OC Transpo

File:OCTranspo red small.gif
Headquarters	1500 St. Laurent Blvd.
Locale	Ottawa, Ontario
Service type	bus service, paratransit, bus rapid transit, light rail
Fleet	960 buses (31 Dec. 2006)
Fuel type	Biodiesel, Diesel, Ultra-low Sulfer Diesel
Operator	City of Ottawa
Website	www.octranspo.com

OC Transpo is the urban transit service of the City of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Some OC Transpo routes also provide service to the downtown core of the nearby city of Gatineau, Quebec, mostly during rush hour.

OC Transpo currently has a fleet of 960 buses (as of December 31 2006) that run on regular streets, of which roughly 632 are fully accessible.[1] The vast majority of regular routes are now served by low-floor buses. There is also a dedicated roadway bus rapid transit system known as the Transitway.

OC Transpo utilizes many articulated buses to provide high-capacity service. Some of the routes that run on the Transitway, including the city's most-used bus routes, are served almost exclusively by articulated buses (e.g. 95 and 97).

The O-Train at Carleton University

In 2001, a pilot diesel-powered light rail service project, known as the O-Train, was introduced. The local government had announced expansion plans for the light rail to other parts of Ottawa, including a possible link to the Ottawa International Airport. Service to Gatineau would have been also be possible, over the nearby Prince of Wales railway bridge over the Ottawa River. However, on December 14, 2006, City Council led by Mayor Larry O'Brien had cancelled the north-south extension project. A new model of the project, to have a city-wide integrated light rail system, has been made and the revised project should be completed by 2037, with work beginning as early as 2008. This new project has the Transitway upgraded from dedicated bus corridors to light rail corridors, just like the initial plan in 1980.[2]

For a number of years, OC Transpo has carried bicycle racks on some routes as a part of the "Rack&Roll" campaign. These racks carry up to two bicycles at the front of the bus, and fold up against the bus when not in use. Although it started only on three routes, this service has been expanded to include routes 1, 2, 4, 7, 14, 85, 95, 96, 97, 101, 102, 118 and 180, all articulated (long) buses and several new Invero low-floor buses (in addition, bike racks do randomly end up on other routes from time to time). Traditionally, the racks have been available only between April and October, and there has been much debate over continuing the program throughout the year. However, cyclists may use the racks at any time, on any bus that is equipped with a rack (including routes that don't normally offer them), provided there is room for the cyclist in the bus.

In the past, this service won an award for being the best in North America. Although Ottawa's population has increased by 25% (from 678,000 to 850,000) in the last decade, service levels have increased 14% from 1996 to 2006 (50 million km to 57.1 million km per year[3]), and ridership has gone up 15% from 80 million riders a year to 91.8 million. [4]

There are three bus depots located throughout the city. The largest and headquarters is located at 1500 St-Laurent boulevard, with two other smaller but frequently used depots being located on Colonnade Road (Merivale Garage) and the other on Queensview Drive (Pinecrest Garage). The Queensview and Colonnade garages are usually for employees working during the rush hour and generally not used during weekends. For the latter two stations, it consists mostly of older buses although some articulated buses (in the 60xx's) can be found at Colonnade and other low-floor buses at both Colonnade (Invero's in the 42xx's) and Queensview (Orion VI).

History

1973: Formation

Transit in Ottawa was provided by the Ottawa Transportation Commission until 1973, when transit service in the city and its suburbs was transferred to the auspices of the Regional Municipality of Ottawa-Carleton. Its formal name was the Ottawa-Carleton Regional Transit Commission, but the service would be promoted in both English and French under the OC Transpo name, whose OC initials are derived from Ottawa-Carleton.

1980s: Transitway

Main article: Ottawa Rapid Transit

In the early 1980s, OC Transpo began planning for a bus rapid transit system, the Transitway. Construction of its various stations and segments followed over many years. The first segments were from Baseline to Lincoln Fields in the west-end and from Lees to Hurdman in the east end.

