12 hours Ago By Paula Tran
Advocates are saying OC Transpo’s “New Ways to Bus” initiative is cutting bus service to people who rely on public transportation the most, especially those in rural and suburban areas. The public transportation agency rolled out major overhauls to more than 100 bus routes on April 27. The initiative introduced new routes while retiring others.
Some routes had their schedules adjusted, with some shortened, extended or divided. There is also revised service between Ottawa and Gatineau with new connections with O-Train lines 2 and 4. OC Transpo previously said the sweeping changes were designed to improve connectivity to community hubs and provide “a sustainable network that meets the evolving needs of our customers.
” This weekend, OC Transpo offered free fares on all buses and trains to encourage riders to try out the route changes. “First and foremost, we have heard a lot of complaints (over the years) about the reliability — or non-reliability — and we have spent a lot of money, billions of dollars, to build transit here with the LRT,” transit service general manager Renée Amilcar said Thursday. “Now, we’re bringing the buses to the LRT because the LRT doesn’t need to deal with traffic.
And the service is now reliable, so we know exactly what time (the trains) will come and what time it will be at your destination,” she said. “It’s a change, definitely, and it’s hard to accept changes, but (the overhaul is) a good thing, and when people use it, I’m sure they will love it.” But public transit advocates say the free fares should be tied with major events in the city, such as the Tulip Festival or Doors Open Ottawa in early June.
Kari Elliott of the Ottawa Transit Riders said OC Transpo did not promote the free fare weekend very well. She also noted that cuts to bus service across the board didn’t just happen with the rollout of the New Ways to Bus initiative, but over the last few months and years. “There have been a lot of complaints about New Ways to Bus right from the very beginning.
I do think it’s going to take a little while for OC Transpo to figure stuff out, but I do think they need to commit, and really commit, to listening to what transit riders say,” she said. “There’s a sense among our members that OC Transpo doesn’t listen and they don’t care. People say they submit complaints and they never hear back, and things like that.
” The cuts will affect low-income families, teenagers, people with disabilities and elderly people who may not be able to drive, Elliott said. The changes will also affect those in low-traffic areas the most, particularly those who live in the suburbs, she said. Ottawa’s transit system is currently designed to cater to suburban to urban commuters and those who work a traditional nine-to-five office job, she added.
“We would really like to see OC Transpo look at who transit riders are, the people who are currently relying on public transit, and go to them and ask what they need. Let’s provide service for those people,” the public transit advocate said. Most importantly, Elliott wants to see more money be invested into the public transit system.
Ottawa city council allocated $856 million to public transportation in the 2025 city budget, the largest investment in OC Transpo’s operating budget so far. But Elliott called the budget an “austerity budget,” especially when transit service keeps getting reduced. A lot of people have given up on public transit and started driving because service is so unreliable, which added to the city’s congestion problems, she said.
“If we just put a little bit more in the pot, we could actually have a functioning, effective, exciting public transit system. ..
. It’s such a good public transit system, and it’s really depressing to see it just get cut for no good reason.” Elliott said OC Transpo staff should reach out to communities across Ottawa and talk to people who are transit dependent, especially high school students.
Youth are future transit riders and should be able to go to places on their own, she said. “I’m not sure that OC Transpo really understands how much trust has been lost with transit riders. Sometimes when I talk to people about public transit, there’s a lot of sort of rolling of eyes and they sort of say, ‘Well, OC Transpo is terrible.
I just don’t trust anything that they do,’ ” Elliot said. “I think OC Transpo really needs to focus a lot more on the real basics of providing this service and making sure it really is as reliable as can be. .
.. I really think it probably wouldn’t cost OC Transpo much money to go out into the community and really talk to people who are transit dependent.
” However, Elliott said she understands that OC Transpo is simply using the resources that they’ve been given, and it’s up to city council to pass a “more reasonable budget.” She wants suburban councillors to understand that not everyone in their wards are able to drive a car. “I live in a rural area.
Trust me, there are lots of us out there. You can’t disadvantage people just because they don’t drive. That’s really unfair,” Elliott said.
“I would really love the councillors in Kanata to really consider that’s not additional money (to public transit), and it’s not extra taxes. It’s sort of rethinking where do buses go.” She also wants suburban Ottawans to know that reduced quality of public transit has ripple effects across the city.
Teenagers can’t get to school, low-income people can’t go to work and people with disabilities are confined to their homes. “We’re talking about maybe $40 a year, $50 a year. We’re talking about less than the cost of a tank of gas.
Are you willing to pay that money for better public transit?” Elliott said. — With files from Aedan Helmer, Ottawa Citizen RelatedCN Cycle for CHEO raises $2M under bright skiesEleven candidates running to replace George Darouze in Osgoode ward.
