OC Transpo buses seeing reliability setback during late January snowstorm
Posted Feb 10, 2026 01:30:56 PM.
Last Updated Feb 10, 2026 01:31:02 PM.
In an effort of transparency, Ottawa’s bus service is detailing weekly numbers showcasing whether the system is reaching its targets and how many buses are cancelled.
From Jan. 22 to 31, there were two days where the bus service faltered, bringing the overall delivery to 94.4 per cent, about 5.1 per cent lower than the target.
On Jan. 26 and 27, the service saw over 700 and 650 trips cancelled, respectively, showcasing 6 per cent of the 44,342 trips scheduled.
Ottawa was hit with 15 centimetres of snow that caused messy roads in the city, but it was not enough for the school bus authority to cancel its fleet. The storm prompted a special daytime winter weather parking ban. It was a part of a low-pressure system that broke records in Toronto, calling it a once‑in‑a‑generation winter storm.
OC Transpo notes in its report that, excluding those two days, the service’s delivery was at 94.7 per cent.
It also detailed the reasons for the undelivered trips over the month of January.
According to the graph, the main reason (34 per cent) for the week of Jan. 25 for cancelled bus trips was due to a lack of driver availability, followed by on-street adjustment (31 per cent), which includes issues like traffic, accidents or incidents.
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.”
Line 1 issues persist
The majority of Ottawa’s light rail transit vehicles remain out of service, more than two-weeks after a new issue was found.
A new update by OC Transpo on Feb. 6 details that 20 vehicles are fixed, two more than last week. However, 61 trains are out of service, with a possible 20 that could be available on Feb. 13 by the earliest.
This remains below the 26 vehicles needed to keep people moving through peak times on Line 1.