April 6 1999: Deadly rampage

Pierre Lebrun, a former OC Transpo employee and hunting enthusiast pulled into the transit garage located at 1500 St-Laurent boulevard and went on a shooting rampage. Word of this act had spread out to all employees and as such many of them lay huddled in terror while the event unfolded.

A sense of disbelief swept over OC Transpo employees and Ottawa-area residents alike. Transit users filed onto buses the following week and offered drivers their condolences. Others left flowers outside OC Transpo's headquarters. And police sifted through information to figure out what prompted Lebrun, a tall, lanky 40-year-old bachelor with a stutter, to show up at his former workplace with a Remington 760 .30-06 rifle - a slightly modified version of the weapon that James Earl Ray used to kill civil rights crusader Martin Luther King in 1968 - and his pockets stuffed with ammunition. "It's Judgment Day!" he shouted when he arrived. "You think it's bad now - just wait." Lebrun's mother offered one disturbing explanation: taunts by co-workers prompted, among other things, by her son's stutter drove him to seek revenge.

Lebrun's victims, all long-serving OC Transpo employees, were shipper Brian Guay, 56; stores clerk Clare Davidson, 52; and mechanics Harry Schoenmakers, 44, and David Lemay, 45. (Another employee who was shot in the side was released from hospital the following Wednesday.) But why those well-liked employees were singled out remains a mystery. "These guys were the salt of the earth," said Ozzie Morin, a veteran employee on disability leave. "Nobody hated those guys. That's why I can't understand why this happened." In his suicide note, discovered by his parents in their home in Orleans, an eastern suburb of Ottawa, just as police called to tell them of the tragedy, Lebrun mentioned four co-workers he had problems with and three that he liked. But none of his victims' names were on the list. And as he strode through the building during his rampage, Lebrun, who quit his job as an audit clerk in January after 13 years with the company, encountered more than a dozen people - but opted to shoot only some. "It's very curious as to why he selected certain individuals to kill and permitted certain people to live," said Ottawa-Carleton regional police Insp. Ian Davidson. "He could easily have killed many more people."

2001-present: New City of Ottawa

Transition to new city government

The province of Ontario ordered the amalgamation of the Regional Municipality of Ottawa-Carleton and its component municipalities into a single City of Ottawa municipality. When the new local governance took effect in 2001, OC Transpo became a department of the new city.

Following amalgamation, a bilingual replacement backronym for "OC" was sought, but no suitable candidates have been found. The now-ambiguous acronym has been kept, instead of the costly task of replacing the decals on all buses, bus stops, bus stations, and promotional material.

12 December 2005: Southwest Transitway extension

A new section of the southwest Transitway opened on December 12, 2005, between the Nepean Sportsplex and Fallowfield Station. The new section runs parallel to Woodroffe Avenue and was built at a cost of $10 million. The new section has no stations and has replaced service along Woodroffe Avenue between the Nepean Sportsplex and Fallowfield Station. There are further plans to extend the Transitway south into the heart of the ever-growing community of Barrhaven where a new station called Strandherd opened on January 2, 2007. There are also long range plans for other extensions in the Orleans and Kanata areas to keep up with more growing communities there too.

Winter Snow Snarls

A snowstorm on December 16, 2005, caused 107 OC Transpo buses to become stuck or slide off roads. Most of the problems occurred with OC Transpo's low-floor "pusher style" articulated New Flyer buses, which feature rear (trailer) drive wheels, meaning the front section of the bus is unpowered. At one intersection in Gatineau, six articulated buses either jackknifed or became stuck in the snow. The problems resulting from the 22 cm (9 inch) snowfall drew criticism across the city, as the buses snarled the commute for transit users and drivers alike. According to a city report, it was a "100-year storm" with 30 cm (12 inches) of snow. Official Environment Canada records show roughly 22 cm. However, it is possible that locally much higher amounts were reported, especially in the downtown area, closer to 30 centimetres or more.

