OC Transpo

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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.

OC Transpo currently has a fleet of 967 buses (as of June 7, 2006) that run on regular streets, of which roughly 625 are fully accessible. 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 utilises 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 (ex. 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.

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 6% from 1996 to 2006 (50 million km to 53.2 million km per year), and ridership has gone up 12% from 80 million riders a year to 89.6 million. [1] [2]

There are three bus depots located throughout the city. The largest and headquarters is located at 1500 St-Laurent boulevard, two other smaller but frequently used depots are 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).

[edit] History

[edit] 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.

[edit] 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.

[edit] 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."

[edit] 2001-present: New City of Ottawa

[edit] 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.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] 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.

[edit] 16 December 2005: Snow snarl

Image:Ottawa winter busing.jpg

OC Transpo buses struggle in unplowed streets after the December 2005 storm. This image shows several buses that were stuck at an intersection in downtown Gatineau, Quebec.

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.

[edit] 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^{[citation needed]}. 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.

[edit] OC Transpo routes

Main article: OC Transpo routes

OC Transpo has approximately 250 bus routes that are grouped both by a colour and their number.

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 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.
Note: Route 182 also provides special evening and weekend service between the new Dell call centre on Solandt Road in Kanata and Bayshore Transitway Station.

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.
The 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 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 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 crosstown, 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 crosstown routes.) Some regular local routes continue to/from downtown during peak periods as an alternative to express service.

200-299: Rural express routes.

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

400-499: Special service to Scotiabank Place (arena).

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).

[edit] Active fleet

Source:[3]

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) will be retired by the end of this year. Recent, OC Transpo had tested a double-decker bus on the Transitway and local streets. This bus is called the Alexander Dennis Enviro 500 and can carry close to 100 passengers which is generally a lot more than most other buses with the exception of the articulated buses (6001-6178 and 6301-6350). The test was over on July 12 and another test will be conducted in February 2007. Depending on the comments suggestions and observations double-decker buses can possibly be added to the fleet although there have been concerns about the height of the bus which is close to the height of overpasses which can pose a risk of roofs hitting structures. However, during the testing on the Transitway, the bus did clear all overpasses and traffic lights. Also, the ceiling on the upper floor of the bus only accommodates passengers at a limited height.

The OC Transpo 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	Used mostly in low-ridership routes
New Flyer D40i "Invero"	2004	4201-4273	73	Previously had steering problems as in high speeds the steering tended to vibrate a lot (problem has since been fixed)
New Flyer D40i "Invero"	2005-2006	4274-4439	166	4300-4355 have bike racks from April to October. All Invero buses have Thermo King A/C.
New Flyer D40i "Invero"	2006	4440-4526	87*	Gradually entering service. 4440-4503 have already arrived at the St. Laurent Boulevard garage. 4444 was used for Ottawa's Santa Claus Parade in November. Buses from 4440 to 4481 have entered service.
New Flyer D60LF	2000-2002	6001-6178	177	Articulated, 6101 skipped (historic bus). They have Thermo King A/C on the roof. Also theses buses have a history of brakes and overheated engine problems, which caused fires (notably 6017, 6117 and 6159). During the December Snow Storm of 2005, several articulated buses jack-knifed due to slippery conditions and unbalanced weight (front part can easily lose control on slick conditions. 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. They have had a history of over-heating problems during the summer of 2006.
GMDD T6H-5307N	1980	8001-8012	12*	Most retired (only 8008 and 8009 in service).
GMDD T6H-5307N	1981	8101-8122	22*	Most retired.
GMDD T6H-5307N	1982	8231-8240	10*	Most retired.
GMDD TC40-102N	1985	8541-8555	15*	Most retired. 8545 was sold to the Société de transport de l'Outaouais (STO)
GMDD TC40-102N	1987	8765-8799	35*	Gradually being retired. 8785 was sold to the Société de transport de l'Outaouais (STO)
MCI TC40-102N	1988-1989	8901-8960	60*	Several retired, most others being rebuilt. These buses still contains 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	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
OBI Orion 05.501	1990-1991	9126-9150	25*	Most retired due to extensive corrosion and high-mileage (unclear if any still active, 9126 last running)
New Flyer D40HF	1992	9201-9227	27	9211-9227 have green luminators and 9201-9210 have Balios signs. They also had Sutrak A/C but were disconnecting in the mid 1990s
OBI Orion 05.501	1992	9231-9258	28*	Most retired due to extensive corrosion and high-mileage. Has Sutrak A/C but was disconnected. 9235 had its A/C removed from the roof after an accident.
NovaBus TC40-102A	1993	9301-9330	30*	9302 was recently retired due to accident with a fuel tanker truck. 9307, 9309, 9311, 9314, 9315 and 9316 were leased to Société de transport de Laval. Theses buses have Sutrak A/C on the roof but was disconnected.
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.
OBI Orion 05.501	1998-1999	9801-9885	85	Last fleet order of high-floor buses - All buses should be wheelchair-accessible in 2012 (Ontario only)
Bombardier Talent BR643	2000	C1-C3	3	O-Train vehicle

denotes wheelchair accessibility

[edit] Retired fleet

Source:[4]

