1st workday without downtown buses starts as a mixed bag

Commuters in Ottawa came face-to-face with the city's self-describedbiggest-ever OC Transpo service change on Monday morning, as parallel bus service ended and riders shifted from downtown buses to the Confederation Line.

Riders have reported busiertrainswith fewer empty seats than in weeks past, when riders had the option of staying on a familiar bus route.

Some say more transfers and a long wait at suburban bus stations added time to their commutes, as the city has been telling riders to expect for months.

"It's more complicated, there are more transfers," said Sandra Kongy, who travelled downtown from Orlans.

"They should send a couple more buses in the morning, just because there was a long wait at the [Park & Ride]."

Others say they're pleased with the changes, includingGerri-Gail Stojanowski , who commutes from her home in Nepean.

"I do believe it's going to save me a lot of time, a minimum of 20 minutes," she said.

"As long as the connecting buses work well, I'll have no issues."

Mixed reaction to Ottawa's first workday without downtown buses

5 years ago

Duration 1:28

Some commuters said the switch from the bus to the LRT would save them time, while others said the new system complicates their trip.

Trains busier, but still under capacity

Considering the scale of thechanges, John Manconi, thecity's general manager of transportation services, said the morning commute went smoothly: fare gates functioned well, notrains broke down and there was a single, two-minute LRT delay at 5 a.m.

OC Transposaid it was aware of 18 cancelled busesof the couple of thousand that hit the roads Mondaymorning. The transit agencyalso heard fromsomeriders who wereleft behind at stops when packed busespassed them by.

"It's Day 1of a major bus change, so yes, we had some issues and we're looking into every single one of those," Manconi told reporters at a 1 p.m. briefing.

The trains were their busiest yet, as was expected, but they still weren't at capacity, Manconi added.

"I know that seems tight for some of the customers. It's a new experience for them, but that's what mass transit is about."

Each two-vehicle train can carry 600 passengerswith 240seatedand 360standing, or the equivalent of eight articulated buses.

Manconi said the 13 trains are "handling the volume," but OC Transpo could someday add a 14th if ridership rises.

LRT serves downtown core

The Confederation Line made its debut on Sept. 14, though buses coming from the city's suburbscontinued into the downtown coreuntil Oct. 6.

That three-week transition period has now come to an end, with more than 25 bus routes some of which have become city icons renumbered and taking passengers only as far as Tunney's Pasture andBlair stations.

In total, more than 100 bus routes have changed.

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Residents will notice a big decrease in bus frequency downtown, where the number of buses travelling along Scott, Slater and Albert streets will go from more than 150 per hour to fewer than eight per hour, according to OC Transpo.