OC Transpo is refurbishing its aging articulated bus fleet to boost capacity with more riders expected to return to public transit this fall. The City of Ottawa issued an advanced procurement notice last week to issue a tender to refurbish articulated buses to keep them in service. The city intends to award the contract to Skydome Auto and Truck Centre Inc. In a statement to CTV News Ottawa, OC Transpo’s director of bus operations and maintenance says OC Transpo plans to refurbish 30 articulated buses, at an average cost of $180,000 a bus. “OC Transpo is refurbishing existing 2010 New Flyer D60LF articulated buses to extend their service life by approximately three years and maintain high-capacity service within its conventional fleet of 704 buses,” Rami El Feghali said. “Two buses were refurbished in Q1 2026, with the new contract covering an additional 28 buses.” It will cost approximately $5.4 million to refurbish the 30 articulated buses. El Feghali said five bushes have already been refurbished and returned to service in Ottawa, with all 30 buses expected to be ready for service by the end of March. OC Transpo was forced to cancel hundreds of bus trips a week last winter due to its aging bus fleet and a shortage of buses following delays with the delivery of electric buses. The transit service has said its summer maintenance campaign includes “enhanced maintenance efforts” on 277 articulated buses. OC Transpo says by fall 2027, 50 per cent of the conventional bus fleet will be replaced with electric buses.
