Ottawa City Council meets Wednesday and a proposed motion to restore off-peak LRT service is on the agenda.
Councillors will be receiving the 2025 budget directions, which include a range of drastic options to cover a projected $120 million deficit in the city’s transit budget, but an item that was brough to transit commission last week has also been referred to council calling on OC Transpo to restore five-minute headways for midday and evening service on the LRT.
As of Aug. 26, service on the LRT was reduced to one train every 10 minutes between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. on weekdays. Last week, Transit Services general manager Renée Amilcar said the move will save OC Transpo $600,000 this year.
“Which is not a lot, but each penny counts,” Amilcar told Thursday’s Transit Commission meeting.
The transit budget is a major issue for the city, with Mayor Mark Sutcliffe calling on the federal and provincial governments for financial assistance. But Kitchissippi Ward Coun. Jeff Leiper called for off-peak service to be restored, using some of the city’s projected surplus in tax-supported programs.
“It should be the showcase of our system, showing Ottawa residents what the future of denser cities can be. Why would we diminish the one bright spot in our system?” said Leiper.
The motion was to be voted on at Transit Commission, but following a lengthy debate it was referred to Wednesday’s council meeting to give OC Transpo some extra time to determine cost savings for other headways between five and 10 minutes, such as seven-minute headway.
“I would not recommend another headway because it’s either five or 10 because we won’t have any savings and that will bring a lot of problems with the schedule, et cetera,” Amilcar said last week.
She did, however, say staff would explore other options.