What kind of bus system do you want? OC Transpo wants to talk to you

Transit riders are getting their chance Wednesday night to let OC Transpo know what kind of bus service they would like to see.

Wednesday night is the first of three in-person public consultations over the next two weeks. A fourth public consultation will be held virtually. The transit service is reviewing all of its bus routes with the goal of “optimizing routes.”

The public consultation is being held at the Ray Friel Complex on 10th Line Road.

"When we are looking at any change in a bus route, we are looking at how long it takes to walk to the bus stop, how long a customer on average has to wait for the bus stop, how long they are traveling on the bus, how many times they have to transfer in their trip," says Pat Scrimgeour, director of transit customer systems and planning.

He says this is an early stage of the bus review, and it is important to hear from customers.

"We are at the beginning of the process, so we don’t know where this is going to take us because we are hearing from the customers now," he says. "We want people to come talk to us, and tell us what is important and let us ask probing questions. That is what is going to guide the analytical part later on."

OC Transpo budgeted for ridership this year to be 70 per cent of pre-pandemic levels.

In March, there were 6 million passenger trips, but fare revenue was still more than $1 million below budget.

• RELATED: OC Transpo fare revenue was $3.9M below budget in first quarter of the year

Scrimgeour says the service has taken a major hit with fewer federal public servants commuting to the downtown core.

"We need to be there to serve the people who are travelling, but it may be that council asks us to conserve a little spending, so we are also running a route for people who aren’t travelling," he says.

The service is projecting a $39 million deficit this year and have received no new funding from the provincial or federal governments.

Some transit advocates are concerned that this process could result in cuts to routes.

"I don’t see how you optimize without cutting," says Kari Glynes Elliott with Ottawa Transit Riders. "This is not a business, this is a service. I would be very, very nervous that somebody with a bit of a business attitude towards transit would think, well, there are only a few people who need this bus, let’s cut it, when those people who need it, really, really need it!"

But some councillors in the east end are concerned that only a few days’ notice was given ahead of the public consultations and worry residents aren’t aware and won’t be able attend.

"People want to get on transit but as of late, people are not satisfied with it," says Beacon Hill-Cyrville Coun. Tim Tierney. "If we don’t have the appropriate consultations about what those routes are for 2024 when Stage 2 light rail opens up, it is going to be a failure. I don’t want to go through that again; I want successful, engaged consultations and (a few days) notice to a community is unacceptable."

Orléans East-Cumberland Coun. Matt Luloff says there needs to be more than just three in-person consultations.

"I think doing this over the course of a couple of months, ensuring that we are providing ample opportunity for people of different age groups to weigh in, perhaps meeting people where they take transit, maybe at a bus stop in the morning with a survey and quick chat."

Luloff says his community is growing and has a large number of federal public servants.

"My ward is not very well served by OC Transpo," he says, adding his ward needs more, not fewer bus routes.

"People need to be able to get around the community; seniors and parents need to be able to get to appointments during the day. It is not just about feeding the LRT; it is about getting around the community."

Here is where and when the open house meetings will be held:

Wednesday, May 17

• Ray Friel Recreation Complex, 1585 10th Line Rd.
• 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Tuesday, May 23

• Virtual, Zoom Link
• 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Wednesday, May 24

• Nepean Sportsplex, 1701 Woodroffe Ave.
• 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Thursday, June 1

• City Hall, Champlain Room, 110 Laurier Ave. W.
• 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.