Some councillors call for free transit to compensate OC Transpo riders for latest LRT shutdown
Some Ottawa councillors want the city and OC Transpo to provide free transit to riders to compensate them for the disruptions caused by the ongoing O-Train shutdown.
Ottawa's light-rail transit system will remain out of service until at least the second week of August to allow Rideau Transit Group and Alstom to work on the tracks and replace axles on trains before service resumes. The city announced on Friday that RTG would perform "additional actions" to ensure there is no contact between the train wheel and the restraining rail, which could take at least 10 days.
The O-Train has been out of service since July 17 after an axle-bearing issue was discovered on one train during routine maintenance.
With the O-Train out of service, OC Transpo has been offering R1 replacement bus service along the Blair-Tunney's Pasture line. However, riders have complained of packed buses, long waits between buses at stations and longer commutes through the city.
Now, some councillors say it is time to discuss possible compensation to transit riders dealing with long delays.
"It’s obvious that we will need to work to rebuild the trust of our ridership," Coun. Laine Johnson said on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. "I will ask my colleagues to consider a period of free transit to compensate for the problems this has caused."
Coun. Ariel Troster supported Johnson's suggestion.
"We should be compensating people for their lost time and incredible frustration. Transit users deserve better," Troster said.
The head of OC Transpo has been noncommittal to the idea of free transit or reimbursing transit riders when asked several times this week. Transit Services general manager Renee Amilcar says her focus is on resuming O-Train service, before exploring free transit or refunds to riders.
"Seriously, my goal here at OC Transpo is to make sure that I can resume the service as soon as possible and we can think about compensation and this is a Council decision." Amilcar said Friday. "I would like to at least be able to say, 'OK, we can compensate for something that works."
Speaking on Newstalk 580 CFRA Saturday morning, Coun. Wilson Lo says it is worth discussing the idea of compensation for riders following the shutdown, but the focus should be on resuming service first.
"It is absolutely worth talking about because when consumers don't get what they expect from a business they do expect that compensation," Lo said.
"At the moment, because we don't know how long this is really going to go on for, we don't know what that compensation will look like or how much it's going to be. This is why I think we should wait until it's fixed before we start thinking about it so we know what sort of compensation we're looking at and how much it's going to be."
OC Transpo is projecting a $39 million budget deficit in 2023.
Based on the projected OC Transpo 2023 budget, fare revenue for the O-Train and Line 1 ranged from $9.9 million in August to $16 million in October.
The Transit Commission and Council would decide whether OC Transpo offers free service on the O-Train and on buses. The next Council meeting is scheduled for Aug. 23, while the Transit Commission will meet on Sept. 13.
The chair of Ottawa's LRT subcommittee says with OC Transpo facing a multi-million budget deficit, providing compensation to riders may be difficult.
"I'm not going to make a commitment that we're going to provide compensation and dig a deeper hole financially in our budget that may result in higher transit fares or higher taxes," Coun. Steve Desroches told Newstalk 580 CFRA's Ottawa Now on Friday.
"It would be easy for me to say, 'Yes, we'll give compensation' and that may give some temporary relief to people, but I'm not confident we have a source of funding that would provide that.
"I think the best way to attract people back and regain that confidence is step-by-step fix that system and work on the reliability of the system."
OC Transpo offered free transit in December 2021 to apologize to riders after a derailment on the Confederation Line shutdown the O-Train for 54 days. The month of free transit cost OC Transpo $7 million.
In February-March 2022, OC Transpo offered free rides on the O-Train and 15 OC Transpo bus routes serving Centretown and Rideau-Vanier for 30 days following the demonstration against COVID-19 mandates in downtown Ottawa. That was expected to cost the transit service $1 million.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
What is whooping cough and should Canadians be concerned as Europe declares outbreak?
There is currently a whooping cough epidemic in Europe, with 10 times as many cases compared to the previous two years. While an outbreak has not been declared nationwide in Canada, whooping cough is regularly detected in the country.
Ontario Provincial Police arrest 64 suspects in child sexual exploitation investigation
Ontario Provincial Police say 64 suspects are facing a combined 348 charges in connection with a series of child sexual exploitation investigations that spanned the province.
'Summer of discontent': Federal unions vow to fight new 3-day a week office mandate
Federal unions are launching legal challenges and encouraging public sector workers to file "tens of thousands" of grievances over the new mandate requiring federal workers to return to the office at least three days a week in the fall.
Watch fighter jet pilots pummel fake enemy ship off coast of Philippines
The United States and Philippines held annual joint-training drills just off the Southeast Asian nation’s western coast on Wednesday. Military forces sunk a 'mock' enemy warship – the BRP Lake Caliraya, which was a decommissioned tanker made in China.
'Ozempic babies': Reports of surprise pregnancies raise new questions about weight loss drugs
Numerous women have shared stories of 'Ozempic babies' on social media. But the joy some experience in discovering pregnancies may come with anxiety about the unknowns.
OPINION What King Charles' schedule being too 'full' to accommodate son suggests
Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, has made headlines with his recent arrival in the U.K., this time to celebrate all things Invictus. But upon the prince landing in the U.K., we have already had confirmation that King Charles III won't have time to see his youngest son during his brief visit.
'I killed four people': Trial hears video evidence of Jeremy Skibicki at Winnipeg trial
“I killed four people,” alleged serial killer Jeremy Skibicki told two homicide detectives during a recorded interview played as evidence in his trial Wednesday.
AstraZeneca says it will withdraw COVID-19 vaccine globally as demand dips
AstraZeneca said on Tuesday it had initiated the worldwide withdrawal of its COVID-19 vaccine due to a 'surplus of available updated vaccines' since the pandemic.
Seafood, eat food: Calgary Stampede releases Midway menu
The Calgary Stampede has released its menu of sweet, salty and spicy treats available on the Midway for the Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth.