OC Transpo launches bus route review and public consultation process

OC Transpo is starting a comprehensive review of its bus routes and services, aiming to optimize the system and respond to changing needs and trends in transportation. The review will include consultations with various stakeholders, including transit customers, Councillors, customer advocacy groups, major employers, and OC Transpo employees.

According to a memo sent to the Mayor and Members of Council, the review is part of the ongoing City service reviews being coordinated by the Service Review Working Group. The review also responds to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on transit ridership, as well as the upcoming opening of the Stage 2 O-Train extensions.

The memo states that “OC Transpo will be able to optimize routes to support residents’ changing transit needs, while also responding to new realities, such as hybrid work, and to make policy recommendations to Council, if required.” The review will be conducted by a core project team, supported by Dillon Consulting, a firm prequalified for this type of work through the City’s standing offer list.

The public consultation process will start at the end of April, with the launch of a dedicated webpage and survey on OCTranspo.com.

The webpage will provide additional information about the route review, and the survey will be the first opportunity for customers to provide input on how they use Ottawa’s transit system and what they want the future of transit in Ottawa to look like.

In addition to the online survey, there will be public consultations held in various locations across the city in the coming months.

The City invites all residents to participate in the review and provide their feedback on the future of transit in Ottawa.