OC Transpo bus service improves, still falls short of standard

OC Transpo’s bus service is improving, but still falling short of the service delivery standard, that’s according to the newest update from the city’s transit authority.

For the week of Jan. 18 to Jan. 24, bus service delivery was, on average, 96.8 per cent. Service delivery averaged 97 per cent, excluding days with severe winter weather.

Three per cent of scheduled trips went undelivered, which is greater than the standard of 0.5 per cent. However, it is a significant improvement from the 6 per cent undelivered trips customers experienced in early January.

In a memo to council dated Jan. 9, OC Transpo General Manager Troy Charter said the level of undelivered trips does not meet the city’s service standard and addressing this service reliability was a top priority.

“We recognize and appreciate that this situation is frustrating and disruptive for customers,” he said, “and we are working on a number of fronts to ensure buses are consistently available to deliver the service customers deserve and expect.”

During the most recent week, OC Transpo says 494 buses were available every weekday. Currently, 500 buses are needed for optimal service, a temporary decrease from 520.

“While metrics are generally trending in a positive direction, we remain focused on the work required to meet our targets for bus availability and service delivery,” the authority said in its most recent update.

Line 1 status

O-Train Line 1 service continues to operate at a three to four-minute frequency during the week. This adjustment was made in response to overcrowding on the limited trains available.

Approximately 70 per cent of vehicles are out of operation after a problem was discovered with the cartridge bearing assemblies on the train vehicles, forcing the agency to pull all trains with mileage higher than 100,000 kilometres from its fleet. 

While the transit authority works with experts to tend to the maintenance as soon as possible, it is currently operating severely underserviced.

OC Transpo says 18 vehicles are currently available for service, short of the 26 needed for regular peak service.