OC Transpo sees drop in ridership to start 2026

An empty OC Transpo bus in Ottawa. (Adrian Wyld/THE CANADIAN PRESS)

Fewer people have been boarding OC Transpo buses and the O-Train this year.

Statistics available on the OC Transpo website show there were 6.1 million passenger trips in January and 5.4 million trips in February, down from 6.5 million trips in January 2025 and 5.9 million trips in February of last year.

The drop in ridership has come as OC Transpo has been forced to cancel hundreds of bus trips a week since mid-January due to an aging bus fleet and delays with the arrival of new buses. The transit service has proactively cancelled 255 trips a day, freeing up 20 buses for service.

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

O-Train Line 1 is also operating with single-car service between Blair and Tunney’s Pasture stations, as OC Transpo and Rideau Transit Maintenance address an issue with the axle.

A total of 97.1 per cent of bus trips scheduled were delivered in February.

While ridership on OC Transpo buses and the O-Train is down, there has been a jump in Para Transpo ridership.

Data shows there were 73,300 passenger trips on Para Transpo in February, up from 65,555 passenger trips in February of last year.

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