OC Transpo

[acottawa]

Originally Posted by YOWetal

Do they refuse to just use open data that feeds Google? Some kind of fairness thing?

The system OCTranspo says it uses (GTFS-Realtime) is used by google maps all over the world.

It might be a Garbage In, Garbage Out type of situation rather than a problem with the standard.

[Uhuniau]

Originally Posted by YOWetal

Do they refuse to just use open data that feeds Google? Some kind of fairness thing?

I really don't get how you sit at Hurdman waiting for a arriving in 4 minutes bus that is sitting in it's bay waiting for 15 minutes before swinging around to start it's route. I guess they decided it was so late it should start the next run on the schedule or something? Then the next one gets to be called on time.

I have no idea.

Just as how I have no idea why the "first stop" issue is still outstanding,

or why buses drop in and out of existence all the time,

or why if the data says you have plenty of time to walk to the stop no you don't,

or why they still can't properly inform you that your 6 or 7 shorts at Rideau or Parliament or Billings or other places where they short,

or why if you check three different apps and display screens you still get at least two different answers for when that bus is coming,

or why OC Transpo's website can't see the same information as third-party apps.

[lrt's friend]

Put this in a more appropriate thread if necessary.

It is a pity that Ottawa streetcar 696 was taken out of Ottawa, but the benefit is that it is now on public display.

I went to the Railway Museum of Eastern Ontario in Smiths Falls yesterday, a perfect day.

The streetcar was not only on display but there were volunteers on site, so excitedly I got to board the streetcar and ask tons of questions.

This is Ottawa's oldest surviving streetcar from 1917. Older streetcars were destroyed in multiple fires at the Rockcliffe streetcar barn in the 1920s and 1930s. The barn was next to the traffic circle just east of Rideau Hall. This is why there are rails in the traffic circle that pointed directly to the old barn location.

First of all, the streetcar is a gleaming red, but this was not the original colour. When built it was green. Red streetcars were introduced in 1924, when one man operation was first introduced. Red cars indicated that you entered by the front door. Green streetcars indicated that you entered by the rear door and paid your fare to a conductor. By the early 1930s, all the green cars were retrofitted for one man operation and repainted red or retired. Car 696 was retrofitted and repainted.

You could see how the car was retrofitted. The front entry was expanded and half of the rear door was closed off. The back half of the rear door was permanently closed and the steps removed. It was interesting to see this modification.

These were large vehicles, bigger than a 40 foot bus and high off the ground. You had to step up to get on the streetcar, and an extra step was mechanically activated when the door opened. The electric motors were under the floor which explains why the streetcar was so high off the ground. More recent streetcars were lower, I was told.

Although this was an early steel car, a lot of the vehicle was still wooden. This included the floor, ceiling and window frames. The last is problematic as my guide explained that the window frames would swell up during our humid weather. Only one window could be opened and he showed me how it worked.

A lot of restoration was still to be completed. The seats were not re-installed, but some were onboard. The bars that fitted across the outside of the windows to prevent you from putting your arm out and possibly injured from a passing streetcar were still in storage as was the driving mechanism that was used by the operator to run the car. The guide demonstrated the door operation.

It was explained how the restoration was being sponsored to cover the cost of raw materials. It was also explained that the 4 motors need restoration at considerable cost with possible replacement using modern electric motors.

It was really enjoyable experience and many questions answered. It was surprising that a number of Ottawa streetcars survive. Car 854 is at the Ingenium Centre at the Museum of Science and Technology. A 900 series car will likely be put up for sale soon. There are 5 Ottawa cars at the Railway Museum at Saint-Constant Quebec, on the south shore near Montreal. There are also a few cars known to have been converted for use at cottages.

The streetcar is outside for the summer, but will be inside a shed for winter protection. It is hoped that the car will be sufficiently operational to have it offer public tours on the museum rail line using a small engine to pull it around. There is no overhead catenary onsite and as mentioned already, the electric motors need costly restoration or replacement.

https://www.ctvnews.ca/ottawa/article/ot...96-relocated-and-viewable-by-the-public/

The gentleman in the above video was who I spoke with. He also explained that the car was slightly damaged while at the Colonnade garage during the September 2018 tornado, one of which crossed Nepean and Hunt Club. The 900 series streetcar to be sold is briefly shown in the background of the video.

[rocketphish]

OC Transpo facing multi-million-dollar deficit as ridership only 67% of pre-pandemic levels

By Josh Pringle, CTV News
Published: August 24, 2026 at 6:15a.m. EDT

OC Transpo is on the road to a multi-million-dollar budget deficit this year due to lower ridership, but the City of Ottawa is anticipating the Ontario government drops $47 million into the fare box this year as part of the upload of the O-Train system to Metrolinx.

