OC Transpo

[Ottawacurious]

Originally Posted by phil235

Full-sized buses are packed on game days at Lansdowne, so I don't think going smaller is helpful.

Good point. Do both for game day? NCC has been firm on no buses but perhaps mini buses would be an easier sell with improved access to touristy areas. On non game days the mini buses would be great on their own. Phase 1 of BRT down carling

[YOWetal]

Originally Posted by OCCheetos

If you average it out across the entire system, the city spends $3.75 per trip. This is the 50/50 fare-revenue split that we're all familiar with.

If looking only at "low-ridership" routes, then effectively yes the per-ride subsidy would be higher. Is handing those areas off to Uber the right approach? I don't think so because Uber can't scale the way that normal transit services can. A conventional bus becomes more cost effective as more people board on any given trip. In the best case, it generates more fare revenue than it costs to operate, and this in part helps subsidize those low-ridership trips elsewhere in the city.

Uber on the other hand can only carry two or three people per car, and if ridership were to increase (which I think we'd want) you'd suddenly be paying that same subsidy for every rider, regardless of how much ridership increases. There's little opportunity for economies of scale.

$3.75 is gas and wages with no capital costs? Because the 2022 budget divided by total ridership is a lot higher. $10+ Which would make these lightly used routes outside rush hour $20 or more per rider.

[phil235]

Originally Posted by Ottawacurious

Good point. Do both for game day? NCC has been firm on no buses but perhaps mini buses would be an easier sell with improved access to touristy areas. On non game days the mini buses would be great on their own. Phase 1 of BRT down carling

Yeah, possibly as a supplement to transit to Lansdowne. I’d love to see regular service down the QED. I’m surprised OSEG hasn’t tried that.

[Catenary]

Originally Posted by YOWetal

$3.75 is gas and wages with no capital costs? Because the 2022 budget divided by total ridership is a lot higher. $10+ Which would make these lightly used routes outside rush hour $20 or more per rider.

Yes, the Farebox Recovery Ratio is based on operating, not capital costs.

[lrt's friend]

If we hire a private operator, we will be paying both operating and capital costs, otherwise, they don't make money. Often higher levels of government fund capital transit costs but I doubt that this will be the case if this is funding a private operator.

[YOWetal]

Originally Posted by lrt's friend

If we hire a private operator, we will be paying both operating and capital costs, otherwise, they don't make money. Often higher levels of government fund capital transit costs but I doubt that this will be the case if this is funding a private operator.

Yes. I suppose the marginal cost of running a route mostly ignores capital costs except the number of busses for example certainly depends on this. These unused routes also would have lower recovery rates. You might be able to pay for everyone's private Uber to the closest LRT and spend less than our bus system. This would also eliminate most of the increased demand as you would still be dealing mostly with transit users.

[zzptichka]

Going forward, only driverless shuttles can improve and save transit in suburbs.

I would think the technology to run these shuttles on known, predefined routes at slower than normal speeds, should be closer to reality than that for regular self-driving cars.

Wonder when can we expect those. 5-10 years?

[YOWetal]

Originally Posted by zzptichka

Going forward, only driverless shuttles can improve and save transit in suburbs.

I would think the technology to run these shuttles on known, predefined routes at slower than normal speeds, should be closer to reality than that for regular self-driving cars.

Wonder when can we expect those. 5-10 years?

The tech will be ready in 5-50 years. The first countries to adopt it will be that plus 1 year. Canada will then wait for the first accidents plus another few years of hemming and hawing and only then have a long debate about the pros and cons and finally decide it will put drivers out of work and isn't climate neutral so cut bus routes that let people continue to drive to the store in their ICE vehicle.

[rocketphish]

On-demand buses to hit Ottawa's roads this fall
Pilot project will run in areas that are underserved by transit or have low ridership

Trevor Pritchard · CBC News
Posted: Jun 29, 2023 3:04 PM EDT | Last Updated: 2 hours ago

OC Transpo is aiming to launch an on-demand transit pilot project on weekends this fall, following in the steps of several other Canadian cities.

The plan is to use spare Para Transpo minibuses that would run in two or three areas that currently have either limited transit service or low ridership numbers, Ottawa's transit commission heard Thursday.

Riders will be able to schedule a ride through an app, website, or the OC Transpo contact centre, said Claire O'Donnell, program manager for service strategy.

If the city buys more vehicles, the initiative could eventually be expanded to run daily and in more neighbourhoods, O'Donnell told the commission.

"Because we're currently in the early planning phase ... we will have more details available at a future transit commission meeting," she said.

On-demand transit has proven itself elsewhere as a way to get buses to communities that "can't support multiple, frequent corridors of service," said Barrhaven East Coun. Wilson Lo.

"It actually increases the service availability for a lot of residents in areas like the suburbs," said Lo, speaking to CBC Radio's Ottawa Morning ahead of Thursday's meeting.

