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OC Transpo has temporarily cut 255 bus trips from its daily schedule as it continues to grapple with reliability challenges.
The transit agency delivers roughly 7,500 trips each weekday. As of Jan. 12, that schedule was cut back to just 7,224 trips following a review and prioritization.
“As fleet availability improves, these trips will be added back into the schedule,” it said Friday in a memo to city councillors.
Recently, OC Transpo has been cancelling far more trips than that as maintenance issues keep buses out of service. On Monday, Jan. 4, it cancelled 800 trips.
That’s about one in 10 trips. The stats improved slightly as the week continued, with six per cent cancelled from Jan. 4 to Jan. 10.
But those cancelled trips remained on the schedule, prompting critics like River ward Coun. Riley Brockington to suggest updating it to more accurately reflect what OC Transpo is capable of delivering.
OC Transpo says it needs about 520 buses to meet its weekday service demands, but on average, it was only able to get about 467 on the road last week.
Responding to ‘customer concerns’
The memo says the decision to cut 255 scheduled weekday trips will decrease the daily requirement by about 20 buses.
“This step was taken to respond to customer concerns about unreliable trip planning information,” it explains.
The agency says it has an action plan that will improve service in the coming weeks and months, including by prioritizing maintenance work and continuing its “robust” efforts to hire mechanics.
But OC Transpo has been clear that the issue stems from an aging bus fleet and delays procuring electric buses. More are expected to come this year.
OC Transpo says riders can see the updated schedule on its travel planner, through the Transit app or by calling 613-560-1000.