Ottawa’s worst commute: Riders express frustrations with delays, cancellations on Route 6

CTV’s Leah Larocque took a morning ride on Route 6, one of OC Transpo’s busiest and most exasperating routes.

Ottawa’s Worst Commute: CTV News Ottawa travels with viewers on OC Transpo buses, the O-Train and Para Transpo to see what’s happening on the transit system. Visit our special Worst Commute page for more coverage.

OC Transpo’s Route 6 is one of the busiest, and, for many riders, the most exasperating bus routes in Ottawa.

On a map, Route 6 looks simple enough. A straight shot along Bank Street with stops at South Keys and Billings Bridge, through the Glebe and Centretown, across Rideau Street, and to Rockcliffe. But for daily OC Transpo commuters, the number 6 bus has become synonymous with cancellations, long waits, and packed buses.

• These were the most cancelled OC Transpo bus trips during the third week of February

During the afternoon rush, by the time one Route 6 bus reaches Centretown, it is already standing room only. Some riders squeeze in. Others are left behind.

Judy Wilson, 71, watches yet another full bus pass her stop.

“That’s the way we live today,” she said. “You live with buses that are packed. The elderly can’t sit down.”

Wilson pays $60 a month for her bus pass. But she says she often ends up walking when the bus doesn’t arrive.

Wilson says, “sometimes, I have to walk two miles because my bus isn’t coming.”

Route 6 runs along two of Ottawa’s busiest corridors - Bank Street and Rideau Street, where traffic congestion, construction, and collisions frequently slow service.

Between Feb. 8-14, 105 trips on Route 6 were cancelled. In January, the route had the highest percentage of cancelled trips in the system, with only 88 per cent of scheduled trips delivered as planned.

Riders say unpredictability is the real issue.

“It is delayed. It’s like five minutes delayed,” said one passenger waiting along Bank Street.

Another commuter, Erik Wright, had to sprint to a bus as it approached, unwilling to risk missing it.

“The reliability is bad,” Wright says. “It seems like it’s gotten worse over the past five years.”

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Some days, after long gaps in service, two Route 6 buses arrive back-to-back. It’s a phenomenon riders say defeats the purpose of a schedule.

OC Transpo says Route 6 faces multiple challenges, including aging buses, heavy traffic volumes, and ongoing road construction.

But for riders, those explanations offer little comfort.

“It’s always packed. Yes, standing room,” says Eddie Fong, a regular passenger. “It’s hard to navigate.”

City councillors whose wards are served by Route 6 say it generates some of the highest complaint volumes in the transit system. Coun. Shawn Menard even attempted to take the bus to Transit Commission meetings in February, but arrived late because of delays on the 6.

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Wilson says she’s familiar with nearly every major route in the system and believes frustrations aren’t limited to just one line.

“They’re all slow at this moment. They don’t show up on time,” she says. “It’s very frustrating.”

Still, for many commuters travelling the busy spine between Billings Bridge and Rockcliffe, Route 6 stands out — not for where it goes, but for the uncertainty riders say comes with every trip.

With files from CTV News Ottawa’s Josh Pringle

• FULL COVERAGE of Ottawa’s Worst Commute