Ottawa buys 15-year-old buses to help alleviate pressures on aging fleet

An aging fleet and delays in getting electric buses has OC Transpo turning to used buses that are more than 10 years old. CTV’s Tyler Fleming reports.

OC Transpo has purchased 11 used buses to help alleviate pressures on the City of Ottawa’s aging bus fleet, but delays with electrical infrastructure work could slow down the rollout of zero-emission buses later this year and in early 2026.

The City of Ottawa currently has an aging bus fleet, with an average age of the conventional buses at 15 years old, and is facing delays with the arrival of new electric buses. The city’s 338 articulated buses have an average age of 14.7, while the 40-foot diesel buses have an average age of 19.

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OC Transpo says 0.4 per cent of planned trips were cancelled in May due to mechanical breakdown and 0.2 per cent of trips were cancelled due to no buses available.

Councillors on the Transit Committee were told Thursday that OC Transpo has located and purchased 11 used buses that were initially introduced into service in 2009-10.

“The buses are very similar to our existing 40-foot Nova buses and will be a great addition to our fleet,” staff said.

“They are in good condition; however, it will take some time before they can enter service. Buses will require mechanical inspections, minor repairs, installations of OC Transpo decals and IT fit up and more.”

Staff would not say how much the used buses cost to purchase. The buses were purchased from the Waterloo region.

OC Transpo currently has 249 Nova buses, with an average age of 5.3 years old.

Staff say OC Transpo has purchased 50 new diesel buses that will arrive in 2026 and 2027.

A backlog in maintenance and aging buses have put pressure on the fleet. The requirement for buses drops from 540 to 459 buses in the summer, but staff said O-Train maintenance closures and special events will put pressure on the fleet.

However, staff warn the delay in electrical infrastructure work at OC Transpo maintenance facilities “may have a significant impact to the zero-emission bus program as we onboard additional buses this year.”

OC Transpo continues to accept new zero-emission buses, with 350 buses expected to arrive by the spring of 2027.

Staff say there is a delay in the delivery of the “Trans-Rupters” needed for the on-site substation. The Trans-Rupter is a critical component required to connect the hydro supply to the upcoming onsite substation.

The delay with the delivery time of the substation’s Trans-Rupter could delay the commissioning of the substation from November 2025 to April 2026.

The issues mean the upcoming delivery of 80 e-buses will be required to charge from the 30 chargers currently in service.

“This is the problem, we’ve left things way too late, and we’ve fallen victim to getting away from the diesel bus fleet that we originally had,” said Ottawa councillor Tim Tierney.

“And electric buses sounds like a great idea, it’s all rainbows and unicorns, but unless they actually get delivered, we have a problem and they’re already years behind schedule and at this point, the ones that should be delivered by the end of the year, I’m not confident we’ll see them.”

With files from CTV News Ottawa’s Tyler Fleming