What you need to know about OC Transpo's bus route overhaul

It's been more than four months since OC Transpo announced it's planning to overhaul its bus routes and now customers have a few more details about changes to their commutes.

Last week, the transit service launched its new campaign dubbed "New Ways to Bus" to help riders prepare for major changes when the expanded north-south Trillium Line trains return later in spring or summer.

OC Transpo has called it a "route optimization" and said the sweeping changes will drop about 74,000 service hours per year, or 3.5 per cent of current network service levels.

Ridership fell short of recent targets and has consistently trailed the pandemic recovery of other Canadian cities, contributing to a budget gap.

OC Transpo's general manager Renée Amilcar told the city's transit commission the overhaul was not about "cost-cutting," but rather "the responsible decision" by a steward of taxpayers' dollars.

The city hired third-party consultant Dillon Consulting to study, review and propose changes to the network.

What are the changes? 

The overhaul coming this year is the biggest since a review in 2011 that prompted thousands of customer complaints.

According to the New Ways to Bus website, "every neighbourhood and most customers will see changes to their trip."

There will be more frequent service on some routes and 58 local routes designed to deliver riders to neighbourhood destinations and busy transit hubs.

There will also be 17 fast, peak-period connections to the O-Train.

Some people will have to travel farther to get to bus stops and in some cases, transfer more frequently to connecting buses or trains, OC Transpo said.

Some routes will be axed completely due to low ridership, but the transit service says alternatives will be available nearby.

"A lot of the new routes try to capture the common denominator," explained Barrhaven East Coun. Wilson Lo, who said the changes will mean less focus on connecting to downtown and more emphasis on bridging local travel.

Coun. Wilson Lo says OC Transpo is responding to ridership changes. (Stu Mills/CBC)

"I completely understand the cynicism and unease that comes with any major change," he said.

"I believe this is our last chance to truly recover OC Transpo's reputation."

Which routes are affected?

OC Transpo said at this time, it's not planning to change 300-series shopper routes, 400-series event routes, 600-series school routes or nighttime routes, but urges customers to keep checking its website for any updates.

Since most routes will see some change — from extensions to timing to replacements — the city has listed 27 routes that will remain unchanged: 6, 14, 19, 21, 23, 26, 38, 42, 44, 45, 47, 51, 56, 57, 67, 84, 87, 90, 98, 139, 158, 221, 222, 228, 237, 262 and 277.

Several 200-series routes will be cancelled. Some transit riders told CBC News in the fall they felt betrayed by that decision.

Most bus routes will be impacted in the network overhaul coming this year. Routes 270, 271, 272, 273 and 278 listed on this bus sign will be cancelled. (Stu Mills/CBC)

OC Transpo's website breaks down the changes by route number, so customers can see how their individual travel patterns will change.

"So feeder buses to the train — the old express routes, the old connection routes — that's where people are going to see the greatest reduction," said Pat Scrimgeour, director of transit customer systems and planning with OC Transpo.

"We're responding to travel patterns that people are making now."

When will the changes begin? 

It's not clear exactly when transit riders will start seeing their bus routes change.

The Trillium Line has been delayed a few times and no firm deadline was given during last month's progress update.

Transit staff at the time suggested the Trillium Line may open between July and September.

"We'll open the system when we'll be ready, but for now I'm confident that it will be this spring," Amilcar said in response to a question last week.

At one time, a smaller line was supposed to be open in the fall of 2021. The target was September 2022 by the time construction began.

Scrimgeour said more information will emerge in the coming weeks and months, including specific schedules and dates.

"We can't say yet what those dates are," he told CBC on Monday.