OC Transpo

[PHrenetic]

Originally Posted by YOWetal

There is no reason to think real people impact the load differently than water jugs but it's not impossible. People give off heat for example.

Good Day.

...... and move around inside the vehicle, and block movement, affecting a 'balanced' load .vs. an 'unbalanced' load (or a DD's 'top-heavy and unbalanced' load,

and hold doors open, and hold doors open,

and.......

[DTcrawler]

I don't get the comparison to the LRV testing... haven't these e-buses been carrying real passengers (i.e. not water jugs) for over a year now, as stated in the article?

[Uhuniau]

Originally Posted by PHrenetic

Good Day.

...... and move around inside the vehicle, and block movement, affecting a 'balanced' load .vs. an 'unbalanced' load (or a DD's 'top-heavy and unbalanced' load,

It is impossible for passengers to not block movement in these garbage electric buses we are saddling ourselves with.

[YOWetal]

Originally Posted by Uhuniau

It is impossible for passengers to not block movement in these garbage electric buses we are saddling ourselves with.

Why are they garbage? At the macro level a waste of money for sure but the city seems to be getting a good deal with Feds picking up most of the tab. Should break even with a bonus of quieter and cleaner air no?

[Spoonsy]

Originally Posted by Uhuniau

It is impossible for passengers to not block movement in these garbage electric buses we are saddling ourselves with.

is there a major interior design difference between the diesel d40i and electric XE40 that i've missed or are you lamenting new flyer's 40 footer design approach in general?

[Williamoforange]

Originally Posted by Spoonsy

is there a major interior design difference between the diesel d40i and electric XE40 that i've missed or are you lamenting new flyer's 40 footer design approach in general?

As far as I can tell they are the same layout as any other bus...

https://www.newflyer.com/bus/xcelsior-charge-ng/

[DTcrawler]

From my experience the Inveros are definitely more difficult to navigate with a crush load than the Novas, and the Orions weren't bad either. Haven't been on a new e-bus yet, but I guess the issue is with NFI's 40 footers rather than the new buses specifically.

[Uhuniau]

Originally Posted by Williamoforange

As far as I can tell they are the same layout as any other bus...

https://www.newflyer.com/bus/xcelsior-charge-ng/

There is less space for standees around the rear door. The design of the two-step stairway is different from the diesels.

[Catenary]

Originally Posted by Uhuniau

There is less space for standees around the rear door. The design of the two-step stairway is different from the diesels.

Interestingly, that step design comes from a need to fit the diesel tank under the rear floor in the diesel version of that bus.

[Uhuniau]

Originally Posted by Catenary

Interestingly, that step design comes from a need to fit the diesel tank under the rear floor in the diesel version of that bus.

I have never seen an OC Transpo diesel with that step configuration.

[DTcrawler]

Originally Posted by Uhuniau

I have never seen an OC Transpo diesel with that step configuration.

I think Catenary is referring to the diesel version of New Flyer's Xcelsior bus, which OCT does not have.

[roger1818]

Originally Posted by DTcrawler

I think Catenary is referring to the diesel version of New Flyer's Xcelsior bus, which OCT does not have.

But don't let the facts get in the way of an otherwise good complaint. LOL

[rocketphish]

OC Transpo ridership jumps to match budget forecast; fix found for leaky tunnel wall
Revenue was up, too, reaching $11.9 million for March, although that was still shy of the $13.2-million budget forecast.

Blair Crawford, Ottawa Citizen
Published May 11, 2023 • Last updated 51 minutes ago • 1 minute read

Ridership of OC Transpo buses and the Confederation Line LRT climbed to six million in March, 1.6 million travellers more than in March 2022, but still well below pre-pandemic ridership of 8.9 million in March 2019.

But the March ridership was the most the network had since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic and matched OC Transpo’s forecast in its 2023 budget.

Revenue was up, too, reaching $11.9 million for the month, a 63-per-cent increase from March 2022, but still shy of the $13.2-million budget forecast.

The ridership figures were delivered Thursday to the city’s transit commission.


<snip>


https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-new...forecast-fix-found-for-leaky-tunnel-wall

[DTcrawler]

In addition to the online survey being conducted by OC Transpo for their Bus Route Review that I posted about earlier, there are a few other ways to participate:

In-person open houses:

Wednesday, May 17, 6:30pm to 8:30pm at the Ray Friel Recreation Complex in Orleans. Register here.

