Delivery of electric buses to OC Transpo coming up short, commission hears
OC Transpo expects to have 30 electric buses by the end of March 2025, falling short of their target, according to an update from city staff to Ottawa’s Transit Committee on Feb. 13.
Ottawa commuters frustrated by fare hikes as city seeks transit funding
Kari Glynes Elliott, co-founder of Ottawa Transit Riders, remembers one particularly memorable conversation with frustrated commuters. A family of Syrian refugees “living on the poverty line” approached her advocacy group after purchasing a second-hand car “because they couldn’t trust the transit system,” she said. As Glynes Elliott recalls it, one of the family members, a senior, told her, “I can...
Fare increases and empty seats: OC Transpo has yet to regain pre-pandemic ridership
Low ridership is a multi-pronged issue for Ottawa. For some residents, lack of reliability is the main deterrent for their participation. For public workers, remote work options mean there is no reason to take transit. For some Ottawa residents like Max Patton, a part-time line cook, declining service quality and increasing fares have been enough to make him abandon OC...
Student unions oppose OC Transpo’s ‘illegal’ U-Pass fee increase, citing breach of contract
Ottawa university student unions were surprised to learn that OC Transpo is trying to unilaterally increase U-Pass transit fees, a move the student unions say violates a legal agreement.
Ottawa councillors tell OC Transpo that residents are getting frustrated with LRT construction
City councillors told OC Transpo officials that many Ottawa residents are getting frustrated with the disruptions caused by ongoing construction of the LRT expansion.
Ottawa Council approves Lincoln Fields Secondary Plan despite community concerns
Ottawa Council has approved the Lincoln Fields Secondary plan, giving residents a look at the future of the area.
As Budget 2025 nears approval, OC Transpo faces a reckoning amid ridership, financial and reliability woes
Chronically late buses, an ever-shifting opening date for the long-delayed Trillium Line, serious deficits and irate transit passengers appearing at committee meetings are just some of the pressing issues OC Transpo has been dealing with over a challenging year.
Transit in Ottawa to get more costly as city grapples with budget shortfalls
OC Transpo riders will be facing higher costs in 2025 as the city struggles to contain budget shortfalls driven in part by rising transit costs.
Transit commission asks OC Transpo what it needs to fix bus reliability
Members of Ottawa’s Transit Commission are concerned that bus reliability is far below where it needs to be in advance a major overhaul of bus routes across the city planned for next Spring. New Ways to Bus, is to begin in April, some months after the opening of the LRT Lines 2 and 4, expected in November. The bus plan...
City to hand transit riders worrisome fare increase in 2025
Despite Statistics Canada indicating slowing inflation for public transit fares, the City of Ottawa is considering significant fare hikes, increased property taxes and service cuts as it debates the budget for 2025. Those impending increases concern Ayesha Khan, a fourth-year student at Carleton University. She lives in Orléans and uses public transit to get to school. She is worried about...
City Builder: Renée Amilcar embraces OC Transpo leadership amidst transit turmoil
Renée Amilcar, General Manager of Transit Services at OC Transpo, welcomes the challenges that arise while striving to improve Ottawa's public transit.
More Ottawa commuters are carpooling, cycling, walking or taking transit as traffic backs up in Ottawa
Since the government’s Sept. 9 return-to-office mandate, Ottawa’s streets have become much more congested, pushing commuters to seek alternatives in order to avoid long delays. As public transit struggles to keep pace and traffic worsens, cycling, carpooling, and walking have come in-clutch as popular solutions among commuters.