Transit riders await massive bus route overhaul with mixed feelings

Transit riders are preparing to navigate a radically new bus network later this month, with some celebrating shorter commutes while others fret over complicated trips with multiple transfers.

OC Transpo is calling its New Ways to Bus plan "the largest bus service change in the city's history." When it launches on April 27, only 27 routes will remain unchanged. More than a hundred will be different.

"It is a pretty significant change," said Stittsville Coun. Glen Gower, chair of council's transit committee. "Some people are going to have a longer walk, some people will have a different commute, some people will see new service. To me, the most important thing is making sure people are aware."

Gower said the changes recognize how the city has grown, by providing bus service to areas with the highest demand. 

While many adjustments are minor, others are not. Some routes will be cut entirely, while others will be significantly shortened. In some cases, they will be replaced by entirely new ones.

Kari Glynes Elliott of the advocacy group Ottawa transit riders said some aspects of the plan have gotten pushback, like the cancellation of some early and late buses.

"If people regularly have a bus at six in the morning and now it's at seven in the morning, that actually affects whether they can get to work or not," she said.

The new transit map uses the train lines at its backbone. Even though that could speed up some commutes, Glynes Elliott said it will also mean more transfers.

"Most people would prefer to ride one bus. If you could pick up a bus in Orléans and get right downtown, that's a whole bunch better than having to get a bus and a train and maybe another bus," she said. "So I'm not entirely certain that they are listening to what transit riders want."

'I'm losing an extra hour just commuting'

Some riders will face the worst of both worlds: more transfers and longer commutes.

Nicholas Mrazek is losing the 294 bus that takes him on a 30 minute ride from Findlay Creek to Hurdman Station. He figures he will have to leave home at 6:20 a.m. instead of 7 a.m. to get to work, a journey that will require two transfers and take more than an hour.

"I have less time for myself," he said. "I already spend nine hours at work every day. Now I'm losing an extra hour just commuting."

He also criticized what he sees as a lack of connections from the east end to the south keys area, calling it "a huge gap." He worries that the new system will drive some away from public transit and into cars.

"It feels like the people who designed this don't take the bus," Mrazek said.

Josh Lovell is worried about what changes to route 693 will mean for his 12-year-old daughter, who can currently take that single bus all the way to school at St. Francis Xavier. It takes her just half an hour. As of April 27, she will have to take a bus to South Keys Station and then train to Leitrim Station to catch the 693. 

"She is very upset about this," he said. "She's already stressed about how little time she has in the morning before she has to be at the bus, and now they're adding an extra 40 minutes in the morning ahead of her time to get up. And in the evening she's stressing about not having enough time to get done all her school work and still have time to socialize."

He also worries about how she will cope with riding on buses and trains with strangers from all over the city, instead of on a dedicated bus for school kids.

"She has to sit there and deal with the stressful situation of kids vaping on the buses and kids making a racket and the driver not caring," Lovell said.

In a statement, OC Transpo said it recognizes that the new 693 route will mean more transfers and longer travel times. It said it's working to determine if any adjustments can be made. It said most school trips are remaining the same, though some were withdrawn due to low ridership.

The mood at the stations

Riders facing the level of disruption awaiting Lovell and Mrazek seem to be in the minority. When CBC caught up with riders at Tunney's Pasture and Lincoln Fields station on Thursday, most were facing minor adjustments or none at all.

"I'm glad that my bus routes are not changing," said Helene Davis. "I'm happy."

"Honestly, it's not going to be that bad of a change," said Eileen Chisholm. "It's probably going to stay the same."

"Honestly, I think it'll probably take a bit shorter," said Lily Kirkpatrick.

Baker Kigongo was one of the few facing a longer commute, which he estimated at about 15 extra minutes due to a new route for the 25. But he wasn't upset.

"I love music, so I'll be playing some more music on the journey," he said. "I'll be at ease. Not problem."

OC Transpo has been rolling out a communications campaign with direct mailings, signs posted all over transit stations, in-person events and advertising on social media. Gower was pleased with the effort.

"I think they've got a really solid plan for communication and they're hitting all the channels," the councillor said. "I think the word is getting out."

River ward Coun. Riley Brockington, who also sits on transit committee, wasn't so sure.

"I don't think OC Transpo has advertised this enough or properly," he said. "My concern is some people, despite that we've all been talking about route review going back to 2023, will not be aware of what has changed."

Riders call communication tools easy to use

The reviews among riders were mixed. Lovell said he was caught completely off guard by the changes his daughter now has to navigate.

"Communication was non-existent on this," he said. "We found out through an e-mail from the school and the school found out apparently last week from OC Transpo."

In its statement to CBC, OC Transpo said it communicated that 600-series routes "may change" as it developed its new network, but confirmed that it only alerted school boards recently.

"Earlier this month Ottawa school boards were informed of route changes, and the travel planner was updated so that customers may see how some school routes will change," it said. "We continue to update our website to provide support to customers through this change.

But the riders CBC met at the stations were more positive about communications. Most were aware that a shakeup was coming. While many didn't have a precise sense of how their journeys would change, they quickly found out by clicking a QR code posted prominently at the station.

Kigongo said it was easy to use.

"They're absolutely right on point, because they give us a period to really understand what's going to be changing," he said. "So I believe they're doing a good job."

Glynes Elliott also lauded the communications push.

"At this point, nobody in the City of Ottawa who rides public transit should be in the dark that this thing is coming," she said.

Though the system is launching on April 27, a Sunday, the first workday will be April 28, which happens to be the day of the federal election. Glynes Elliott is anxious about what that could mean.

The timing is a little bit scary," she said. "If it is messy, it's going to be very, very difficult."

She hopes that OC Transpo will throw all its resources into ensuring that the new system has as smooth an opening as possible, with people working the phone lines and extra buses at the ready to address capacity issues.

Despite her concerns, she's ready to give OC Transpo the chance to show it can manage.

"Let's try it. Let's not panic too much in advance," she said. "Let's cross our fingers that OC Transpo listens to feedback from riders. If they have a whole bunch of riders saying this isn't working, maybe they make adjustments."