Wednesday, May 24, 6:30pm to 8:30pm at the Nepean Sportsplex. Register here.

Thursday, June 1, 6:30pm to 8:30pm at City Hall (Champlain Room). Register here.

Virtual meeting:

Tuesday, May 23, 6:30pm to 8:30pm on Zoom. Register here.

You can also email ([email protected]) or call (613-560-5000) OC Transpo with your feedback, though I'd imagine the live sessions are a much better opportunity for meaningful engagement.

[rocketphish]

OC Transpo to address staff shortage with 1st ever recruitment roadshow
Transit agency aims to hire hundreds this year with event at end of May

Kate Porter · CBC News
Posted: May 12, 2023 3:52 PM EDT | Last Updated: 2 hours ago



OC Transpo plans to host its first ever multi-day recruitment roadshow and job fair at the end of the month as it tries to make hundreds of hires this year.

Recruiters will set up booths at a number of transit stations from May 24 to 26 to speak with job seekers about current openings and how to apply, and will also hold a larger job fair at Greenboro Station on May 27 between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m.

OC Transpo has "ambitious" recruitment goals this year to hire more than 500 staff, from bus operators and customer service representatives to special constables and licensed mechanics, said transit general manager Renée Amilcar. Most of those are to fill vacancies.

The agency has already brought on 150 transit operators this year, but wants to hire 360 in total, she said.

OC Transpo has been dealing with a shortage of drivers for some time. When a trip on a bus route is cancelled, one of the most common reasons is that OC Transpo doesn't have enough operators. That can include drivers who are sick, Amilcar said.

OC Transpo tracks and presents data on such cancellations every month. On an average day in March, for instance, 231 of 8,367 scheduled bus trips were not delivered — about three per cent. The routes most affected were the replacement buses for the north-south Trillium Line that's currently under construction, as well as on routes 15 and 85.

Transit services has the most staff of any department at the City of Ottawa — and a thousand more than Ottawa police — with an estimated 3,250 full-time positions budgeted in 2023.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/oc-transpo-job-fair-may-2023-1.6841419

[rocketphish]

Replacement buses will be used 'frequently' during maintenance on LRT Line 1 in June
The work on LRT Line 1 will take place June 5-19.

Staff Reporter, Ottawa Citizen
Published May 23, 2023 • 3 minute read

Replacement bus service will operate “frequently” during a two-week period in June while the Rideau Transit Group performs regular maintenance on LRT Line 1, Transit Services general manager Renée Amilcar said in a memo to city council Tuesday.

The work, to take place June 5-19, according to the memo, will include: Work to address water infiltration in the tunnel, east of Rideau Station; annual rail grinding across the entire line to reduce noise and vibration; overhead Catenary System, switch and track related maintenance and inspections; removal of vegetation within the guideway; general maintenance and cleaning activities, including the cleaning of glass and artwork; and paint removal at specific locations in downtown tunnel stations, concrete and tile repairs.

Line 1 LRT service will continue during the maintenance, which will take place in the evening hours to minimize the impact on customer travel, but there will be eight days when bus service will be operational on part of the line for a full day, the memo said.

“We appreciate that this work can be disruptive for our customers, and we apologize for the inconvenience this service adjustment will cause,” the memo stated.

Here is the service schedule for the two-week period:

Monday, June 5: 8 p.m.- 1 a.m., Line 1 train, Hurdman to Blair; R1 replacement bus service, Tunney’s Pasture to Hurdman

Tuesday, June 6: 8 p.m.-1 a.m., train, Tunney’s Pasture to Parliament, Tremblay to Blair; bus, Lyon to Blair

Wednesday, June 7: 8 p.m.-1 a.m., train, Tunney’s Pasture to Parliament, Tremblay to Blair; bus, Lyon to Blair

Thursday, June 8: 8 p.m.-1 a.m., train, Hurdman to Blair; bus, Tunney’s Pasture to Hurdman

Friday, June 9: 5 a.m.-8 p.m., train, Tunney’s Pasture to Parliament, Hurdman to Blair; bus, Lyon to Hurdman. 8 p.m.-2 p.m., train, Tunney’s Pasture to Parliament; bus, Lyon to Blair

Saturday, June 10: 6 a.m.-8 p.m., train, Tunney’s Pasture to Parliament, Hurdman to Blair; bus, Lyon to Hurdman. 8 p.m.- 2 a.m., train, Hurdman to Blair; bus, Tunney’s Pasture to Hurdman

