OC Transpo continues to miss on-time targets
About one-quarter of all buses are late, but LRT, Paratranspo numbers better
OC Transpo's internal review of its own performance shows that plenty of work still needs to be done to improve reliability of bus service within the city.
Overall, 26 per cent of buses were unable to meet service standards in 2023, and only 74.5 per cent of buses operating every 16 minutes or less were on time.
The statistics were included in a scorecard delivered Thursday to a city hall transit committee meeting by OC Transpo general manager Rene Amilcar and manager of business and technical support systems Bart Cormier.
A year ago, Ottawa's beleaguered transportation system initiated a five-year grand plan aimed at improving service in all areas.
That included enhancing safety, providing more timely service of buses and trains on the O-line rail system and eventually transitioning to a fleet of zero-emission vehicles.
The unreliability of the bus service has been, of course, an ongoing headache for commuters. The short-term target for OC Transpo is to reach 85 per cent on-time performance.
Thursday's report included better numbers from the performance of the LRT and Paratranspo.
Cormier reported that O-line service delivery was at 97.1 per cent. The ultimate goal is 99.5 per cent. Paratranspo reliability was 92.5 per cent, with an aim of hitting 95 per cent.
The transit agency also said there were 1.1 vehicle collisions per 100,000 kilometres driven.
Concerned about the aging fleet of diesel buses, Barrhaven East Coun. Wilson Lo questioned Amilcar about the slower than expected rollout of more zero-emission buses.
Amilcar said OC Transpo continued to explore all technologies, including the possibility of purchasing hydrogen-powered buses in the future.