The articulated buses were already starting to get stuck at around 6:00 a.m. when only 10 cm (4 inches) of snow had fallen. By 6:45 am, the eastbound Transitway was completely blocked at the western end of downtown (Bronson Avenue and Slater Street by an articulated bus when approximately 13 cm (5 inches) of snow had fallen. Additional eastbound articulated buses failed to navigate the snow while coming from Lebreton Flats up Slater Street into downtown, which forced the morning rush hour passengers to abandon their buses and walk down Slater to their destinations.

Approximately two years after the first snow snarl incident, several major snowstorms hit the National Capital Region, forcing OC Transpo to work with poor road conditions on several occasions. These snow snarls has brought criticism on OC Transpo and its fleet, and questionings on whether or not the fleet that OC Transpo operates is adequate for Canadian climate. During weekend snowstorms, it parked most of its articulated buses and ran several older buses.

December 14, 2006: Light Rail Expansion cancellation

During the 2006 municipal election campaign, Larry O'Brien (who would be elected as mayor) was skeptical of the project's benefits, and promised to cancel the project if elected, assuming the City's legal position did not preclude this. After multiple votes deciding the fate of the city's north-south light rail expansion project, post-election City Council decided to annul the project by a margin of 13-11 on December 14, 2006.

April 2, 2007: 39 Special Constables sworn in

On April 2, 2007 39 OC Transpo security officers were sworn in as Special Constables at Orléans Theatre, which qualifies them as official police officers (Peace Officers). These members took an intensive six-week training course developed by Algonquin College. The uniforms worn by Transit Special Constables consist of dark blue pants with a blue stripe, a light blue shirt and a blue peak cap with a blue band. The shirts have shoulder crests with the Ottawa Police emblem and the words Special Constable. They are armed with handcuffs, batons and pepper spray, although they do not carry handguns or any type of firearm.

OC Transpo routes

Main article: OC Transpo routes

OC Transpo has approximately 250 bus routes that are grouped both by their number and the colour with which they are represented on system maps and on bus stop signs.

Colours

Black: These routes generally operate 7 days/week from about 6:00a.m.-midnight Monday-Saturday, and from about 7:00a.m.-11:00p.m. on Sundays & most holidays. There are some exceptions however. If a route, or a section of a route, doesn't operate during certain time periods, it will be in stripes on the bus stop flag, and grey on here. If you see a route in orange on here, it means that it only operates during certain times, such as evenings or weekends only.
Some routes provide early morning service as early as 4:00a.m. on weekdays, and 5:00a.m. on Saturdays.
Ottawa's three major Transitway routes (95, 96, and 97) also provide early morning service on Sundays.
The cash fare on regular routes is $3.00.

Red: These routes generally operate 5 days/week from 6:00a.m.-9:00a.m., and from about 3:00p.m.-6:00p.m.
The cash fare on the red routes is $3.00.

Green: These routes generally operate 5 days/week from 6:00a.m.-9:00a.m., and from about 3:00p.m.-6:00p.m. All green routes travel towards downtown in the morning, and away from downtown in the afternoon.
Most green routes travel to suburban areas, however, some of them also travel to rural areas - these are noted on bus stop signs with an R after the bus route number.
The cash fare on the green routes is $4.00 for routes that travel to suburban areas, and $5.00 for routes that travel to rural areas.

Blue: These routes generally operate 5 days/week from about 4:00a.m.-6:00a.m. in one direction only.
Routes 824, 825, and 830 also provide Saturday service from about 5:00a.m.-7:00a.m.
The cash fare on these routes is $3.00.

Numbers

OC Transpo classes its routes according to the following numerical groups:

1-19: These are mainline or local routes that operate to, from or through downtown along major roads or in urban communities.