Sunday, June 11: 8 a.m.-8 p.m., train, Tunney’s Pasture to Parliament, Hurdman to Blair; bus, Lyon to Hurdman. 8 p.m.-11 p.m., train, Hurdman to Blair; bus, Tunney’s Pasture to Hurdman

Monday, June 12: 5 a.m.-8 p.m., train, Tunney’s Pasture to Parliament, Hurdman to Blair; bus, Lyon to Hurdman. 8 p.m.-1 a.m., train, Hurdman to Blair; bus, Tunney’s Pasture to Hurdman

Tuesday, June 13: 8 p.m.-1 a.m., train, Lyon to Blair; bus, Tunney’s Pasture to Rideau

Wednesday, June 14: 8 p.m.- 1 a.m., train, Tunney’s Pasture to Rideau; bus, Rideau to Blair

Thursday, June 15: Full Line 1 service

Friday, June 16: 5 a.m.-8 p.m., train, Tunney’s Pasture to Parliament, Hurdman to Blair; bus, Lyon to Hurdman. 8 p.m.-2 a.m., train, Tunney’s Pasture to Parliament; bus, Lyon to Blair

Saturday, June 17: 6 a.m.-8 p.m., train, Tunney’s Pasture to Parliament, Hurdman to Blair; bus, Lyon to Hurdman. 8 p.m.-2 a.m., train, Tunney’s Pasture to Parliament; bus, Lyon to Blair

Sunday, June 18: 8 a.m.-8 p.m., train, Tunney’s Pasture to Parliament, Hurdman to Blair; bus, Lyon to Hurdman. 8 p.m.-11 p.m., train, Tunney’s Pasture to Parliament, Hurdman to Blair; bus, Lyon to Blair

Monday, June 19: 5 a.m.-8 p.m., train, Tunney’s Pasture to Parliament, Hurdman to Blair; bus, Lyon to Hurdman. 8 p.m.- 1 a.m., train, Tunney’s Pasture to Parliament, Hurdman to Blair; bus, Lyon to Blair

https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-new...during-maintenance-on-lrt-line-1-in-june

[J.OT13]

On Saturday June 3, Doors Open will include the train simulators on Belfast Road.

https://ottawa.ca/en/arts-heritage-and-e...-buildings/oc-transpo-simulator-facility

[rocketphish]

Earlier LRT start for Sunday's Ottawa marathon 'impossible,' OC Transpo told race organizers
"They said it just wasn't possible. They'd have to adjust the maintenance schedule that's already in place and they can't make that happen."

Blair Crawford, Ottawa Citizen
Published May 31, 2023 • Last updated 3 hours ago • 4 minute read

Organizers of the Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend spent months pleading with OC Transpo to start LRT service early on marathon Sunday, but were told it would be impossible.

Thousands of runners and spectators headed downtown on Sunday for the 7 a.m. start of the marathon, but the first train on the Confederation Line didn’t run until 8 a.m., the regular Sunday start time. Train service begins at 5 a.m. on weekdays and at 6 a.m. on Saturdays.

“We had multiple conversations with OC Transpo about this,” race director Ian Fraser said. “Their response was, ‘Yeah, we’d love to make this happen for you.’

“They said, ‘What time would you like it to start?’ I said, ‘Ideally 5 or 5:30 would be great, just to help people get down for their 7 o’clock start.’ They said, ‘Great. We’ll get back to you on the cost and if we can do it.'”

Eventually, after about three conversations, the answer came back: No.

“They said it just wasn’t possible. They’d have to adjust the maintenance schedule that’s already in place and they can’t make that happen,” Fraser said.

Fraser said the lack of early service was a missed opportunity to showcase the LRT to visitors and represented a setback to Race Weekend’s commitment to the environment.

“As an organization we take a lot of pride in our environmental stewardship,” Fraser said, adding that Race Weekend used no single use plastics, recycled diligently and had signed on to the United Nations Framework for Sustainable Event Management.

“Even if all the other things are perfect, 95 per cent of our environmental footprint comes from people travelling to our race, whether it’s by airplane, by bus, by car. So the transportation piece is hugely important from an environmental standpoint,” he said.

Fraser said organizers received emails and comments from participants about the lack of LRT service, but said to his knowledge no one was late or missed their start because of it.

In an emailed response to questions, OC Transpo’s director of transit customer systems and planning, Pat Scrimgeour, said the city’s existing night service buses were adequate for marathon morning.

