Better Transit Ottawa
@bettertransitottawa.ca
Let's make public transit in Ottawa better.
bettertransitottawa.ca
discord.gg/DxbgT6UNug
bettertransitottawa.ca
discord.gg/DxbgT6UNug
We now have a bus cancellation tracker available at bettertransitottawa.ca/tracker/canc...
This dashboard lets you view the cancellations on each route for each day and see the gaps in service that get created by each cancellation. You can also see the percentage of cancelled trips per route.
This dashboard lets you view the cancellations on each route for each day and see the gaps in service that get created by each cancellation. You can also see the percentage of cancelled trips per route.
January 23, 2026 at 5:12 PM
We now have a bus cancellation tracker available at bettertransitottawa.ca/tracker/canc...
This dashboard lets you view the cancellations on each route for each day and see the gaps in service that get created by each cancellation. You can also see the percentage of cancelled trips per route.
This dashboard lets you view the cancellations on each route for each day and see the gaps in service that get created by each cancellation. You can also see the percentage of cancelled trips per route.
Having sufficient buses to respond to problems with our train is essential.
Instead, because of a newly discovered issue with our trains, we are stuck dealing with both a bus shortage and a train shortage at the same time with no ability to roll out supplemental buses.
Instead, because of a newly discovered issue with our trains, we are stuck dealing with both a bus shortage and a train shortage at the same time with no ability to roll out supplemental buses.
January 22, 2026 at 6:01 PM
Having sufficient buses to respond to problems with our train is essential.
Instead, because of a newly discovered issue with our trains, we are stuck dealing with both a bus shortage and a train shortage at the same time with no ability to roll out supplemental buses.
Instead, because of a newly discovered issue with our trains, we are stuck dealing with both a bus shortage and a train shortage at the same time with no ability to roll out supplemental buses.
Reposted by Better Transit Ottawa
At pop-up hours today, Ajay Ramachandran showed me the data visualizations he's been working on using GTFS data on bus delivery. Bus by bus, scheduling block by scheduling block, Better Transit Ottawa has built an incredible tool to dig deep into trip delivery and reliability.
bettertransitottawa.ca
bettertransitottawa.ca
Better Transit Ottawa
Let's make public transit in Ottawa better
bettertransitottawa.ca
January 20, 2026 at 9:08 PM
At pop-up hours today, Ajay Ramachandran showed me the data visualizations he's been working on using GTFS data on bus delivery. Bus by bus, scheduling block by scheduling block, Better Transit Ottawa has built an incredible tool to dig deep into trip delivery and reliability.
bettertransitottawa.ca
bettertransitottawa.ca
We need emergency bus lane and transit priority measures enacted on key corridors to ensure our working buses are used as efficiently as possible. We can't have our limited bus fleet standing still in traffic.
I’ve heard from many residents frustrated at the state of the bus service in #Ottawa. They are looking for answers. This needs to be treated like an emergency watermain repair. It is a critical service that can not be allowed to flounder in this way. Two immediate solutions need to be considered:
January 20, 2026 at 8:58 PM
We need emergency bus lane and transit priority measures enacted on key corridors to ensure our working buses are used as efficiently as possible. We can't have our limited bus fleet standing still in traffic.
300 high capacity buses like this one are reaching 16 years of age this year, which is past the expected lifetime of a bus. Another 40 buses will be turning 18.
We can't expect to replace them with just 50 new high capacity buses, and we can't expect shorter electric buses to replace them 1 for 1
We can't expect to replace them with just 50 new high capacity buses, and we can't expect shorter electric buses to replace them 1 for 1
January 16, 2026 at 10:55 PM
300 high capacity buses like this one are reaching 16 years of age this year, which is past the expected lifetime of a bus. Another 40 buses will be turning 18.
We can't expect to replace them with just 50 new high capacity buses, and we can't expect shorter electric buses to replace them 1 for 1
We can't expect to replace them with just 50 new high capacity buses, and we can't expect shorter electric buses to replace them 1 for 1
Last week, there were days where 41% of scheduled trips were missing from the roads
OC Transpo is now cutting some trips to be more honest, but we're still seeing a significant number of delays and cancellations — and there aren’t enough buses on order to fill the gap.
www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
OC Transpo is now cutting some trips to be more honest, but we're still seeing a significant number of delays and cancellations — and there aren’t enough buses on order to fill the gap.
www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
January 16, 2026 at 9:06 PM
Last week, there were days where 41% of scheduled trips were missing from the roads
OC Transpo is now cutting some trips to be more honest, but we're still seeing a significant number of delays and cancellations — and there aren’t enough buses on order to fill the gap.
www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
OC Transpo is now cutting some trips to be more honest, but we're still seeing a significant number of delays and cancellations — and there aren’t enough buses on order to fill the gap.
www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
Reposted by Better Transit Ottawa
Yesterday's memo on bus cancellations asserts hundreds of millions in new spending that at the end of the day has little to do with cancelled buses. Let's separate the spin from the solutions.