20-79: These are rush hour express routes from downtown to suburban areas. The 20s and 30s serve the east end, including Orleans; the 40s serve the south end; the 50s serve the west end; the 60s primarily serve Kanata and the 70s primarily serve Barrhaven.

80-89: Similar to routes 1-19, these are mainline routes that operate through downtown along major roads, spending more time on the Transitway. (82 and 88 are rush hour only and 84 only goes downtown at rush hour)

90-99: These are rapid transit routes that go downtown, spending most of the time on the Transitway. Routes 94, 95, 96 and 97 are the core of the entire system.

100-109: For the most part, these routes are peak-only routes (except 101) that provide service between a Transitway station and major employment areas. In the future, OC Transpo will be expanding their rapid transit service to have buses numbered from 100-109, which would bypass downtown. New routes 101 and 102 are the first routes to provide this new service.

110-119: These are regular routes that travel cross-town, but bypass downtown.

120-199: These are mostly local routes that usually connect residential areas or business areas to Transitway stations. (A few, such as Routes 176 and 182, are cross-town routes.) Some regular local routes continue to/from downtown during peak periods as an alternative to express service. This number range also includes a number of 'reverse commuter' routes that run in rush hour to connect major suburban employment areas to the Transitway.

200-299: Rural express routes serving areas beyond the 'Urban Transit Area'.

300-399: Special community routes (only two currently exist).

400-499: Special service to Scotiabank Place for Ottawa Senators games, and a multitude of other events.

500-599: Rural service operated by partner bus lines.

600-699: Special school routes. These routes are usually not shown on the bus stop flag except at Transitway stations, mall terminals (example: Hazeldean Mall), and on streets where there is no other bus service available.

700-799: O-Train numbered 750 internally

800-899: Early morning service. These routes are not shown on the bus stop flag, but rather by a sun indicating the presence of early morning service at the stop.

900-999: Employee shuttles for OC Transpo employees only at times and places with no service (mostly overnight).

Active fleet

• Source:[5]

Only models with at least some buses currently in service are listed, and the number in fleet is based on the number originally ordered. All GMDD models of 1982 or before (also known by many as fishbowls or New Looks) were retired by the beginning of April. In 2006 and 2007, OC Transpo evaluated a double-decker bus on the Transitway and express routes. This bus, an Alexander Dennis Enviro 500 built by British firm Alexander Dennis can carry nearly 100 passengers. The initial service demonstration ran from June 28 to July 12, 2006, with a further demonstration under winter conditions in February 2007. The city has since announced a tender for the purchase of several such double-decker buses.

The OC Transpo fleet numbering scheme changed in 1999. Prior to 1999, the two last digits of the year of purchase were the first two digits of the fleet number. The scheme was changed because OC Transpo ordered 140 Orion 06.501, and also because buses purchased in 2000 would have been in the 0000 series, which was not favoured by their computer system. The new numbering scheme starts with 2, 3, 4 or 6 (for the length of the bus), followed by a three-digit consecutive fleet number.