“While a request was received to begin rail service earlier, it was determined that existing night service routes could support early morning ridership demands without impacting necessary maintenance activities during Sunday’s engineering hours. Additional buses were on standby to supplement service, if required, however, there were no reports of overcrowding prior to the start of Sunday’s events,” Scrimgeour said.

Typically, OC Transpo has about 12,700 customer trips a day on spring Sundays, he said.

Saturday ridership in the spring is typically about 37,000 customer trips, while weekday ridership averages 67,100.

“The O-Train Line 1 schedule is calibrated to maximize service for customers while ensuring there is enough time when the system is offline, known as engineering hours, to perform essential maintenance and testing. On Sundays, engineering hours typically take place between 2 a.m. and 8 a.m., with critical routine maintenance activities planned well in advance.”

“As with all major events, OC Transpo will review feedback from customers and event organizers to help continuously improve how we support Ottawa Race Weekend and other large-scale events in the future,” Scrimgeour wrote.

Critics took to Twitter to vent their frustration. While many complained about the lack of LRT service on marathon Sunday, others complained more generally about the late start and how it affected those working on Sundays.

“Contrary to popular belief, some people actually have work, appointments and places to be on Sundays. Why does this city feel like it’s punishing people for not driving,” one Twitter user wrote.

“It really seems like Ottawa modelled the LRT and our public transit around the 9 to 5 govt crowd, and no one else,” another wrote.

In an emailed response, Mayor Mark Sutcliffe, who ran in Sunday’s marathon, reiterated that OC Transpo needed that overnight Sunday downtime to do crucial maintenance.

“Since 2019, the LRT has consistently commenced with an 8 a.m. Sunday start time. That’s been the norm from the beginning, so riders are familiar with this start time,” Sutcliffe said. “There are essential testing and maintenance tasks performed during 2 a.m.-8 a.m. on Sunday mornings. These tasks are integral to the reliability of the LRT infrastructure. This dedicated window is required to carry out this work.

“I am not going to comment on what race organizers may or may not have said; however, I am aware that OC Transpo was in constant contact with event organizers and provided bus service for residents needing to get to the race before 8 a.m.”

Capital Ward Coun. Shawn Menard, a member of the city’s transit commission, was also critical of OC Transpo’s decision.

“The issues that have plagued and continue to hurt ridership on the LRT relate directly to trust, transparency and convenience,” Menard wrote in a response to questions, referencing last year’s provincial inquiry into the Confederation Line.

“After a scathing report from Justice (William) Hourigan on this public-private partnership, it is clear the city must take steps to deliver flexible and responsive service that residents have paid for and deserve,” Menard wrote. “The race weekend was an opportunity to show both in-town and out-of-town visitors that flexible and responsive service. I’m disappointed by the co-ordination here.”

https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-new...possible-oc-transpo-told-race-organizers

[J.OT13]

Disappointing. Considering how much "down-time" they've had and will have in recent times to fix leaks in the tunnel and the shut-downs coming up in June, I don't see why losing a couple hours here and there for major events should be an issue.

[DTcrawler]

The difference in these two quotes tells the whole story:

Fraser said the lack of early service was a missed opportunity to showcase the LRT to visitors and represented a setback to Race Weekend’s commitment to the environment.

And

In an emailed response to questions, OC Transpo’s director of transit customer systems and planning, Pat Scrimgeour, said the city’s existing night service buses were adequate for marathon morning.

“While a request was received to begin rail service earlier, it was determined that existing night service routes could support early morning ridership demands without impacting necessary maintenance activities during Sunday’s engineering hours. Additional buses were on standby to supplement service, if required, however, there were no reports of overcrowding prior to the start of Sunday’s events,” Scrimgeour said.

Clearly, Fraser is looking at the issue from the perspective of someone who sought the ideal solution for the event. Someone with the aim of providing the transportation solution one would expect of a world-class event in a G7 capital.

The problem is, providing an "ideal" solution is no longer OC Transpo's mandate. Rather, it's to ensure the bare minimum standard is met, and nothing more. I don't even mean to sound like grouch, as staff have literally told us that such is their target, and Scrimgeour echoes that sentiment with his response. Yeah, I'm sure the math says that theoretically the expected number of transit users could have fit onto the scheduled night bus service. But how many people drove to the marathon instead of using transit because of the fact there was no Line 1 service? Oh, that's right, foregone ridership is not OC Transpo's concern. We just want to have a transit system for the sake of having one.