January 10, 2026 at 6:10 PM
Yesterday's memo on bus cancellations asserts hundreds of millions in new spending that at the end of the day has little to do with cancelled buses. Let's separate the spin from the solutions.
Reposted by Better Transit Ottawa
Great session of outreach today ahead of the charge game at Lansdowne for bus lanes on Bank!
Lots of people taking the 6 and the 7 to come support this fantastic team! Imagine if they had a reliable and efficient way to get here without having to sit in traffic or try to find parking!
Lots of people taking the 6 and the 7 to come support this fantastic team! Imagine if they had a reliable and efficient way to get here without having to sit in traffic or try to find parking!
January 3, 2026 at 6:17 PM
Great session of outreach today ahead of the charge game at Lansdowne for bus lanes on Bank!
Lots of people taking the 6 and the 7 to come support this fantastic team! Imagine if they had a reliable and efficient way to get here without having to sit in traffic or try to find parking!
Lots of people taking the 6 and the 7 to come support this fantastic team! Imagine if they had a reliable and efficient way to get here without having to sit in traffic or try to find parking!
Reposted by Better Transit Ottawa
Frequent buses, a comprehensive and dense network, and reliable service would go a long way to mitigating the need for heated shelters.
Des bus fréquents, un réseau étendu et dense, et un service fiable contribueraient grandement à atténuer le besoin d'abris chauffés.
Des bus fréquents, un réseau étendu et dense, et un service fiable contribueraient grandement à atténuer le besoin d'abris chauffés.
As OC Transpo misses targets, Ottawa riders left waiting in the cold
Could heaters be the solution to freezing riders left waiting for buses, or is there another way?
ottawacitizen.com
December 21, 2025 at 12:42 PM
Frequent buses, a comprehensive and dense network, and reliable service would go a long way to mitigating the need for heated shelters.
Des bus fréquents, un réseau étendu et dense, et un service fiable contribueraient grandement à atténuer le besoin d'abris chauffés.
Des bus fréquents, un réseau étendu et dense, et un service fiable contribueraient grandement à atténuer le besoin d'abris chauffés.
Reposted by Better Transit Ottawa
it was months and months of pushing, but line 1 is almost back to 5-minute all day frequencies.
huge shoutout to our members at BTO as well as @strongtownsottawa.ca for getting 6-minute frequency back during midday.
huge shoutout to our members at BTO as well as @strongtownsottawa.ca for getting 6-minute frequency back during midday.
Yesterday, Ottawa City Council approved the 2026 budget.
Councillors were good about pointing out the fundamental problems with our bus reliability, but they still voted in support of a budget that will not solve the bus shortage.
Our full response: bettertransitottawa.ca/blog/budget-...
Councillors were good about pointing out the fundamental problems with our bus reliability, but they still voted in support of a budget that will not solve the bus shortage.
Our full response: bettertransitottawa.ca/blog/budget-...
December 11, 2025 at 10:39 PM
it was months and months of pushing, but line 1 is almost back to 5-minute all day frequencies.
huge shoutout to our members at BTO as well as @strongtownsottawa.ca for getting 6-minute frequency back during midday.
huge shoutout to our members at BTO as well as @strongtownsottawa.ca for getting 6-minute frequency back during midday.
Yesterday, Ottawa City Council approved the 2026 budget.
Councillors were good about pointing out the fundamental problems with our bus reliability, but they still voted in support of a budget that will not solve the bus shortage.
Our full response: bettertransitottawa.ca/blog/budget-...
Councillors were good about pointing out the fundamental problems with our bus reliability, but they still voted in support of a budget that will not solve the bus shortage.
Our full response: bettertransitottawa.ca/blog/budget-...
December 11, 2025 at 8:08 PM
Yesterday, Ottawa City Council approved the 2026 budget.
Councillors were good about pointing out the fundamental problems with our bus reliability, but they still voted in support of a budget that will not solve the bus shortage.
Our full response: bettertransitottawa.ca/blog/budget-...
Councillors were good about pointing out the fundamental problems with our bus reliability, but they still voted in support of a budget that will not solve the bus shortage.
Our full response: bettertransitottawa.ca/blog/budget-...
