It was almost two years ago when the OC Transpo drivers went on strike causing chaos in the streets of Ottawa.
The bus strike left a bitter taste in the mouths of Ottawa residents, since commuters were left to fend for themselves in the dead of winter. It was no wonder that when the strike ended, a huge sigh of relief swept over the city.
But has the situation really improved since then?
Transit has now become one of the key issues for voters in the upcoming municipal election. The bus strike was a major wake-up call to all Ottawa residents about how important public transit is to he city.
However, the city and OC Transpo haven’t done much to allay, much less rectify, concerns about Ottawa’s public transit.
For one thing, the strike was never truly resolved. Tensions are still bubbling with the Amalgamated Transit Union and things could potentially come to a full boil again for whoever is elected mayor.
Would another strike be the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back for Ottawa residents? Probably not. Ottawa residents have become inured to the never-ending issues with OC Transpo. Dissatisfaction with the public transit system has become so high and widespread that it has become the norm for OC Transpo users.
Late buses, early buses, packed buses, no-show buses and buses that pass commuters by are all problems that riders have experienced at one point or another.
Plus, the will-they or won’t-they debate about light rail expansion at city council has only exacerbated the situation, since millions have already been wasted on a cancelled expansion plan in 2006.
But to be fair, this question must be asked: Are riders naive and expecting too much from OC Transpo? Yes.
Of course, OC Transpo has problems, but all transit system around the world have problems.
Expectations are so high that it has become hard for the city and OC Transpo to try and meet them.
Although Ottawa residents are paying a lot for the transit service, they need to be realistic. There’s no perfect system and even if there was an amazing system, late buses would still exist.
In general, most people do have pleasant, or at least satisfactory, experiences with OC Transpo. The transit system does a pretty good job at getting people from point A to B, even though at times it might not be by the quickest or most direct route.
Negative experiences are remembered more than positive ones. And standing outside in the middle of winter frozen waiting for a late bus is a common shared negative experience.
But that’s the reality of our situation. It’s not the bus driver’s fault that you’re miserable, it’s the fact that we live in a climate that at times sometimes resembles the Arctic and we still have to get around in the city.
Does that mean we need to stop complaining? Of course not.
It’s important for residents to keep OC Transpo and the city council on their toes because it is a service paid for by tax payers’ dollars.
Riders need to realize that when it comes to OC Transpo, that satisfaction is guaranteed – sometimes.