OC Transpo cancelled 22% of bus trips on one route during second week of March

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

OC Transpo cancelled more than 20 per cent of trips on a weekday peak period route that runs between Blair Station and downtown Ottawa during the second week of March, as the transit service dealt with a shortage of buses and the shutdown of O-Train Line 1.

Ottawa’s transit service cancelled 1,948 bus trips the week of March 8-14, including 494 bus trips to accommodate R1 service during the shutdown of O-Train Line 1. An overhead power line broke on the O-Train Line 1 during freezing rain on March 11, and the O-Train was taken out of service.

CTVNewsOttawa.ca asked OC Transpo for a list of the most cancelled bus trips during the second week of March.

The statistics show OC Transpo cancelled 22 per cent of planned trips on Route 15 during the week of March 8 to 15. A total of 54 trips were cancelled on Route 15 Blair-Parliament, which runs between Blair Station, Rideau Station and Parliament Station, with stops along Montreal Road and Rideau Street, during weekday morning and afternoon peak periods.

OC Transpo also cancelled 12 per cent of planned trips on Route 88 Hurdman-Bayshore, Route 12 Blair-Tunney’s Pasture and Route 14 St. Laurent-Tunney’s Pasture during the second week of March.

The transit service has been dealing with a shortage of new buses and a maintenance backlog taking older buses off the road since early January. OC Transpo has proactively cancelled 255 trips each day since mid-January to decrease the size of the fleet required for service by 20 buses.

A total of 6,501 bus trips were cancelled during the month of February, and 1,020 trips were cancelled during the week of March 1-7.

Bus routes with the highest number of trips cancelled March 8-14

• Route 88: 111 trips not delivered (955 trips planned). OC Transpo says 88 per cent of trips delivered as planned.
• Route 12: 108 trips not delivered (880 trips planned). OC Transpo says 88 per cent of trips delivered as planned.
• Route 14: 76 trips not delivered (625 trips planned). OC Transpo says 88 per cent of trips delivered as planned.
• Route 39: 71 trips not delivered (966 trips planned). OC Transpo says 93 per cent of trips delivered as planned.
• Route 6: 69 trips not delivered (853 trips planned). OC Transpo says 92 per cent of trips delivered as planned.
• Route 7: 61 trips not delivered (719trips planned). OC Transpo says 92 per cent of trips delivered as planned.
• Route 75: 58 trips not delivered (1,017 trips planned). OC Transpo says 94 per cent of trips delivered as planned.
• Route 10: 54 trips not delivered (654 trips planned). OC Transpo says 92 per cent of trips delivered as planned.
• Route 15: 54 trips not delivered (245 trips planned). OC Transpo says 78 per cent of trips delivered as planned.
• Route 98: 54 trips not delivered (744 trips planned). OC Transpo says 93 per cent of trips delivered as planned.