With students returning to school and government employees heading back to the office, OC Transpo is cutting off-peak train frequency on the O-Train Confederation Line from five minutes to 10 minutes between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. and again from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. on weekdays. Peak-period and weekend service will remain unchanged.
Laura Shantz, a board member of the Ottawa Transit Riders, a public organization that advocates for better public transit, stated on Ottawa at Work with Patricia Boal that the change would be a “headache for folks travelling outside the rush hour.”
Shantz said that the move would result in a mere $1 million in savings for the transit corporation—a drop in the bucket for a system that is $140 million in the hole. However, the change may become more expensive, as it represents another factor contributing to the declining appeal of public transit, a significant problem for OC Transpo, which has spent the last couple of years dedicated to improving service and increasing ridership.
Speaking with Ottawa Now’s Christie Cameron, Councillor Riley Brockington, a member of the Transit Commission, not only conveyed his disappointment with OC Transpo’s decision to implement the changes a week before the beginning of the heaviest ridership month, but he also voiced his frustration with the public transit provider’s lack of transparency, a key issue during the construction of Line 1 which ultimately led to the calling of an inquiry.
It appears that OC Transpo is continuing to hide things from public governance. Councillor Brockington noted that although OC Tranpo requires three months to enact a scheduling change, they failed to include this change in the agenda for the last Transit Commission meeting on June 14th, thus circumventing a vote.
Had the motion been voted on, Coun. Brockington said that his position would have been to wait for the return to school period and assess the updated numbers before making changes.
On a positive note, OC Transpo says they will monitor the volumes and increase the frequency if needed.
In the event riders are negatively impacted by the reduction in frequency, like missing a late-night bus connection, Coun. Brockington advises contacting your local Councillor and giving them the specifics, including bus route, LRT station and the time of day.
After all, we were sold on an LRT system that was based on frequency and would offer seamless connections between buses and trains, and we are paying dearly for the service.
