Ridership Increasing Despite Continued Issues with On-Time Service

 Transit head Renee Amilcar briefed today's Ottawa Transit Commission meeting on OC Transpo’s status. She announced that testing for Lines Two and Four of the O-Train commenced on October 7 and is set to last for twenty-one days. Amilcar called it the “final exam”, and the light-rail transit (LRT) has

Transit Commission Learns that One-Quarter of Less Buses Frequent Continue to be Delayed

 The City of Ottawa Transit Commission met on Thursday, September 12, for its first meeting since the beginning of summer. Deputy City Treasurer Isabelle Jasmin began the meeting by giving a short presentation on OC Transpo’s finances for Q2 of 2024. In the second quarter of the fiscal year, OC
LRT leaving Pimisi Station

Off-Peak Service on Confederation Line Reduced to Every 10 minutes

 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
LRT leaving Pimisi Station

OC Transpo Suffers $1 million Revenue Shortfall Due to Low Ridership

 The Ottawa Transit Commission convened on Thursday, April 11, for its monthly meeting. OC Transpo head Renee Amilcar and OC Transpo staff began the presentation by giving an update on the performance. The most notable statistic presented was that "happiness" with the transit service remains stagnant at around 45 percent,

At 66 percent, OC Transpo Ridership Continues to be Well Below Pre-Pandemic Levels

 The Ottawa Transit Commission, tasked with running OC Transpo affairs, met on Thursday, February 8, for the first time in 2024. The meeting shed light on several serious problems facing the transit service under the tenure of boss Renee Amilcar. In her briefing on the state of OC Transpo, Amilcar’s

2023 Municipal Report Card: Civility Scored High Marks at the Expense of Results

 It’s been one year since the self-described centrist Mark Sutcliffe, an outsider in the race, was elected mayor. Being removed from the mismanagement (think LRT boondoggle) and fractiousness of the Jim Watson-led 2018-2022 Council, the victory offered Sutcliffe a unique opportunity to reset local politics in Ottawa and provide a

It’s Better to Bust a Gut Than to Bust a Wheel

 For the fourth week in a row, the LRT is still down. Riders continue to complain about the service interruptions, while both OC Transpo and the City of Ottawa, along with our Mayor and some City councillors, continue to point fingers at each other and ignore people, especially people with
LRT leaving Pimisi Station

Fix OC Transpo Leadership to Fix LRT

 There is an old adage that efficient government can make the trains run on time. With yesterday’s announcement from Premier Doug Ford that there will be no funding for Stage Three of the LRT until the City of Ottawa sorts out the problems with the Confederation Line—and with Stage One

OC Transpo On-Demand Service Will Leave More People Stranded

 One of the big stories locally last week was the announcement by OC Transpo that they will be testing an on-demand service this fall. Transit General Manager Renee Amilcar said the service will be similar to Uber. People will be able to book a ride through an app. To implement

Why Has the Mayor and Council Allowed Para Transpo to Become Unsafe?

 I planned to discuss a different topic this week, but life throws curveballs. When you’re a person with a disability, and you rely on Para Transpo, well, they don’t make it easy on you. It can become very frustrating and sometimes even risky. So, get comfortable if you can because

How the Ottawa Transit Challenge continues to fall short of addressing PWD’s concerns

 ABOVE: Tweets from Transit riders participating in the 2022 Ottawa Transit Challenge. Now, imagine the reactions if these people were wheelchair-bound and forced to use ParaTranspo/ In 2019, the Ottawa Transit Riders, a local advocacy group pushing for better public transportation, came up with an idea named the Ottawa Transit

Unelected councillor angry about accusations of OC Transpo gaslighting

 ABOVE: Ward 4 Kanata North Councillor Cathy Curry took great offense to criticism of OC Transpo's new ad campaign. The Ottawa Transit Commission met today for its final time with its current board. It was Sarah Wright-Gilbert who kicked things off quickly with a contentious discussion. The publicly appointed commissioner accused Commission Chair

