O-Train sees 68,000 trips during first four days of opening

OC Transpo is noting “positive” early results since the opening of the O-Train’s lines 2 and 4 this week.

According to a memo from Renée Amilcar, general manager of transit services department, the preliminary numbers are trending in the right direction. She notes that the first day the system was running (Jan. 6) almost 21,000 trips were made on Line 2.

“This is almost three times the number of customer trips made on the replacement bus service last fall,” she said.

Over the week (until Thursday), customers made 68,100 trips, according to data shared by staff. On Line 4, there was an average of 400 customer trips to and from the airport each day.

Buses through routes B2 (formerly called Line 2 buses), 99 and 97 will continue to run parallel seven days a week in case of any issues. 

Amilcar also noted that the three park-and-ride lots at Greenboro, Leitrim and Bowesville were “well-used.” The data from OC Transpo notes that Greenboro was most loved by commuters with 50 per cent of the spaces used on average daily.

“While we are happy to see the Park and Ride lots being utilized this week, there remains a large amount of capacity at each lot to support growth,” she said.

According to a memo sent Jan. 6, the launch of the highly anticipated service went off without a hitch. This comes after years of delays and controversies over Line 1.

“It was a wait, but it was a wait that was worth waiting for,” Shane Seguin, a transit rider told CityNews earlier this week.