OC Transpo is starting to rollout information on service changes this fall as the transit service prepares for federal public servants and post-secondary students to return to buses and the O-Train. The transit service says new transit maps will be updated across the OC Transpo network over the next few weeks to “reflect service changes coming this fall.” “Over the summer, we’ll be getting the word out about how we intend to meet the growing demand for better, faster, and safer transit,” OC Transpo said on its website. The new fall schedule begins on Aug. 30. A $29 million, 48-point plan to keep commuters moving this fall includes increasing frequency on O-Train Line 1, the introduction of new Express routes into the downtown core and Tunney’s Pasture station. On O-Train Line 1, trains will run every four minutes at peak periods, every six minutes midday and every seven minutes in the early evening. The first train on O-Train Line 2 will start at 6 a.m. The new express bus service will see buses run during peak periods serving Park and Ride lots, key employment areas and O-Train Stations. Here is a look at the new Express Routes: OC Transpo is also adjusting the run times on 30 routes that transport 50 per cent of bus riders to improve service. The routes are: 5, 6, 7, 9, 11, 12, 14, 15, 18, 19, 20, 25, 30, 41, 42, 48, 51, 53, 61, 63, 73, 75, 81, 82, 85, 88, 117, 163, 178, and 173. The City of Ottawa and OC Transpo are expecting an additional 65,000 trips a week into the downtown area this fall as public servants are now required to spend four days a week in the office and students return to Ottawa for the fall semester.