Model	Year	Bus Numbers	No. In Fleet*	Notes
Ford E450	2005	2601	1	This Minibus was bought as a pilot project. OC Transpo was planning to buy many more to go to Vars and Navan. It is now used on low-ridership routes, most notably route 123
Orion 06.501	1999-2000	4001-4140	140	4140 4139 and 4010 Received bike racks for one season only. Used mostly in low-ridership routes
New Flyer D40i "Invero"	2003	4201-4202	2	First Inveros bought. 4201 was sent ahead as a demo.
New Flyer D40i "Invero"	2004	4203-4273	71	On September 20th 2005, the 4200 and 4300 Series buses had been governed to 50 km/h because of steering problems caused during high speeds. According to Transport 2000 "several bus drivers reported that the front end of the bus vibrates when driven at more than 60 km/h." An Operations and Safety Memorandum claims that on Friday, 21 October 2005, steering dampers where to be installed on one hundred and nine Invero buses and that the governers where to be raised to 100 km/h on buses 4201 to 4227 (except 4205), resolving the problems.
New Flyer D40i "Invero"	2005-2006	4274-4439	166	4299-4355 have bike racks from April to October. All Invero buses have Thermo King A/C.
New Flyer D40i "Invero"	2007	4440-4526	87	4444 was used for Ottawa's Santa Claus Parade in November. All entered service as of October 2007.
New Flyer D60LF	2001-2002	6001-6178	177	Articulated, 6101 skipped (historic bus). They have Thermo King A/C on the roof. The D60LF buses have had a number of problems with overheated brakes and engines, resulting in fires on buses 6017, 6117 and 6159. All articulated buses are equipped with bike racks from April to October.
New Flyer D60LF	2003-2004	6301-6350	50	Articulated, ultra-low sulphur diesel. Some suffered over-heating problems during the summer of 2006.
New Flyer D60LF	2008	6351-6398	48*	Future order
GMDD TC40-102N	1987	8765-8799	35*	Gradually being retired, oldest buses remaining in the fleet. 8785 was sold to the Société de transport de l'Outaouais (STO)
MCI TC40-102N	1988-1989	8901-8960	60*	Gradually being retired. These buses still contain roll signs. Many of these buses have lots of rust near the window frames, the headlights and the ad signs on the side of the buses - especially buses painted in the original scheme. Several of these buses have been repainted in the maple leaf scheme and that show little signs of rust.
New Flyer D40HF	1989-1990	9001-9055	55*	Gradually being retired. 9054 was completely rebuilt after major accident. 9026-9050 has roll signs and 9001-9025 have green luminator on its signs
MCI TC40-102A	1991	9101-9125	25	9110-9119 were former sightseeing buses. All of these buses still have roll signs
New Flyer D40HF	1992	9201-9227	27*	Gradually being retired. 9211-9227 have green luminators and 9201-9210 have Balios signs. They also have Sutrak A/C units but these were disconnected in the mid 1990s.
NovaBus TC40-102A	1993	9301-9330	30*	9302 retired due to collision with a fuel tanker truck. 9307, 9309, 9311, 9314, 9315 and 9316 were leased to Société de transport de Laval but most have returned after the opening of the Montreal Metro's Orange Line extension to Laval. Theses buses have inoperative Sutrak A/C units on the roof.
OBI Orion 05.501	1998	9701-9720	20	First new buses purchased since 1993
NovaBus LFS	1997	9721-9740	20	First low-floor buses, but the only LF order from NovaBus. Equipped with A/C - now inoperative.
OBI Orion 05.501	1998-1999	9801-9885	85	Last fleet order of high-floor buses. (The Province of Ontario has declared that all urban transit buses should be wheelchair-accessible by 2012, curtailing purchases of high-floored buses.)
Bombardier Talent BR643	2000	C1-C3	3	O-Train vehicle

denotes wheelchair accessibility

Retired fleet

• This is a list of retired GM and Orion Bus Industries bus fleets.

Fares

All fares are effective as of July 1, 2007.

OC Transpo has 3 levels of fares for its buses:

• Regular fare ($3.00, or 2 tickets)
• Express fare ($4.00, or 3 tickets)
• Rural fare ($5.00, or 4 tickets)

Children 6 to 11 can ride for $1.50, or 1 ticket, and children age 5 and under ride free.

Tickets must be pre-purchased, and are available at outlets throughout Ottawa.
Tickets are $0.95 each, but must be purchased in multiples of two.

The former pilot project, which provided free conventional service for anyone with a wheelchair, mobility scooter, or walker, was terminated March 1 2006. It has been replaced with a new one-year pilot project known as the 'Community Pass', which is only available to recipients of the Ontario Disability Support Payment (ODSP) at a cost of $29.00 per month.