A report for the Sept. 1 meeting of the finance and corporate services committee shows OC Transpo posted an $8.9 million deficit during the first six months of the year. Staff say the deficit is “primarily attributable to lower fare revenue, as ridership remains below budget assumptions.”

OC Transpo ridership has averaged 67 per cent of pre-pandemic levels through the January to June period, with staff saying bus reliability issues at the start of the year that resulted in hundreds of cancelled trips hurt ridership numbers.

The report says OC Transpo is also facing additional pressures this year, including higher Para Transpo operating costs, increased fleet maintenance expenses and higher facility costs due to winter maintenance activities.

OC Transpo is forecasting a $12.35 million budget deficit for 2026 due to low ridership. The report does say OC Transpo expects a ridership increase in the final six months of the year, primarily related to the decision taken by the federal government to increase on-site work from three to four days a week.

The 2026 Transit Services budget included a $47 million placeholder for funding from the Ontario government. While no funding has been announced, staff say the budgeted $47 million in provincial funding “continues to be in scope to be received within 2026,” as negotiations continue to upload the O-Train to Metrolinx.

Premier Doug Ford first announced during the 2025 provincial election campaign the Ontario government would upload Ottawa’s O-Train to Metrolinx. The report for the finance committee notes Ontario formerly entered into a Memorandum of Understanding, which “reinforces the commitment to uploading Ottawa’s LRT system.”

“While the commitment to proceed is clear, financial settlement terms, debt assumption, governance arrangements, and implementation timelines continue to be part of the ongoing due diligence process,” staff said.

“Nevertheless, the province’s commitment provides a positive indication that structural financial pressures associated with transit operations will be reduced in future years. This potential relief, combined with ongoing efforts to increase ridership and manage costs, will help strengthen Transit Services’ financial outlook over the longer term.”

Mayor Mark Sutcliffe has said the uploading of the O-Train to Metrolinx would free up approximately $85 million a year for OC Transpo to invest in the system.

The City of Ottawa is expecting to end the year with a surplus in its tax-supported programs, with a hiring and spending freeze, higher fine revenue and increased investment incomes digging the city out of a multi-million deficit in the snow clearing budget.

Staff are projecting the city end 2026 with a $3.3 million surplus in tax-supported programs and a $20 million surplus in the water and wastewater budget. The city posted a $40 million deficit in tax-supported programs and a $10 million surplus in water and wastewater budgets during the first six months of the year.

The city is projecting a $28.9 million deficit in the Public Works budget, primarily driven by snow-clearing operations due to the “above-average snowfall and an increased number of winter weather events during the first quarter.”

Staff say the year-end budget surplus is projected due to “continued revenue growth in non-departmental accounts, strong rate-supported program performance and the effectiveness of mitigation measures including the discretionary spending freeze, hiring controls, and enhanced financial monitoring.”

The city is expecting a $29.4 million surplus in non-departmental spending, “driven by higher than budgeted revenues from investment income, payments in lieu of taxation (PILT), hydro dividends, Airbnb revenues, penalties and interest, and stronger than anticipated land sales through both Build Ottawa and Sales of Surplus Land.”

While the city is projecting a $3.3 million surplus in tax-supported programs, staff warn the Canada Day storm, broader economic conditions and the upcoming winter could impact the city’s finances.

“While emergency response and recovery activities commenced immediately during the July 1, 2026 event, damage assessments and cost estimates are still underway across affected facilities, infrastructure, and service areas,” staff said.

“Costs associated with response, clean-up and infrastructure repairs have not been reflected in the second quarter forecast and will continue to be assessed over the coming months.”

Staff say the city is accessing opportunities to apply for financial assistance through Ontario’s disaster recovery and emergency funding programs to offset costs that occurred following the record rainfall on Canada Day.

https://www.ctvnews.ca/ottawa/article/oc...idership-only-67-of-pre-pandemic-levels/

[rocketphish]

OC Transpo looking to keep its 16-year-old articulated buses on the road

By Josh Pringle, CTV News
Updated: August 25, 2026 at 1:27p.m. EDT | Published: August 25, 2026 at 7:40a.m. EDT

OC Transpo is refurbishing its aging articulated bus fleet to boost capacity with more riders expected to return to public transit this fall.

The City of Ottawa issued an advanced procurement notice last week to issue a tender to refurbish articulated buses to keep them in service. The city intends to award the contract to Skydome Auto and Truck Centre Inc.

In a statement to CTV News Ottawa, OC Transpo’s director of bus operations and maintenance says OC Transpo plans to refurbish 30 articulated buses, at an average cost of $180,000 a bus.

