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Tensions between the head of OC Transpo and a city councillor over late buses heightened during Ottawa’s final budget meeting on Dec. 11.
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River ward Coun. Riley Brockington asked OC Transpo general manager Renée Amilcar what she was doing to improve the reliability of bus service and how that was reflected in the 2025 budget. He said the issue was constantly being brought up to him by his constituents.
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Brockington asked city manager Wendy Stephanson if she was Amilcar’s direct supervisor, to which Stephanson confirmed she was. The councillor then proceeded to ask how Stephanson assessed Amilcar’s work performance.
“Despite that we have a transit commission, transit commissioners are not formally asked by you to provide input on that commission, is that correct?” Brockington asked during the meeting.
Stephanson said she reached out to the city council once or twice a year to do check-ins.
“During those check-ins, I want feedback in terms of how we’re doing, and that discussion involves how the general managers are doing with their departments,” Stephanson said.
Before moving on to ask if bus reliability was a priority, Coun. Matt Luloff and Mayor Mark Sutcliffe quickly intervened and proposed the meeting be moved in camera to avoid publicly discussing a specific individual’s work performance.
One of the main issues of low ridership rates is bus reliability. Three out of 10 buses are “chronically late,” Brockington said.
“The metrics that we’ve consistently received back at the Transit Commission show that bus reliability remains static. It’s flat,” he said. “We’re not seeing any consistent movements.”
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Amilcar said this issue was a top priority for OC Transpo but there were some challenges, including a need to recruit more mechanics and bus drivers. In February, OC Transpo announced 35 layoffs due to low ridership numbers.
With the Trillium Line LRT service opening as of Jan. 6, Amilcar said, OC Transpo will remove buses from traffic, which will bring “good punctuality” to the city.
“We are very excited because we’re working on the east (extension) as well, so that will be helpful,” Amilcar said. “If we can bring more frequencies, more reliability, definitely people will come.”
In a news conference after the meeting, Amilcar shared her thoughts on Brockington’s comments.
“It was a personal attack and I’m going to stay focused with my team to do what I love the best, which is deliver a good service,” she said.
Sutcliffe said that he understood public frustration, but added it was important to note progress was being made.
“The goal remains to build a public transit system for our community that our residents believe in and trust and can use,” Sutcliffe added.
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