"It's a great way to introduce new service to new areas — and may be even something we can use to pilot overnight service."

In the ideal scenario, once riders book a bus, it will show up at their chosen stop within five to 10 minutes, Lo said.

The service wouldn't replace major fixed routes that head downtown, Lo said. Instead, it would supplement them by making it easier, for instance, for residents to get from one side of Barrhaven to the other.

However, the "most underperforming routes" could potentially be axed if on-demand transit proves successful, he said.

"You're going from having to wait up to 60 minutes — or up to however [many] minutes — for a bus to being able to request a ride as soon as possible, as soon as it's available," Lo said. "So that service availability has actually increased."

That possibility didn't sit well with Sam Hersh, a board member with advocacy group Horizon Ottawa and the lone public delegate to speak directly to the pilot project Thursday.

"I'm not saying it's an absolutely terrible idea," Hersh told Lo and other members of the transit commission. "[But it's] a Band-aid idea for a transit system that needs broad reform."

The commission heard Thursday that the city is already working with Pantonium, a Toronto-based software company that provides municipalities with digital infrastructure designed to optimize bus routes and schedules on the fly.

Pantonium has been involved with several Canadian on-demand transit projects already, including one in Belleville, Ont., that was considered cutting edge when it launched in 2018.

Canada's largest on-demand transit network is in Edmonton, Lo said, but the most relevant example for OC Transpo might be the one operating in York Region, given its mix of suburban and rural communities.

In Ottawa, the plan is to connect riders in the areas where the pilot project operates with the "backbone of their transit," said OC Transpo general manager Renée Amilcar, although she didn't give further details.

Ultimately, if the pilot leads to an increase in ridership, that will be the biggest indicator of success, Lo said.

"The hope is that the demand grows, and that it kind of pays for itself," he said.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottaw...ject-1.6891923

[lrt's friend]

O-Train ridership is still at only 43% of pre-pandemic levels, while bus ridership has reached 73 to 75%.

https://ottawa.ctvnews.ca/o-train-ri...vels-1.6461619

[Admiral Nelson]

Hopefully this helps insulate bus routes from more cuts. It's not like the LRT ridership will improve when supported by a lower quality feeder network.

[rocketphish]

Tardy trio: OC Transpo's worst performing bus routes in May were 11, 75 and 85
"What can I tell my residents that the city is doing to make this better?" one councillor asked.

Blair Crawford, Ottawa Citizen
Published Jun 29, 2023 • Last updated 5 hours ago • 2 minute read



Call them OC Transpo’s unholy trinity.

Routes 11, 75 and 85 had the dubious distinction of being the worst performing routes on the system in May, OC Transpo says.

Together, those routes are the exceptions to the transit agency’s boast of 98.7 per cent on-time service. The monthly report was delivered Thursday to the city’s transit commission.

Route 11 is a 15-minute service running from Bayshore Shopping Centre along Richmond Road and Somerset Street West, then along Bank Street to Queen Street and finally on to the Rideau Centre. It registered 245 “undelivered trips” in May for a last-place 93.6-per-cent reliability rating.

Route 85, another east-west route from Bayshore to Promenade du Portage in Gatineau that travels along Carling, Bronson and Booth, ranked second last with 165 undelivered routes for a 95.9-per-cent rating.

Route 75, from Barrhaven to Tunney’s Pasture, was third last with 165 undelivered trips and a 96-per-cent reliability.

Kitchissippi Coun. Jeff Leiper read a poignant email from a frustrated constituent reliant on the 85.

“Bus service is bad. Significant impact on my mental health bad. Not being home in time to meet the kids bad,” Leiper read. “Missing meeting at work bad. Routinely waiting 40 minutes for a bus that’s supposed to come every 15 minutes bad. It just feels like nobody cares anymore. Like the city just gave up.”

Leiper says the 85 is the source of many complaints to his office, something echoed by River Ward Coun. Riley Brockington, whose ward is also serviced by that route.

“What can I tell my residents that the city is doing to make this better?” Leiper asked.

The good news is that OC Transpo reliability is improving. In March, the system averaged 231 undelivered trips out of about 8,300 runs. In May, that fell to an average of 130 out of 8,100, Director of Transit Operations Troy Charter told the commission.

Reasons for cancellations vary, but they are frequently due to driver absenteeism or mechanical breakdown. OC Transpo is on a hiring spree and has hired and trained 108 new bus operators, with another 54 either in training or about to begin training.

As far as individual routes, Charter says controllers at the transit operation control centre watch for problems and delays and can help try to get buses back on schedule by adding an extra bus to a route, for example. Over the long term, they can look at other solutions such as altering traffic signals, changing parking regulations or even slowing the service down to make the schedule more reliable.

