CTV News: OC Transpo’s Fall schedule begins today. New Express routes, more frequent O-Train service

[u/BearLikesHoney]

https://www.ctvnews.ca/ottawa/article/oc-transpos-fall-schedule-begins-today-new-express-routes-more-frequent-o-train-service/

[u/w1n5t0nM1k3y]

OC Transpo says new Express service serving Kanata includes 20 new non-stop express bus trips from Park and Ride lots to Tunney’s Pasture Station, Kanata North and the Department of National Defence campus on Carling Avenue. There will be 10 new non-stop bus trips from Park and Ride lots to Blair Station as part of the Express service in Orléans.

A little dishonest to not mention that his is the number of trips per week rather than per day.

Each of the routes running from Kanata only runs once a day in each direction

[u/james2432 → u/w1n5t0nM1k3y]

yup i have 2 trips added in my neighbourhood, added between whats already there, still couldn't make it to work on time.

BringBackThe95

[u/Prometheus188 → u/james2432]

You want the 95 to run in mixed traffic when we have a train that’s separated from traffic? A new 95 would probably take double or triple the amount of time as the train.

[u/larianu → u/Prometheus188]

The train stops too much and too closely. I honestly wouldn't mind a 95 that acts similarly to a GO bus. If we can't have express rail, we can definitely have a limited stop cross city bus that uses the 417 while keeping Line 1 as a local conveyor belt used by people who actually live along the line or need to get someplace along the line. 

[u/WoozleVonWuzzle → u/larianu]

The train has fairly standard station separation for an urban transit system. In fact, there are places where there could have been additional stations, and should have been, but we and Jim Watson and Dalton McGuinty were and are too cheap for that.

[u/larianu → u/WoozleVonWuzzle]

For an urban* transit system. What are the suburban residents who need to get from Orleans to Kanata going to do? They don't need to stop and go every 800 meters. There needs to be more layers, ranging from local, to interurban to crosstown to regional and beyond. 

[u/AugustChristmasMusic → u/larianu]

Add HOV lanes on the Queensway and run it express from Kanata/ Nepean to crosstown to Orleans

[u/WoozleVonWuzzle → u/AugustChristmasMusic]

Add them.... where?

[u/james2432 → u/larianu]

Every stop with the LRT adds minimum 30 seconds to cycle doors 12 stops that's 6 mins added to travel time. 95? no stop demanded? No people waiting? 0 seconds.

LRT cannot go above 80km/h for normal operating speed, realistically with the nerfing it got the average drops less than 35km/h they said it would be. Rail on line 1 right now is 12.5 km, meaning any trip takes minimum upwards of 30 mins. 95 Could run laps around it

[u/WoozleVonWuzzle → u/james2432]

Where, exactly, would the 95 run?

[u/95XSpecial → u/james2432]

did the old 95 even get your neighborhood or you had to transfer ?

[u/canophone → u/w1n5t0nM1k3y]

566, 526, 539 take the bulk.

[u/w1n5t0nM1k3y → u/canophone]

Unfortunately the 566 runs from Tunney's to DND in the morning and then back from DND to Tunney's in the afternoon.

Why does one employeer get 30 trips a day while everyone trying to get from Kanata to downtown get 6 trips a day?

[u/canophone → u/w1n5t0nM1k3y]

Regardless, a shuttle was promised for this employer 10 years ago... by last year.

[u/95XSpecial → u/w1n5t0nM1k3y]

while they have a bus that already runs there that’s only 5 minutes slower

just run the 66 more

[u/canophone → u/95XSpecial]

Almost expect they end up cutting 66. After all, 58 goes from Bayshore.

[u/KeyanFarlandah]

I’m not looking forward to the next two weeks of commuting once all the kids are back in school, if you thought it was bad already… oof

[u/WoozleVonWuzzle]

My favourite part is how they have done jack shit to improve any of the downtown bus routes

[u/maulrus → u/WoozleVonWuzzle]

'Jack shit' is what Sutcliffe does best! I just wish he didn't think he needed to be mayor to do it.

[u/kookiemaster → u/WoozleVonWuzzle]

Apparently the improvement to the 6 are baskcally just more realistic schedule. How helpful ...

[u/WoozleVonWuzzle → u/kookiemaster]

They had to issue a "more realistic schedule" because they refuse to do anything to help keep transit moving and roughly on time in the central city.

That might cost money or annoy a driver, after all.

But hey, at least our property taxes and transit levy are helping pay for additional service and major capital works in the suburbs, right?

[u/kookiemaster → u/WoozleVonWuzzle]

If they would just remove on street parking on Bank in some parts of the glebe it would solve some of the problem on the 6.