“OC Transpo is refurbishing existing 2010 New Flyer D60LF articulated buses to extend their service life by approximately three years and maintain high-capacity service within its conventional fleet of 704 buses,” Rami El Feghali said.

“Two buses were refurbished in Q1 2026, with the new contract covering an additional 28 buses.”

It will cost approximately $5.4 million to refurbish the 30 articulated buses.

El Feghali said five buses have already been refurbished and returned to service in Ottawa, with all 30 buses expected to be ready for service by the end of March.

In February, OC Transpo said it had 319 articulated buses. The average age of the articulated bus fleet was 15.3 years, with staff saying the lifespan for a bus is 15 years.

OC Transpo was forced to cancel hundreds of bus trips a week last winter due to its aging bus fleet and a shortage of buses following delays with the delivery of electric buses. The transit service has said its summer maintenance campaign includes “enhanced maintenance efforts” on 277 articulated buses.

OC Transpo says by fall 2027, 50 per cent of the conventional bus fleet will be replaced with electric buses.

https://www.ctvnews.ca/ottawa/article/oc...-year-old-articulated-buses-on-the-road/

[Truenorth00]

They are planning for 80 artics total. They have 50 on order. Why not just order 30 more?

[TransitZilla]

~80 is how many will be in the fleet at the end of 2027, once the new fleet arrives and old buses are decommissioned.

I expect there will be new buses ordered in 2027, but they won't arrive until 2028 or 2029.

[Uhuniau]

Every run of route 6, 7, or 12 that is operating using a 40-foot bus, is a glaring policy failure.

For five years, everything has been fine, it's all fine, there's no problem with moving to an all-toy bus fleet, it's all so fine, and only now is anyone bothering to do the math.

At least the $/passenger-km metric will improve, I suppose.

[Truenorth00]

Maybe that's where most of the artics are going?

[Uhuniau]

Originally Posted by Truenorth00

Maybe that's where most of the artics are going?

If so, that would be nice, but the new artics are still not enough to backfill the capacity hole that we have dug for ourselves, on purpose, by going all-in on short electric buses five years ago and ignoring the need for a high-capacity fleet as well.

We shouldn't be in a position of having to panic and squeeze another year or two out of crumbling artics.

And the powers that be should have listened when riders started telling them that short buses were and are leading to reliability problems on major bus routes.

[J.OT13]

• Video Link

[rocketphish]

Leiper says LRT upload windfall would be 'swallowed up' by existing budget gaps
The 2026 OC Transpo projections come with an 'anticipated' windfall of about $47 million from the expected provincial upload of the city's LRT system to Metrolinx

By Aedan Helmer, Ottawa Citizen
Published Aug 31, 2026

OC Transpo will be running a deficit of $12.35 million by the end of the calendar year, according to staff projections set to be tabled at the Tuesday, Sept. 1, meeting of the finance and corporate services committee.

That number is significantly less than the $52 million deficit OC Transpo posted in 2025, but the 2026 projections also come with an “anticipated” windfall of about $47 million from the expected provincial upload of the city’s LRT system to Metrolinx.

Mayor Mark Sutcliffe has repeatedly called the deal a “game-changer” for Ottawa taxpayers that would save $85 million per year that could be re-allocated to other transit priorities.

But Kitchissippi Coun. Jeff Leiper, who is challenging Sutcliffe in the mayoral race and who serves on both the transit committee and the finance and corporate services committee, cautioned that any provincial windfall would likely be “swallowed up” by other operational gaps.

The report cites the memorandum of understanding signed by Ontario Transportation Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria in April that “re-affirmed” the province’s commitment to take on the LRT’s operating and maintenance costs.

Stittsville Coun. Glen Gower, who chairs the transit committee, said at the time that the upload would put the LRT under the ownership and control of Metrolinx — the agency that runs most of the commuter rail service in southern Ontario — which would bring its “scale, leverage and experience” to Ottawa.

Gower said there is no firm timeline on when the upload could be finalized, however, and he said in April that a time frame of 12 to 18 months would be a “safe bet.”

Sutcliffe said the upload is a “complicated” transaction with the province and declined to provide a firmer timeline when asked by reporters in mid-August.

“I don’t want to put a timeline on it … the important thing is that it gets done,” he said.

According to the recent staff report, the budgeted $47 million in provincial funding “continues to be in scope to be received within 2026.”

Council increased its funding allocation from the tax stabilization reserve to $47 million in 2026 (from $36 million in 2025) “in recognition of the continued uncertainty surrounding fare revenue recovery and future funding commitments from senior levels of government.”

