The coming weeks and months are set to bring significant changes in OC Transpo’s train and bus network, as the system grapples with persistently low ridership and what Ottawa’s mayor has called a financial crisis.
Some are normal fall service adjustments, while others will transform how riders get around the city.
Here’s what to expect.
Less frequent off-peak LRT service
The first major change takes effect this Monday, when service changes begin for the LRT.
Until then, the LRT was scheduled to run about every five minutes from 6:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. on weekdays. It will still run that often during the morning and afternoon rush hours, but OC Transpo is cutting frequencies during the midday and evening hours.
From 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. on weekdays, the trains will now run every 10 minutes.
OC Transpo has cited low ridership to explain the service cut, saying trains have been less than half full during off-peak hours.
Transit services general manager Renée Amilcar expects there will still be more than enough room for passengers on the new schedule, even accounting for higher demand as students head back to class and public servants add another day in the office.
“Our ability to increase the service with the train is very, very, very good, so I’m not worried at all,” Amilcar said in an interview Friday.
Fall service changes
OC Transpo typically adjusts its routes four times a year to account for construction and seasonal shifts in travel patterns. Most fall service changes already took effect Sunday.
That means detours on six routes to steer clear of construction, higher frequency on Line 2 replacement buses serving Carleton University, and the end of summer service on Sept. 2 to destinations including Petrie Island and the Canada Aviation and Space Museum. School service will resume.
A full list of the changes and the routes affected is available here.
When will the Trillium Line open?
There’s still no specific timeline for when the north-south Trillium light rail line will open for service. Last month, OC Transpo said it was in the home stretch of preparations that would include a three-week period of trial running to test the reliability of the system, followed by roughly another week of administrative approvals.
But the city confirmed on Friday that trial running has not yet begun. A report noted final construction activity, testing and commissioning were all “well underway.”
Amilcar said more clarity is coming at the next light rail subcommittee meeting on Thursday. She said she was on site with operators on the line on Friday and saw “very good things,” though she noted that OC Transpo is still working on “the reliability of the system.”
“Things are going well. We need again to continue to build the reliability to make sure that we are 100 per cent ready when we say it’s time to go,” Amilcar said in interview Friday.
The Trillium Line, connecting Bayview station to Riverside South and the Airport, is about two years behind schedule.
New bus routes on the way — but not yet
OC Transpo has redrawn its bus maps, with changes that will affect routes across the city. Some will disappear, others will see significant rerouting, while still others are entirely new.
The changes aim to improve “connections to community hubs and key destinations,” according to OC Transpo’s website, but at the expense of downtown-focused commuter routes. That includes the elimination of several 200-series routes.
But the new bus system isn’t expected to take effect until after the Trillium Line opens, and the timing for that remains unclear.
Budgetary problems
The changes come amid a longstanding financial crisis at OC Transpo, whose fare revenues have plummeted since the pandemic. The transit service continues to come in well below budget month after month.
The city’s long-term financial plan for transit now has a hole billions of dollars wide that could force fare hikes or tax increases, while putting Stage 3 of the LRT expansion at risk.
OC Transpo was already forced to dig deep into the transit reserve last budget, and that contingency fund is now almost all gone.
Just this month, Mayor Mark Sutcliffe called the situation a fiscal crisis. He said OC Transpo is facing a $140 million operating shortfall over the next three years and has asked for federal and provincial support to cover the gap.