Relaunched OC Transpo Twitter accounts won’t include specific trip information

OC Transpo is changing the way it provides updates to the public on social media.

In a memo to city council, OC Transpo general manager Renée Amilcar says it would simply cost too much to continue tweeting specific trip information, as changes to Twitter pricing would add a cost of approximately $675,600 annually.

So, on Monday, May 1, the transit organization relaunched its Twitter accounts.

OC_TranspoHelps and OC_TranspoAide have replaced the OCTranspoLive and OCTranspoDirect accounts.

Amilcar says the new ‘customer service-focused’ accounts are managed by customer service representatives who will be able to quickly respond to customer inquiries and provide support.

Detours, major disruptions, and other important service alerts will be shared ,while the original OC_Transpo account will provide information regarding system-wide updates and general information for customers.

Amilcar says says while some customers may have used the previous Twitter accounts (OCTranspoLive and OCTranspoDirect) to find changes to their specific bus trips, that’s something that is just no longer possible.

“OC Transpo began using Twitter in 2010; it has since gained close to 82,000 followers and shared almost 400,000 updates across three accounts,” Amilcar says. “In that time, social media has significantly evolved, as have customer expectations.”

Customers can continue to find specific bus trip information, like bus departure times, by:

• Visiting octranspo.com and using the next departures widget on the homepage
• Signing up for MyAlerts
• By texting 560560
• Using the Travel Planner