Long wait times, delays, ghost buses have plagued some 300,000 daily OC Transpo users in 2026. Low operator and bus availability, extreme weather and mechanical problems only exacerbate the problem.
And real-time tracking tools meant to help OC Transpo users make decisions about their commute have become unreliable for some. On Jan. 5 alone, for example, more than 800 scheduled buses were cancelled, leaving many, including Carleton University student Symah Mbaga, stranded.
“It’s a slap in the face to people that use transit,” Mbaga said. “Buses don’t show up so often, people just expect it. The snowfall exacerbated what typically happens. Wait times are already horrendous.”
Mbaga is a founding member of the Carleton Transit Riders, the student branch of the Ottawa Transit Riders group that advocates for more affordable, reliable and accessible transit.
“Not all of us have access to a car and we saw the trouble it is to get a parking spot and not everyone can park on campus. The transit system is mainly what students and (low income) people … rely on,” Mbaga said.
Following inconsistent recording of trips, a motion was put forward by Rideau-Rockcliffe Coun. Rawlson King and River Coun. Riley Brockington at a recent transit committee meeting for a new communication protocol to increase transparency and recording of undelivered trips.
If the motion is approved, as expected, by city council on April 8, OC Transpo staff would be required to share information about temporary or recurring trip cancellations, reliability patterns and other scheduling changes.
In addition, the number of trips cancelled will be relayed to transit committee weekly. The information will also be published on Open Ottawa.
City council would also be required to continue looking for solutions to make sure real-time tools such as the Transit app reflect service changes quickly and accurately including on a new system being tested for entering unplanned detour information into the OC Transpo real-time open data feed.
Residents who rely on OC Transpo were left waiting in freezing temperatures and had to find other ways of getting home.
— Barrhaven East Coun. Wilson Lo
Barrhaven East Coun. Wilson Lo voiced similar concerns to Brockington about OC Transpo issues at February’s transit committee meeting at city hall.
“Residents who rely on OC Transpo were left waiting in freezing temperatures and had to find other ways of getting home,” he said.
In February, 96.5 per cent of service was delivered as planned under OC Transpo’s target of 99.5 per cent reliability.
There are up to 2,000 Ottawa community housing units in Lo’s ward and many who live in them rely on public transit, he said. This, he added, results in people being late for work, prolonged waits at unsheltered stops, increased reliance on taxis or Uber and a distrust in OC Transpo.
“Riders across the city are experiencing persistent issues with real-time service information, including last-minute trip cancellations that are not accurately or timely reflected in real-time tracking tools, commonly referred to by riders as ghost buses,” Lo stated.
Brockington says the unpredictable conditions prevent riders from making informed travel decisions.
“Recurring reliability issues have intensified in recent months,” his and King’s motion states.
It takes me 30 minutes to an hour to get to campus even though it shouldn’t. If I have an appointment or I know I have to be on time, I end up taking a car or asking for a ride. The city looking into it is long overdue.
— Symah Mbaga, founding member, Carleton Transit Riders
OC Transpo requires between 500 and 520 buses a day to deliver scheduled service. That number only became consistently available on Jan. 24. Despite adequate fleet numbers, cancellations have continued.
In a review of 16,784 recorded cancellations between Jan. 4 and March 7, on-site adjustments such as traffic accidents or road closures accounted for 5,066 cancelled trips. Lack of available drivers was the second most common reason for a cancellation, occurring 4,799 times, followed by lack of available buses, with 4,315 occurrences.
While the city investigates, thousands of riders continue to navigate the unpredictable system.
“It takes me 30 minutes to an hour to get to campus even though it shouldn’t,” Mbaga said. “If I have an appointment or I know I have to be on time, I end up taking a car or asking for a ride. The city looking into it is long overdue.”