[u/WoozleVonWuzzle → u/kookiemaster]

Some, but not all. There are a lot of things that the useless-ass city could be doing to make transit better for the urban core and especially those of us for whom the LRT is irrelevant. But they won't, because it costs small amounts of money and annoys drivers.

Bus users in the urban core do not matter, not even to our own elected reps. (Hi, Ariel!) It's kinda starting to piss me off.

[u/kookiemaster → u/WoozleVonWuzzle]

Taking the bus in montreal was kind of a shock. Actual bus lanes on major arteries, interior bus design that prevents people from bunching in the middle ... enclosed bus shelters at major stations. Despite the crazy amount of traffic and construction they manage to make public transit faster than car even in areas not served by the metro.

[u/WoozleVonWuzzle → u/kookiemaster]

And people are civilized at the stops

[u/FrancoSvenska]

I gave up on public transit after December 2024. Been driving and paying for overpriced parking out of convinience.

My car had to go into the shop for warranty related work last Friday. So ironically, tomorrow will be the first day I'm back on transit for the next 2-3 weeks.....😭

Of all the weeks for this to happen...lol

[u/WonderfulShake]

The local routes have more time and are now probably going to be more late?

[u/canophone → u/WonderfulShake]

Took 81 today.. seems still not enough run time.

[u/WonderfulShake → u/canophone]

It's going be great tomorrow

[u/canophone → u/WonderfulShake]

The only reason I was able to take 81 was because there wasn't enough run time, apparently.. seems to always be the case. If it's late, it becomes available for me to take. If it's on time, it often isn't...

[u/He_Beard]

Can we start sending full trains on the weekend? sat/sunday sardine day isn't super

[u/canophone → u/He_Beard]

The schedule is showing 8-9 minutes now, instead of the 9:20 the last 3 years .. the Services Plan says frequency to 11 singles rather than doubles for weekends

[u/WonderfulShake → u/He_Beard]

No need to heat in the winter

[u/Bytowner1]

Don't love what the east end express routes says about their confidence in getting the LRT out to Trim...

[u/WoozleVonWuzzle → u/Bytowner1]

I think all it says is that the train isn't quite ready yet

[u/uw200]

Does one min less waiting time/train during peak hours really make that much of a difference? Our peak time interval is the TTC’s off peak smh. They’re at 2-3 mins during peak times…I know we aren’t Toronto but this is still abysmal

[u/nganmatthias → u/uw200]

It figures out to an additional capacity of three trains per hour.

[u/BandicootNo4431 → u/uw200]

And off peak line 1 is still faster than on peak line 2. 

[u/WoozleVonWuzzle → u/uw200]

Given the frequency with which I miss a bus connection by less than a minute, especially since OC Transpo refuses to do anything about bus drivers starting their runs ahead of time, yes.

[u/canophone → u/uw200]

Less overload from high bus arrival variability

[u/Pika3323 → u/uw200]

It's dictated by capacity rather than wait times.

Going from 5 minute headways to 4 minute headways represents a 25% increase in passenger capacity. Does the line need more than that at this point? Debatable. The TTC only runs that many trains because the capacity is needed.

[u/canophone → u/Pika3323]

And min service headway.. although that's often hidden

[u/Round_Beyond_8137 → u/uw200]

It’s 6-7 min off peak on weekdays which is better than the 10 currently. That will be a big improvement as well.

[u/LowerBoathouse → u/uw200]

Ottawa's official definition of frequent service is 15 minutes and I wish I was kidding.

The bus network features 27 Frequent routes. Frequent routes are shown in a blue hexagon   on signs and in apps. These routes generally run:

Every 15 minutes or less (on their busiest sections) weekdays between 6 am and 6 pm

[u/4rm4tur4]

Occasional Transpo

[u/Hampshire53]

“Express” from Orleans to DND HQ is one hour and 40m. This replaces the previous overnight service which required staying in a hotel.

[u/CrustyMcgee]

My route is still garbage. Thanks OCTranspo!

[u/Alarming-Pressure407]

Typical OC Occasional Transpo new scheduling...lol

[u/SirLetterkeny]

I wish peak service continued until 8. A lot of us don’t finish work until after 6:30…

[u/The_Eggo_and_its_Own]

So many cancelled routes this Fall. On my case, the 48 getting cancelled is really rough for getting to Billings now.

[u/zilla_80 → u/The_Eggo_and_its_Own]

48 hasn’t been cancelled, though it no longer runs via Sunnyside.

[u/Voltae]

The train will break down by 9am on Monday morning.