On April 27th, OC Transpo’s “New Ways to Bus” will go into effect. It’s a top-to-bottom overhaul of Ottawa’s bus network that claims to “focus on frequency, local service in your neighbourhood, and connections to key destinations.” That’s incredibly dishonest. Instead of the bold plan required to bring Ottawa’s transit back from the brink, we are getting a redux of the 2011 service cuts that began an era of decline for OC Transpo.
The stated aim of “New Ways to Bus” is to improve network reliability by consolidating routes and redeploying buses where they’re most needed. It will
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- cut service hours by 3.5%
- reduce, eliminate, or replace at least seventy routes
- add more transfers and longer commutes for riders
Let’s break that down.
What does “reliability” mean?
OC Transpo’s definition of reliable is not the same as that of any actual transit user. As long as the bus shows up at some point it is considered reliable. It’s a technical definition to distinguish service that was delivered versus that which was cancelled. But there are few who would consider their 1:30 bus rolling up at 2PM to be anything to celebrate. It is a distinction without a difference to those who rely on the system, and does nothing to make it more appealing to those who don’t. It’s worth noting that service delivery can be “improved” by simply promising to deliver less of it; we may see the issue of buses failing to arrive on their 30 minute schedule be “fixed” by being rescheduled to every hour.
Even with fewer cancellations, the main issue is not being addressed. 40% of buses on OC Transpo’s most popular routes are five minutes late or more; on less frequent routes it’s over 25%. Traffic delays are the main culprit. A bus route can have all the capacity in the world but without dedicated lanes it will inevitably and consistently be late and stuck in traffic.
Routes like the 12 and 18, which are being extended past Parliament to Tunney’s Pasture and Billings Bridge respectively, won’t nominally lose any frequency. But being exposed to more traffic and choke points along their routes will inevitably cause delays.
Service reduction
While route consolidation makes sense in a few cases (e.g. merging the half dozen Gatineau-serving routes into two), most of the routes being reduced or eliminated will be divided up among multiple others (e.g. the 16 will be replaced by the 10, 12, and 81 and the 96 by the 80, 116, and 117). This means additional transfers, longer commutes, and more headaches for many riders. Service cuts on dozens of other routes will mean fewer to no bus stops along certain streets. This might speed up the bus, but it also makes it less convenient and accessible – especially for those with mobility issues.
Years of rhetoric about “empty buses” have laid the groundwork for these changes, but there is untapped potential on all of these routes. Every day, thousands of people are out driving their cars who’d opt for transit if it was a dependable option. Making the bus harder to use will not win any converts or reduce our city’s staggering car dependency; it will turn even more riders towards Uber, Lyft, or a car dealership – if they can afford it.
The Main Issue
COVID was a major challenge for Ottawa’s transit system, but after five years and no interest in solving long-standing issues it’s clear the problem is at the top. OC Transpo staff admits it will take a decade for ridership to recover. Contrast this with Edmonton, Calgary, and Brampton, where transit ridership is now higher than it was pre-pandemic thanks to substantial investments in off-peak bus service.
OC Transpo went from over a thousand buses in 2011 to 735 today, of which only 520 are available at any given time due to the high maintenance required for our aging fleet. These limited resources are a political choice, with the city opting to retire old buses without replacing them. Even worse has been the self-inflicted budget deficit. Twice in a row, Mayor Sutcliffe has underfunded transit operations. The 2024 and 2025 transit budgets each had a $36M hole in them. Council passed them, on the baseless assurance upper levels of government would cover the shortfall; they didn’t, supplying only some capital funding.
But doesn’t the LRT make bus service less necessary? No. A functional transit network requires reliable bus connections to the train. Yet the 12 minute headways on Lines 2 and 4 make a connection with the LRT potentially longer than taking one direct bus route. The “savings” from bus operations will be reinvested into the trains, but what if your commute never touches the LRT? While OC Transpo’s total operating budget is the highest it’s ever been, this is to be expected; running new train lines (and servicing the debt from building them) is expensive. Bus service, meanwhile, is being underfunded and neglected.
The city is paring down bus service rather than finding ways to make it usable. In the midst of a climate crisis and high cost of living, this is inexcusable. A brand new electric bus costs about $1M, while widening one kilometer of road costs $20-30M. Guess which one we “can’t afford”?
We need more buses, dedicated bus lanes, and routes with alternating express and regular service to ensure truly frequent, reliable, accessible service in all parts of the city. This is how we grow ridership and get cars off the road.