With one roll at a time, we’ll get there eventually

 In last week’s column, I gave detailed instructions on using the new My Para Transpo website. This week, I wanted to give a little insight and talk about my experiences with the My Para Transpo website. On February 21, 2020, online booking became a reality. In the beginning, the website

Empty trains and buses are the most significant issues now facing OC Transpo

 The Ottawa Transit Commission met today to discuss regular topics, including ridership, the launch of the new My Para Transpo website, and the e-bus pilot program. The transit systems has seen ups and downs and commission members shared their strong views. The bad news is that ridership is still well

Attention city hall: Please stop ignoring Para Transpo riders

 Last week, I took my first trip of 2022 on Para Transpo. While my experience on that day went smoothly, it’s not always the case. Having a positive experience with Para Transpo can almost be a reason to celebrate. For those who aren’t aware of what Para Transpo is, I’ll

We’re learning who is at fault for which LRT failures in court

 The revelatory finger-pointing between Ottawa and the LRT designers continues. To the surprise of few, the City of Ottawa and the Rideau Transit Group (RTG)’s legal challenges with each other have been nasty–not least because RTG is still maintaining the Light Rail Transit (LRT) system. The City of Ottawa is

Catherine McKenney: Ottawa’s “boots on the ground” councillor runs for mayor

 PHOTO: Neon Lilith Photography Catherine McKenney has been representing the citizens of Somerset Ward since 2014. Judging by how well they performed in the 2018 election, McKenney is well-liked by their community; Ottawa’s first non-binary councillor was re-elected in 2018 with a staggering 76.6 per cent of the vote.  This

Ottawa refuses to believe that people with disabilities matter

 This week, I want to tackle a few issues. In a way, they’re all connected, at least, in my brain. First and foremost, how about this weather? Please don’t shoot me for a lame question. We had a major snowstorm last week for those of you outside of Ottawa, and

Life keeps rolling by and changing quickly

 For those who aren’t on social media, I have an update regarding getting my booster shot. I got it last Tuesday, and all went well. On Monday, a friend informed me about a pop-up clinic at Canadian Mental Health Clinic, located at 311 McArthur Avenue. I was lucky to book

Local transit union scolds Rideau Transit Group O-Train failures

 Generally, when the city of Ottawa does a community infrastructure project, it works. The city’s public activities and recreational facilities are pretty good; the outdoor skating rinks and arenas, the outdoor pools and splash pads, the indoor recreational facilities are top-notch, and the city’s parks and trails are also great. The common

Para Transpo: The never ending battle for a smoother ride — part two

 In this second part of a two-part series on Para Transpo, I’ll be discussing the fare structure, issues surrounding the use of the Presto card, and other concerns. Plus, I’ll talk about ParaParity, a local advocacy group. Para Transpo Fare Para Transpo users have a few options when it comes

Introducing OLM’s new contributor, Ryan Lythall

 My name is Ryan Lythall. This is my first column for Ottawa Life Magazine, so I wanted to introduce myself. My story is a bit different than most. In 1975, I was born with a rare Neuromuscular condition called Nemaline Myopathy. NM causes muscle weakness, speech impairments, and respiratory problems.

Councillor Shawn Menard releases “four point immediate action plan” to deal with LRT woes

 Capital Ward Councillor Shawn Menard is demanding action  from Mayor Jim Watson  and OC Transpo and released a statement on Friday detailing the continuing LRT problems and what he sees as a lack of  city leadership in dealing with those issues. Below is Menard’s statement on the matter. We are

Navigating Bluesfest

 If you’ve been a frequent attendee of RBC Bluesfest since the “Big Man” Clarence Clemons took to the stage back in 1994, you’ve grown accustomed to change. I’m not just talking line-up fluctuations, but entire festival uprooting! What started at Majors Hill Park would move to outside City Hall and

105th Grey Cup & Grey Cup Festival Transportation Plan Unveiled

 In five days the 105th Grey Cup Festival presented by Shaw kicks-off with the arrival of the prized trophy that will be played for November 26th at a sold-out TD Place in the 105th Grey Cup presented by Shaw. On Thursday, the Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group in partnership with the City of