Leiper pointed to several other items in the staff report that underscore “structural gaps” at OC Transpo that would need to be “backfilled” by any funding the City of Ottawa receives from the province.

“I don’t think any reasonable observer believes that the deal will be finalized by the end of the year,” Leiper said in an interview Monday. “It’s highly uncertain as to when that deal might be signed, and it is uncertain as to what the value of that will be. Right now, we have an agreement with the province to talk about an agreement — and that’s all.”

The city budgeted $83.5 million in expenditures for transit service delivery and rail operations, but has only spent $64.8 million so far this year.

Leiper said that gap is due to the delayed construction of the LRT’s east extension of Line 1 to Orléans. When the east extension is finally completed, the city should expect to add that difference of $18.7 million to the deficit, Leiper said.

The report also highlighted a deficit of $14.8 million with bus and Para Transpo operations through the first six months of the year.

“So we have a really significant deficit in bus operations, a significant shortfall in rider revenue (and) a very significant savings because we’re not running the eastern extension, which, fingers crossed, should hopefully open within months,” Leiper said.

At a recent campaign event unveiling his transit plan, Sutcliffe pointed to the $85 million annual savings from the provincial upload and said he would use some of the savings to offer a monthly bus pass for $95 — a significant discount from the current $138.50 monthly pass.

“I’m going to take 10 per cent of that upload dividend, which is about $8 million to $10 million a year, and put it towards affordability by reducing the cost of a monthly bus pass to $95,” Sutcliffe said on Aug. 17.

“I’m going to take the other 90 per cent and reinvest that in better public transit — the express routes, more reliable service, more frequent service, building bus rapid transit lines and improving the system overall.”

On Monday, Leiper said it is “precarious, at best, to make promises about increasing service, acquiring bus fleets or reducing fares on the back of the MetroLinx upload.

“The MetroLinx upload may never happen, and when it does, we’re going to be backfilling a large structural deficit in our transit budget,” he said. “If the value of the upload is $85 million, in a best-case scenario, most of that is going to be tied up with simply addressing the structural deficit in our transit budget.”

OC Transpo posted a $7.2 million deficit through the first quarter of 2026 and a deficit of $8.9 million in the second quarter from April to June.

The city’s transit system “continues to face financial challenges related to ridership recovery, fare revenue and Para Transpo service demand,” according to the staff report.

“However, the province’s commitment to upload the LRT demonstrates that the costs associated with the O-Train network represent a significant step toward improving the long-term financial sustainability of transit in Ottawa.”

https://ottawacitizen.com/news/oc-transpo-lrt-upload-budget

[rocketphish]

OC Transpo loses estimated $690,000 in revenue due to broken fare readers

By Josh Pringle, CTV News
Published: September 01, 2026 at 6:23a.m. EDT

OC Transpo lost an estimated $690,000 to $960,000 in revenue due to fare machine failures on OC Transpo buses and Para Transpo vehicles over an 18-month period, according to the transit service.

Alta Vista Coun. Marty Carr asked OC Transpo for information on non-operational fare machines in June, saying there have been “numerous reports of broken fare machines” on buses and Para Transpo vehicles.

There are approximately 1,600 bus smartcard readers installed on OC Transpo buses and the Para Transpo minibus fleet, with OC Transpo retaining an outside vendor to supply fare equipment and maintenance services.

The smartcard readers accept Presto cards, credit and debit cards through the O-Payment System, U-Pass cards for post-secondary students, QR codes used for bus transfers and single-ride tickets, and specialized cards such as OC Transpo employee cards.

In response to Carr’s inquiry, OC Transpo say the average availability of the fare reader at the front door of buses was 98.1 per cent between January 2025 and July 2026. However, staff say availability dropped to 93.5 per cent between February and April 2026 during an issue following an upgrade to the Metrolinx Presto system.

“In addition to ongoing monitoring, staff conducted field testing before and after deployment of the recent software fix for the known smartcard reader issue,” staff said.

“The testing identified a failure rate of 4.7 per cent prior to deployment of the fix and 2.6 per cent following deployment, indicating an improvement in reliability.”

<more>

https://www.ctvnews.ca/ottawa/article/oc...0-in-revenue-due-to-broken-fare-readers/

[Uhuniau]

That's peanuts compared to the value of the fare-jumping free riders' trips.

[J.OT13]

OC Transpo
@octranspo.com

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NEW DROP! Our first Xcelsior® 60‑foot articulated bus has arrived from New Flyer’s manufacturing facilities ������

������ Before entering service, we will be testing and inspecting this bus at Industrial Garage - here in Ottawa! More to come!



https://bsky.app/profile/octranspo.com/post/3mui4pnatpr2x