Two OC Transpo bus routes running alongside LRT cost $5M per year: audit

OC Transpo buses are seen at St. Laurent Station. June 11, 2026. (Brad Quinn/CTV News Ottawa)

Two bus routes meant to supplement light rail service in Ottawa are costing OC Transpo $5 million a year, are taking buses from peak service, and were not considered priorities, according to the city’s auditor general.

An audit report by Nathalie Gougeon into OC Transpo’s bus service planning and scheduling found that the E1 peak period shuttle bus and the 24/7 Route 105 bus require significant spending to operate.

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The E1, which operates parallel to the LRT Line 1 from Blair to Albert and Lyon on weekday mornings and from Kent and Slater to Blair in the afternoons, costs approximately $1.3 million per year to run, the audit found.

It was not discontinued after the launch of New Ways to Bus in April 2025, for reasons of maintaining customer trust, the audit report said.

“Interviews with management indicated that the decision to retain the E1 route was made to support riders until trust in the LRT was reestablished,” Gougeon wrote. “However, this route is inconsistent with the approach stated in the Bus Route Review that informed New Ways to Bus, which emphasized taking advantage of the LRT network.”

Route 105, which runs between St. Laurent Station and the Ottawa airport, was introduced in fall 2025, less than a year after the launch of O-Train Lines 2 and 4, the latter of which goes to the airport. The audit found this route, which runs 24 hours a day, costs $3.7 million a year to operate, requiring buses during peak service hours at a time when fleet availability is constrained.

“While this route provides benefits to some riders, we learned through interviews, this change would not have been the top priority for service improvement,” the audit report says.” Management also confirmed that no analysis was completed prior to introducing the route, such as estimated customer benefits, financial performance assessments, and ridership forecasting.”

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OC Transpo told CTV News Ottawa last year that Route 105 was being introduced to “enhance connections” between the airport, the southeast Transitway, the Via Rail Station, intercity buses, and the east end, and would help connect riders to the airport overnight, when LRT lines are not running.

Gougeon said that without analysis of these proposed service changes against others, her office was unable to confirm if the E1 and the 105 represent the best use of limited resources.

The audit, which also found several issues with the New Ways to Bus plan introduced last year, made 10 recommendations to OC Transpo, including establishing criteria to consistently and transparently evaluate proposed service changes, such as route additions, with appropriate supporting documentation to ensure that decisions are supported by proper analysis and demonstrate value for money.

OC Transpo management accepted and agreed to all 10 recommendations.