More than 6,500 bus trips cancelled on OC Transpo in February, with signs of ‘incremental progress’ at month’s end

An OC Transpo bus with a "Not in service" sign is seen in this undated image. (CTV News Ottawa)

OC Transpo says there was an incremental improvement to bus service delivery in the last week of February, but the spalling issue on O-Train Line 1 remains unresolved.

In a weekly update, interim general manager of Transit Services Troy Charter said the week of Feb. 22 to 28 saw progress on strengthening bus service, with 1,310 cancelled bus trips, down from 1,527 the week prior.

In total, OC Transpo reported 6,501 cancelled bus trips in February, representing 3.6 per cent of all planned trips last month. More than 9,200 planned trips were cancelled in January.

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The figures for February do not include OC Transpo’s temporary removal of 255 trips each day from the schedule because of a shortage of buses. The removal of these trips reduces the number of available buses needed each day to 500 from 520.

Charter said the final week of February saw some positive steps forward for bus service.

“Overall, the average bus availability of 509 exceeded the temporary requirement of 500 with continued improvement in bus service delivery,” he wrote in an update on Friday.

Average bus service delivery was 97.2 per cent between Feb. 22 and 28.

The primary reason for cancellations in the final week of February was on-street adjustments, such as traffic problems, collisions, or customer incidents. OC Transpo says 475 of the 1,310 cancellations that were for that reason.

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Another 414 trips were canceled because of a lack of available drivers, and 283 were cancelled because of mechanical breakdowns. There were 138 trips cancellations because of a lack of available buses, down from 409 the week prior.

One additional zero-emission bus has also entered into service, bringing the total number in the fleet to 56. Currently, it is forecasted that 110 buses will have been delivered by the end of this month, with 89 being available for service. The city expects to have 240 electric buses by the end of the year.

21 trains available on Line 1

Charter said riders on O-Train Line 1 should expect no change to service next week, with 21 available trains.

Line 1 has been running at reduced capacity, but with increased frequency during peak times, since late January because of the spalling issue that was discovered on some of the trains, caused when flakes break off the metal surface inside the axle bearing, creating a risk of cracks and possible failure.

Peak service on Line 1 requires 26 vehicles, running every five minutes as 13 double-car trains. Right now, OC Transpo says there are 21 trains available for service, a number that hasn’t changed since Feb. 13, with 15 single-car trains running every three to four minutes during peak times.

During a media availability on Friday, interim general manager of Transit Services Troy Charter said the focus has shifted from bringing a small number of trains back into service each week.

Charter says the east extension remains on track to open before the end of June of this year.