Transit Ottawa: Transit Committee - 9 April, 2026
Spalling, regulatory compliance, and electric buses were on the agenda. A solution to the spalling thing may be months away, and bus reliability climbs up.
#OttCity #OCTranspo
otransitottawa.blogspot.com/2026/04/tran...
Thank you to our provincial partners at Metrolinx for sending us axles for our LRT vehicles at this critical time. These axles will help us restore full service on Line 1 faster. This demonstrates the value of having Metrolinx as a partner to improve transit for Ottawa residents.
After 30+ people showed up to the Public Works commission last week in support of expanding bus lanes on Bank Street, City Council has now passed a motion to reduce the scope of the bus lanes even further
This motion was passed with absolutely no debate
Passed without a single question
A rather underhanded move to slip this through council with sideways language in the third item of an amendment.
Transit priority faces an uphill battle in this city.
Transit Ottawa: Stage 2 Update (Transit Committee) - 12 March, 2026
Spalling, Stage 2 West, and on a Transit Committee day too!
#OttCity #Ottawa
otransitottawa.blogspot.com/2026/04/stag...
screenshot of my social media description with “not affiliated with OC Transpo” highlighted
I’m not OCT, LOL. I do wish the info feeds worked better though
Transit Ottawa - Transit Committee: 12 March, 2026
#OttCity #OCTranspo
otransitottawa.blogspot.com/2026/04/tran...
Canadians support high-speed rail.
A March 2026 survey from Abacus Data found 62% support for building it, versus 18% opposition.
Even a survey commissioned by opponents still shows majority support.
Read more:
www.railfans.ca/article/cana...
Transit Ottawa - Our new GM: a brief history of Rick Leary
#OttCity #OCTranspo
otransitottawa.blogspot.com/2026/03/our-...
A City Council motion that says: WHEREAS staff are recommending a downward revision to the Draft 2026 Operating and Capital diesel budget price from $1.16/L to $1.10/L; THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT: That fares for riders ages 18 and under shall be free on Saturdays, Sundays, and public holidays, effective July 1, 2026; That staff be directed to explore the technical feasibility to implement free fares after 5:00pm to riders ages 18 and under, effective July 1, 2026; That the user fee table be amended to provide that seniors aged 65+ using Para Transpo be provided a credit each month of four standard urban fares (in 2026, $3.28), for up to four urban trips at no charge or for trips to or from the rural area at a reduced cost (in 2026, $7.72). The credits would expire at the end of each month and would not carry over into subsequent months; Transfer time for weekdays between 3:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. shall be extended to 105 minutes. This measure would be temporary until the launch of LRT Stage 2 West to Algonquin Station and Moodie Station, expected in 2027; and
A chart that shows WTI crude prices rising by 50% since the beginning of the month
With oil prices rising, it's such a good thing City Council funded so many initiatives out of fuel price savings rather than general revenues.
What could go wrong with that plan?
According to OCT's slides from September, the earliest date for revenue service is mid-April ... but trial running is, I've heard, delayed until at least the next booking (for operators) at the end of April, so June opening at the earliest.
Take all news (including mine) with a grain of salt.
Transit Ottawa - Transit Committee, 12 Feb 2026
Featuring the Line 1 spalling problem, bus reliability, transparency, and whack-a-mole at OC Transpo and Transit Committee.
#OCTranspo #OttCity
otransitottawa.blogspot.com/2026/03/tran...
What’s up with Canadian transit agencies being so secretive
The CAQ wrecking band passes through Gatineau on its merry way to utter evisceration
Transit Ottawa - Route 41 service snapshot, 3-30 November
Route 41 is a typical service on OC Transpo. Without changes in how the agency is managed, service quality will continue to be mediocre in the foreseeable future.
#OCTranspo #OttCity
otransitottawa.blogspot.com/2026/01/rout...
OC Transpo update:
- Week of Jan 4 - 467 buses available (daily average); 6% of trips undelivered
- Week of Jan 11 - 498 buses available, 5% of trips undelivered
- Week of Jan 18 - 494 buses available, 3% of trips undelivered
... but causing pain for the sake of "do something"-ism is destructive behaviour by itself. Less money is rewarding Council with tax cuts, and the pain will be directed entirely at the wrong people. (2/2)
The "destructive behavior" is apathy from Council and bad decisions made in the 2010s. The latter requires a time machine to change, the former is solvable this year. If the goal is to fix the problem, not to cause pain for the sake of it, voting this October is the remedy ... (1/2)
There’s no mechanism to go from “less money” to “better service”. If council wanted management gone, they could be fired, but that would just be Council refusing to take responsibility.
We can cut funding, I suppose, if we’re willing to accept service cuts too.
At pop-up hours today, Ajay Ramachandran showed me the data visualizations he's been working on using GTFS data on bus delivery. Bus by bus, scheduling block by scheduling block, Better Transit Ottawa has built an incredible tool to dig deep into trip delivery and reliability.
bettertransitottawa.ca
Good thing we cut the number of Transit Committee meetings to avoid accidental transparency. Oh and there‘s an active Transit Committee motion telling staff to update them on the axles (remember that problem?)
OC Transpo is not capable of operating the currently scheduled service, even independent of scheduling problems. The days of the dilemma between cost constraints, desired service, and reliability are coming to a middle.
We recognize that there has been an increase in bus trips not showing up when you expect them. This is disruptive to your day-to-day and we need to do better.
Here are some steps we are taking to improve your bus service. www.octranspo.com/en...
1/2
Transit Ottawa - Priorities at City Hall: OC Transpo in 2026
#OCTranspo #OttCity
otransitottawa.blogspot.com/2026/01/prio...
TTC chair Jamaal Myers said the transit agency needs to significantly boost ridership in order to improve its finances
I‘m pretty sure we had another fire in December 2024 or so. I wonder if CUTA keeps data on bus fires. “Fires per 1000 buses per year”. (/s)
Does this happen often at, say, the TTC or STO?
www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
#OCTranspo
Transit Committee budget vote at City Council on 10 December, 2025. All councillors voted for except for Johnson, Devine, Brockington, and Luloff; Kavanagh, Bradley, Troster, Plante, and King dissented on section 1-1 (fares).
At City Hall today, Council voted to approve the Transit Committee budget 21-4, with five dissents on section 1-1 (fares).
#OCTranspo #OttCity
📊 Our Key Performance Indicator website has been refreshed with the latest operational and safety results.
Learn more here:
www.octranspo.com/en/about-us/transparency...