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

[edit] GM Buses

Model	Year	Bus Numbers	No. In Fleet*	Notes
GMDD TDH-5301	1961	6101-6112	12	6101 was preserved to its historical fleet
GMDD TDH-5301	1962	6221-6230	10
GMDD TDH-5303	1963	6331-6340	10
GMDD TDH-5303	1964	6441-6452	12
GMDD TDH-5303	1965	6561-6573	13
GMDD TDH-5303	1966	6674-6697	24
GMDD TDH-5303	1967	6701-6726	26
GMDD T6H-5305	1968	6831-6850	20
GMDD T6H-5305	1969	6961-6990	30
GMDD T6H-5305	1970	7001-7020	20
GMDD T6H-5305	1971	7121-7140	20
GMDD T6H-5307N	1972-1973	7241-7290	50
GMDD T6H-5307N	1972-1973	7301-7320 & 7331-7357	47
GMDD T6H-5307N	1974	7401-7460	60
GMDD T6H-5307N	1975	5701-5769	69	The first two numbers were switched from the year the buses were built, due to heavy demand for buses for that year.
GMDD T6H-5307N	1975	7501-7545 & 7551-7570	65	Retired by 2003
GMDD T6H-5307N	1976	7601-7653	53	Retired in 2003-2004
GMDD T6H-5307N	1977	7701-7765	65	Retired in 2004-2005. 7742 and 7757 were sold to the STO.
GMDD T6H-5307N	1978	7801-7858	58	Fully retired in 2006
GMDD T6H-5307N	1979	7901-7930	30	7926 returned to service in September after being temporarily retired in mid-August, finally being put to rest early in 2007. Last series equipped a single rear exit door
GMDD TA60-102N	1982	8201-8221	21	First articulated buses purchased, some of them from the Hamilton Transit Company. One briefly returned to service in 1999, renumbered 8222.
GMDD TC40-102N	1984	8401-8425	25	Retired in 2004-2005. 8413 was sold to the STO.
GMC T6H-4523A	1973	1751-1755	5	Purchased from Santa Monica Transit in 1995 and quickly sold.
GMC T8H-5307A	1973	1756-1770	15	Purchased from Santa Monica Transit in 1995. Only 12 actually entered service. Retired in 2003.

[edit] Orion Bus Industries

Model	Year	Bus Numbers	No. In Fleet*	Notes
OBI 01.501	1978	8801-8832	32
OBI 01.501	1982	8231-8266	36
OBI 01.501	1983	8371-8392	22
OBI 03.501	1985-1986	8501-8533	33	First Orion-Ikarus articulated buses (a rebadged Crown Ikarus 286). 8501 is preserved to its historical fleet and parts of 8529 are used to refurbish 8501.
OBI 03.501	1987	8601-8655	55	Some buses were equipped with powertrains prior to retirement in 2003-2004
OBI 03.501	1987	8719-8764	46
OBI 03.501	1988	8842-8870	29
OBI 03.501	1988-1989	8875-8899	25	Purchased from the Toronto Transit Commission in 1997-1998.

[edit] Fares

(All fares as of December 1, 2005)

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 current pilot project, which provides free conventional service for anyone with a wheelchair, mobility scooter, or walker, ends 1 March 2006. It is being replaced with a new one-year pilot project which will introduce a 'Community Pass' available only to recipients of the Ontario Disability Support Payment (ODSP) at a cost of $28.25 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: $769.50
Express Adult Annual: $939.60
Regular adult monthly: $71.25
Express adult monthly: $87.00
Adult rural monthly: $110.50
Regular student monthly: $58.25
Express student monthly: $67.75
Rural student monthly: $88.50
Student (post-sec. only) Semester Regular: $209.75 (January - April)
Student (post-sec. only) Semester Express: $244.00 (January - April)
Regular student annual: $559.00
Express student annual: $650.00
Senior 65+ monthly: $28.25
Community Pass (for recipients of Ontario Disability Support Payments): $28.25 - This pass replaced the current policy of free service for the disabled on March 1, 2006.
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 $7.00 for adults and seniors(65+), and $5.00 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.

[edit] 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.[5]

Para Transpo operations are currently contracted to First Bus Canada. Previously, the service was operated by Laidlaw. [6]PDF (93.8 KiB)

[edit] Advertising

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

[edit] 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.