations at locations across the city.

"With changes to ridership since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, and with the upcoming opening of the Stage 2 O-Train extensions, there is a need to optimize our existing transit system," Transit Services general manager Renee Amilcar said in a memo.

"Upon the conclusion of this process, OC Transpo will be able to optimize routes to support residents’ changing transit needs, while also responding to new realities, such as hybrid work, and to make policy recommendations to Council, if required."

The bus route review comes as riders slowly return to OC Transpo during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

There were 5.3 million passenger trips on OC Transpo buses and the O-Train in February, below the budgeted ridership of 5.5 million. OC Transpo ridership is budgeted to be at 70 per cent of pre-pandemic levels in 2023.

The transit service is projecting a $39 million deficit in its 2023 budget, and no new funding for transit was announced in the federal and Ontario budgets this spring.

Amilcar says it is important that OC Transpo engage customers about the future of the transit service.

"It's very important that we hear from our customers so that we can continue to adjust and improve our services," Amilcar told the Transit Commission on Thursday. "Customer feedback is critical and it's something we take very, very seriously."

Amilcar says any recommendations for changes to bus service standards and the route network will be presented to the Transit Commission and council by the end of the year.

"Bus route changes to connect with Stage 2 of O-Train extensions will be implemented as the rail extensions open."

The OC Transpo bus route review will launch on April 27. The transit service has engaged Dillon Consulting to assist with the public consultations for the bus route review.