In March, the most frequently cancelled routes were the R2 (replacement for the O-Train), 15 and, once again, the sad-sack 85.

Ridership of buses and the LRT in May was 4.8 million, below the projected level of 5.0 million, but above May 2022 levels of 3.6 million. Pre-pandemic ridership in May was 7.2 million.

Ridership revenue was $10.6 million, or a million less than the $11.6 million projected in the budget, but $3.1 million above what it was a year ago.

https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local...e-11-75-and-85

[Dengler Avenue]

Route 11 is a 15-minute service running from Bayshore Shopping Centre along Richmond Road and Somerset Street West…

Service is only half hourly west of Lincoln Field…

[rocketphish]

Heritage streetcar to stay put in city-owned garage — for now
Streetcar 696 was set to be ejected from Merivale garage Friday

Trevor Pritchard · CBC News
Posted: Jun 30, 2023 4:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: June 30

A painstakingly crafted replica of a streetcar that trundled through Ottawa decades ago will be able to stay in its current home for now as the city hatches a plan for its long-term future.

Streetcar 696 was facing eviction from OC Transpo's Merivale garage on Colonnade Road by the end of June.

Volunteers had been using the space to work on the replica, named after one of the last cars to operate in Ottawa before streetcar service ended in 1959.

But earlier this month, they told CBC they'd received notice that they'd have to find a new home for the streetcar, at their own expense, by June 30.

OC Transpo wanted to reclaim the space, citing "operational needs" that included renovations as part of the city's transition to a zero-emission bus fleet.

At transit commission yesterday, however, OC Transpo general manager Renée Amilcar said the streetcar would be able to stay at the garage until city staff figured out a permanent solution.

"[That should come] as soon as possible, because we absolutely need the space," Amilcar said.

"We should have had access to that space at the end of this month, unfortunately. We're trying to find a solution, so hopefully at the end of next month we should have [one] to propose."

The COVID-19 pandemic delayed the restoration efforts, with volunteers unable to access the garage for long stretches of time, said David Jeanes, treasurer of citizen transportation advocacy group Transport Action Canada.

Jeanes told transit commission that even so, that work is now almost done.

"I would say that the replica as built is the property of the city. And so I think you should be concerned as to what happens to it," Jeanes said.

Capital Coun. Shawn Menard told Jeanes it would be great to eventually display Streetcar 696 at the Horticulture Building at Lansdowne Park, given the long history of streetcars running down Bank Street.

"It's been such a cool project, and to let a piece of our history just kind of fade away this way, after all the work that's been put in, it doesn't make much sense," Menard said.

"I think we need, through the city, to be facilitating the space for you to finish the project."

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottaw...-now-1.6893029

[lrt's friend]

I had a casual conversation with a lady who was waiting for the R2 bus at Greenboro Station yesterday evening. She commented how unreliable this bus route is with multiple trips cancelled, sometimes in a row, and short-turned trips. She complained on waiting for as long as an hour for R2. She was still waiting by the time my bus came. This is consistent with my experience.

[DTcrawler]

Originally Posted by lrt's friend

I had a casual conversation with a lady who was waiting for the R2 bus at Greenboro Station yesterday evening. She commented how unreliable this bus route is with multiple trips cancelled, sometimes in a row, and short-turned trips. She complained on waiting for as long as an hour for R2. She was still waiting by the time my bus came. This is consistent with my experience.

It's not a secret, R2 is one of Ottawa's worst performing bus routes.

https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local...e-11-75-and-85

[OCCheetos]

Originally Posted by DTcrawler

It's not a secret, R2 is one of Ottawa's worst performing bus routes.

https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local...e-11-75-and-85

The numbers reported in March didn't look at the percentage of trips delivered, only the absolute number of trips cancelled.

The R2 is one of the most frequent routes in the city, so even if it were being cancelled at the same rate as others the absolute number of cancellations would be higher than other routes.

[J.OT13]

The worse performing routes are probably the routes that have come closest to reaching pre-pandemic level ridership. No surprise that the urban routes are up there, yet we want to spend $Billions converting functional suburban Transitways/bus routes.

[lrt's friend]

It has been said that we have reached 75% of prepandemic bus ridership. What has not been said has been the percentage of bus service being offered. My impression is that we are not offering 100% of prepandemic service. So, how do we expect to regain ridership based on continued reduced service?

[OCCheetos]

Originally Posted by lrt's friend

It has been said that we have reached 75% of prepandemic bus ridership. What has not been said has been the percentage of bus service being offered. My impression is that we are not offering 100% of prepandemic service. So, how do we expect to regain ridership based on continued reduced service?

OC Transpo is running about 90% of its pre-pandemic [bus] service hours. A significant chunk of that is the ongoing suspension and reduction of Connexion services, with some other reductions scattered across the rest of the system.