OC Transpo admits service disruptions exceed acceptable limits

Ottawa residents face prolonged wait times as OC Transpo struggles with increased undelivered trips, falling short of its 99.5% service standard this winter

Concerns Over OC Transpo Winter Service Reliability

Taking public transit in the winter is a commitment for many across the city. However, waiting at a stop in the cold for an additional 15, 30, or even 60 minutes because a bus didn’t show is unacceptable, residents say.

Dozens of residents expressed their concerns on social media about an increase in undelivered trips on OC Transpo routes.

OC Transpo General Manager Troy Charter addressed these concerns in a memo to council on Friday. He stated that the increased number of undelivered trips does not meet service standards.

Service Standards and Current Issues

OC Transpo’s service delivery standard is 99.5 percent. This means that only 0.5 percent of trips should go undelivered at most. This winter, service has fallen short of this standard.

“This has resulted in longer wait times for customers during winter weather, unpredictable commute times, and has resulted in an increase in undelivered trips,” Charter said. “Addressing this and providing reliable service for customers is the top priority for everyone at OC Transpo.”

Past Satisfaction Ratings

Concerns about the reliability of the city’s transit service are not new. In March 2025, OC Transpo staff presented the results of the latest satisfaction survey. While satisfaction increased from the previous year, an overall rating of 3.11 out of 5 for bus service shows that improvement is needed.

Fleet and Maintenance Challenges

As of fall 2025, OC Transpo had 738 buses in its fleet. However, only 511 are available for service on any given day. This falls short of the 519 buses needed to deliver more than 7,500 daily scheduled trips across its network.

One major problem for the transit service is that its fleet is aging, requiring much more maintenance. The service has also faced supply chain issues that have delayed the delivery of Zero Emissions Buses (ZEB) to update the fleet.

Short-Term and Long-Term Solutions

In the short term, OC Transpo is prioritizing critical maintenance work to get buses back on the road. They are also adjusting winter service schedules to address critical gaps.

Long-term actions include a more robust recruitment campaign for mechanics and bus operators, as well as ZEB procurement.

“We recognize and appreciate that this situation is frustrating and disruptive for customers,” Charter said, “and we are working on a number of fronts to ensure buses are consistently available to deliver the service customers deserve and expect.”