‘It’s hard to hear’: OC Transpo GM responds to CTV’s ‘Ottawa’s Worst Commute’ series

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One-on-one with Troy Charter

EXTENDED: Interview with OC Transpo interim general manager Troy Charter

The head of OC Transpo says he hears the frustration of transit riders across the city as the system deals with an aging bus fleet, a shortage of mechanics and drivers, and reduced service on one of the LRT lines, but he insists that better days are coming.

All this week, CTV News Ottawa is travelling with viewers on OC Transpo buses, the O-Train and Para Transpo to see what’s happening on the transit system. Tune in to CTV News at Six for our stories.

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CTV News at Six anchor Patricia Boal sat down with interim general manager of Transit Services Troy Charter to ask about the issues with the transit system and his reaction to the outpouring of frustration customers have shared with CTV News.

“It’s hard to hear, but at the same time, we know that we’re facing some challenges right now and our customers are feeling it as well,” he said, when asked about series.

“The entire team here, we feel that sense of frustration from our customers, so it’s hard to hear. But we know where we are. We’ve got good plans to be able to return to our full service levels and improve things for our customers, so that’s where we need to focus on and that’s what I’ve got our team focused on right now.”

Over the winter, thousands of bus trips have been cancelled due to a lack of available vehicles, a lack of available drivers, and mechanical problems. Line 1 of the O-Train has been running at reduced capacity since January because of a spalling issue identified on the Alstom Citadis Spirit trains that run on the line. It has been weeks since any more vehicles have been added to service.

Charter said OC Transpo is taking all necessary steps to ensure that Rideau Transit Group and Alstom’s processes to contain the spalling issue are effective.

“We need to make sure we do our due diligence and take the time and take the steps to do that and I know that’s hard for our customers because they just want to see our service back to the reliable levels they were seeing before this. But, at this time, we’re taking the steps, we’re taking our time, we’re doing our due diligence, and things are progressing,” he said.

Charter said his focus has been on making incremental improvements that will ensure both the short-term and long-term sustainability of the transit system.

“I’ve committed to saying that customers will definitely be seeing improvement come spring. I stand by that. I’m confident customers will start to see improvement and as we move into the summer months, as we recruit more people and on board more buses, we’re just going to see that improve, improve, improve.”

Charter says his message to riders is that OC Transpo has plans in place and they are starting to see results.

“Those plans are all geared towards improving the service both in the short term and the long term and that’s our commitment to you. Month in, month out, we want to see it improve,” he said.

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“We’re a very proud organization. A proud group of people that take pride in what they’re doing, and they’re feeling the frustration our customers are as well and they want to get out of this, too. We’re on the right track.”

What is being done?

Charter said several steps are being taken to address the issues customers are dealing with.

“I understand that the service level that customers are experiencing right now is not what they expect, not what they deserve, and we’re not satisfied with it either. The positive thing is we’re all on the same page and we know we need to improve,” he said.

Charter said OC Transpo is aiming to hire 300 new bus and train operators this year.

“We have a constant turnover of people who are retiring from the organization or leaving for other employment opportunities, both within and outside the organization, and as we’re ramping up the rail lines, we need to bring operators in, and they largely come from the bus operator pool. It’s a challenge to stay ahead of it, but we’ve got good plans,” he said.

Mechanic shortages are an industrywide problem, Charter said, but OC Transpo is taking steps inside and outside the organization.

“Two years ago, we refreshed our apprentice program, and we have 19 mechanics or soon to be mechanics going through the process and over the next year to two years, they’ll be graduating,” he said. “With a new collective agreement, new pay rates that are more competitive within the industry, we’re now seeing some positive results in terms of our ongoing recruitment efforts to bring in more mechanics.”

He added that the city continues to see more zero-emission buses being delivered, which will improve bus service.

“Over half our fleet is going to be less than four years old when we get all our zero-emission buses in, so there’s really key foundational pieces and council has made some strategic investments to ensure that we can improve the service.”

He also said OC Transpo is reviewing its procurement process to even it out and not end up with a large number of buses all reaching the end of their useful life at the same time. And schedules are being reviewed, especially around peak traffic periods, to help improve service levels.

When it comes to Para Transpo, Charter said it is a different type of service because it doesn’t run on fixed routes, but OC Transpo is committed to improving service for Para Transpo riders as well.

“You look at some of the challenges we faced a couple of years ago, those have been addressed and now we’re continuing to engage our customers through consultation sessions and Para Transpo Talks sessions, which are ongoing right now,” he said.

“Years ago, we heard we want to be able to book our trips online and not have to call. We’ve implemented that. They wanted to be able to do electronic fare payments, that’s in place, too. We now, as well, through our Para app, customers can receive updates as to how far their trip is. Is it on its way? When it comes to public transit, it’s never at an end state.”

Commitment to improve

Charter said OC Transpo is on the right track and customers will see improvements on the system.

“I just want to ensure our customers that the entire team at OC Transpo is committed to making those improvements and demonstrating our commitment to that service delivery,” he said.

“The past couple of months, speaking with councillors, speaking with residents, speaking with customers, I hear what they’re saying. We’re not here to say that everything’s perfect. We know there’s challenges, we know there’s areas to improve, we’re on the right track and council continues to support transit in its investments, so short-term, long-term, we will see the improvements.”

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Charter didn’t provide specific timelines for returning full service on Line 1 but said it is close. He added that the east extension is on track to open in the spring.

“We want to hear from our customers. We want to know what their experiences are. We’re committed to being transparent and keeping people informed but I’m confident that customers will start to see the improvements that we’re implementing,” Charter said. “We’re excited about the extensions to the rail line; we want to build upon the success of Lines 2 and 4 and just expand that rail network and that will help improve the entire system as well.”

When asked if he rides public transit, Charter said he uses it “fairly regularly.”

“It doesn’t work for me from a day-to-day commute perspective, but I use it as often as I can,” he said.

“I go downtown with my daughter to go shopping; she likes to go to the Rideau Centre. Redblacks games, definitely the bus is the way to go. I’m a regular user of transit services. It’s a great way to get around and with the rail lines it just makes it that much easier, too.”