The interim leader of Ottawa's public transit service has formally apologized to riders following a significant spike in bus cancellations and extended wait times that have frustrated commuters across the city.
Root Causes: Aging Fleet and Maintenance Challenges
In a memo to Mayor Mark Sutcliffe and city council on Friday, January 10, 2026, Troy Charter, the interim general manager for OC Transpo, pinpointed the core reasons for the unreliable service. He stated that a rising number of buses needing repairs, combined with difficulties in hiring mechanics, has severely impacted the availability of vehicles. Charter emphasized that the agency's aging bus fleet is a central factor in the problem.
Additional pressures contributing to the delays include ongoing supply-chain issues affecting the delivery of new electric buses, general traffic congestion, and the harsh winter weather conditions typical of an Ottawa January. "This does not meet our service standards, and we feel for our customers at this time," Charter wrote, acknowledging the widespread inconvenience.
A Multi-Million Dollar Response Plan
To address the crisis, Charter outlined that providing reliable service is OC Transpo's top priority. The transit service's budget has seen a substantial increase, rising to $938.7 million this year. This represents an increase of approximately $300 million compared to the 2021 spending levels. The budget hike was funded through an 8% rise in the transit levy and a 2.5% increase in fares.
Of that total funding, around $433 million is earmarked for measures aimed at improving service reliability. Charter detailed that this investment will support:
- Software updates to enhance bus fleet maintenance management.
- Upgrades to communication systems for better coordination.
- Improvements to the scheduling and control systems on the buses themselves.
- Road configuration and traffic signal adjustments at key, yet unspecified, locations.
Short-Term Mitigation and Long-Term Goals
While long-term fixes are implemented, OC Transpo's Transit Operations Control Centre is actively monitoring the network in real-time to make adjustments, aiming to minimize service gaps. Charter also presented a multi-phase action plan focused on fleet availability.
The short-term strategy involves prioritizing critical fleet repairs and essential trips, while also accelerating preventative maintenance to return buses to service more quickly. "Sustainable improvements to service delivery and reliability require consistent investment in transit," Charter concluded in his memo, signaling that the path to a dependable system is a continued financial commitment.