O-Train tickets are $2.25 each, and are valid for 120 minutes after purchase. These tickets can be exchanged for 90-minute transfers when boarding regular-fare buses. These tickets are sold at O-Train stations for convenience. Monthly passes, day passes and valid transfers are also permitted as fares for the O-Train, but cash and tickets are not.

Day passes are $7.25 if purchased on the bus, and $6.50 if pre-purchased.

Passes are as follows:

• Regular Adult Annual: $788.40
• Express Adult Annual: $972.00
• Regular Adult Monthly: $73.00
• Express Adult Monthly: $90.00
• Adult Rural Monthly: $114.00
• Regular Student Monthly: $59.75
• Express Student Monthly: $70.00
• Rural Student Monthly: $91.00
• Regular Student Semester (post-secondary students only): $221.50
• Express Student Semester (post-secondary students only): $259.00
• Regular Student Annual: $573.60
• Express Student Annual: $672.00
• Senior 65+ Monthly: $29.00
• Community Pass (for recipients of Ontario Disability Support Payments): $29.00
• Annual Pass Protection Plan (to protect Annual passes from loss or theft): $23.00

To use any of the above passes, the passenger must also have a valid OC Transpo photo ID, which is available for $7.25 for adults and seniors(65+), and $5.25 for students.

Ecopasses are reduced-rate monthly passes that are available through participating employers in the city, which provide OC Transpo riders with single-card indefinite passes in exchange for a flat bi-weekly, semi-monthly or monthly payroll deduction. Members of the Ottawa car-sharing company Vrtucar may also apply for Ecopasses.

Transfers are given to passengers upon boarding and are valid for minimum 90 minutes in any direction, with stopovers allowed.

As of the 1 December 2005 fare increase, OC Transpo had the highest basic cash bus fares of any major transit service in Canada. This fare was matched by STO, the transit operator across the Ottawa River in Gatineau, Quebec on 1 January 2006.

Starting July 2008, fares will be increased by 7.5% because of a shortage in fundings for the City of Ottawa. This fare hike is supposed to be in effect until 2010. This would mean Ottawa Residents will see regular adult passes go from $73 a month to $81 and adult express passes go from $90 to $101 a month. However, cash fares will remain the same.[6]

Para Transpo

Para Transpo is an accessible paratransit service available to Ottawa patrons who find it extremely difficult or impossible to use the conventional OC Transpo routes. Service is provided directly to the residences of eligible users who book trip appointments with a call centre at least one day in advance. Para Transpo drivers will provide some assistance to passengers to board designated vehicle and to access building entrances.[7]

Para Transpo operations were contracted to First Bus Canada, previously operated by Laidlaw. On January 1, 2008, the City of Ottawa assumed complete control of this service. [8]

Advertising

Advertising on OC Transpo buses is contracted to Pattison Outdoor Advertising.
Advertising on bus shelters is contracted to Clear Channel Outdoor.

Amalgamated Transit Union - Local 279

The Amalgamated Transit Union, Local 279 is the OC Transpo employee's union consisting of over 1700 members consisting of Bus Operators as well as other staffing positions within the company including mechanics located at various garage depots throughout the city.

Gallery of bus models

• 
  GMDD T6H-5307N
  #8105 (1981)
• 
  New Flyer D40HF
  #9044 (1990)
• 
  New Flyer D60LF
  #6036 (2001)
• 
  New Flyer D60LF
  #6136 (2002)
• 
  New Flyer Invero
  #4254 (2004)
• 
  New Flyer Invero
  #4285 (2005)
• 
  NovaBus LFS
  #9736 (1997)
• 
  Orion V
  #9257 (1992)
• 
  Orion V
  #9819 (1998)
• 
  Orion VI
  #4067 (1999)

See also

• Ottawa Rapid Transit
• Société de transport de l'Outaouais (STO) in Gatineau, Québec

External links

• OC Transpo Website
• OC Transpo Massacre
• Drawings and photos of Ottawa Transit buses