OC Transpo names new general manager amidst reliability crisis

Rick Leary has been named the new general manager of OC Transpo amidst what Mayor Mark Sutcliffe says is an “incredibly difficult” time for the city’s transit fleet.

Leary, the former CEO of the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC), began his career as a transit operator in Boston but has since worked on transit systems across North America. His tenure at the TTC began in 2017, and he held that post until his resignation in 2024.

“(Leary) knows what it’s like to be on the front lines of a transit system,” Mayor Sutcliffe told reporters Friday, adding he brings “strong, experienced leadership” to Ottawa.

He began his first day on the job by starting his assessment of Line 1, with the goal of restoring full service.

He said his primary goal is “delivering safe and reliable service and creating a positive environment for our riders”, and that Ottawans “need a transit system they can depend on.”

Fleet reliability crisis top priority

Mayor Sutcliffe said the reliability of the transit system is currently very frustrating.

“This is absolutely not the level of service that we want to offer to our residents,” he added.

Line 1 has been operating with single instead of double trains since a problem was discovered with the cartridge bearing assemblies on the train vehicles in January. The issues forced the agency to pull all trains with mileage higher than 100,000 kilometres from its fleet, leading to capacity issues.

The infamous light rail transit system is continuing to operate at a three to four minute frequency with 21 trains below the 100,000 kilometre threshold.

“The number of vehicles in service has fluctuated this week, and at times customers may have experienced longer wait times and some crowding on trains as a result,” OC Transpo said in a updated memo to council dated Mar. 27.

The agency is also working to increase the reliability of its bus fleet. Mayor Sutcliffe said an aging diesel fleet is contributing to higher-than-normal undelivered trips.

The average weekly undelivered bus service for the week of Mar. 27 was 1.6 per cent, 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.

On average, 514 buses were available every weekday, with the average temporary weekday requirement sitting at 500.

Mayor Sutcliffe said the city is working hard to add electric buses to its fleet to help ease the capacity problem.

Six additional electric buses were added to the fleet last week bringing the total number of zero-emission vehicles to 78.