Reposted by Better Transit Ottawa
The 53 consistently sees back-to-back cancellations around this time. Each of the screenshots below is a day further in the past
The times in the middle are service gaps between buses, and yes, there was a 2 and a half hour gap yesterday at 15:09
The trips with blank columns did not run
The times in the middle are service gaps between buses, and yes, there was a 2 and a half hour gap yesterday at 15:09
The trips with blank columns did not run
December 9, 2025 at 9:11 PM
The 53 consistently sees back-to-back cancellations around this time. Each of the screenshots below is a day further in the past
The times in the middle are service gaps between buses, and yes, there was a 2 and a half hour gap yesterday at 15:09
The trips with blank columns did not run
The times in the middle are service gaps between buses, and yes, there was a 2 and a half hour gap yesterday at 15:09
The trips with blank columns did not run
Reposted by Better Transit Ottawa
@octranspo.com can you give me an idea of why 4 scheduled buses in a row for Route 53 were canceled?
December 9, 2025 at 5:06 PM
@octranspo.com can you give me an idea of why 4 scheduled buses in a row for Route 53 were canceled?
Delaying the project to get real-time train locations in transit apps and delaying bus lane construction are not savings or efficiencies. These costs will be still paid, just later at a higher cost
Aside from those "efficiencies", how much of the $252M saved over 4 years is from deferred capital projects? In 2025 alone, there were $21.3M in deferred capital transit projects. Deferred capital projects are not savings; they are cost avoidance. We didn't save money; we postponed spending it. 6/
December 3, 2025 at 3:31 AM
Delaying the project to get real-time train locations in transit apps and delaying bus lane construction are not savings or efficiencies. These costs will be still paid, just later at a higher cost
Reposted by Better Transit Ottawa
Ummm... Hey @octranspo.com, doesn't cancelling three trips in a row on the 7 towards Carleton (the 5:38 PM, 5:53 PM, and 6:08 PM) seem like a huge problem? That leaves an hour gap between trips on a frequent route.
Not pictured is another cancellation on the 3:56 PM trip.
Not pictured is another cancellation on the 3:56 PM trip.
December 1, 2025 at 8:49 PM
Ummm... Hey @octranspo.com, doesn't cancelling three trips in a row on the 7 towards Carleton (the 5:38 PM, 5:53 PM, and 6:08 PM) seem like a huge problem? That leaves an hour gap between trips on a frequent route.
Not pictured is another cancellation on the 3:56 PM trip.
Not pictured is another cancellation on the 3:56 PM trip.
Reposted by Better Transit Ottawa
Great coverage from Elina Ellis and Nyla McEwan at Capital Current about the issues with Bank Street and why bus lanes are needed if we want any serious chance of success for Lansdowne 2.0.
It's great to see so many different groups realize we need bus lanes!
capitalcurrent.ca/calls-grow-f...
It's great to see so many different groups realize we need bus lanes!
capitalcurrent.ca/calls-grow-f...
Bus lanes on Bank Street demanded after Lansdowne 2.0 vote
Transit committees across Ottawa are advocating for bus-only lanes in order to increase the flow of traffic along Bank Street.
capitalcurrent.ca
November 30, 2025 at 9:48 PM
Great coverage from Elina Ellis and Nyla McEwan at Capital Current about the issues with Bank Street and why bus lanes are needed if we want any serious chance of success for Lansdowne 2.0.
It's great to see so many different groups realize we need bus lanes!
capitalcurrent.ca/calls-grow-f...
It's great to see so many different groups realize we need bus lanes!
capitalcurrent.ca/calls-grow-f...
Reposted by Better Transit Ottawa
its hard to get a grasp on how utterly screwed OC's current fleet is
we run D40is and D60LF(R)s that we bought in the early 2000s, as well as a more modern procurement of a bunch of novas and a handful of XE40s gotten since 2020, and the majority of our buses are beyond their useful life.
we run D40is and D60LF(R)s that we bought in the early 2000s, as well as a more modern procurement of a bunch of novas and a handful of XE40s gotten since 2020, and the majority of our buses are beyond their useful life.
massive props to Ajay and our members for getting this motion passed
the electric bus mandate restricted our fleet procurement options to only 40 foot buses, and in our current transitway environment, 60 foot buses are critical to rapid route operations into areas not set to be served by rail.
the electric bus mandate restricted our fleet procurement options to only 40 foot buses, and in our current transitway environment, 60 foot buses are critical to rapid route operations into areas not set to be served by rail.
Despite some opposition, transit committee voted YES to re-open the door to more high capacity buses at transit commission yesterday following our support
We welcome this first step, while still pushing council to buy more buses sooner, instead of delaying our next order until 2027
We welcome this first step, while still pushing council to buy more buses sooner, instead of delaying our next order until 2027
November 27, 2025 at 10:54 PM
its hard to get a grasp on how utterly screwed OC's current fleet is
we run D40is and D60LF(R)s that we bought in the early 2000s, as well as a more modern procurement of a bunch of novas and a handful of XE40s gotten since 2020, and the majority of our buses are beyond their useful life.
we run D40is and D60LF(R)s that we bought in the early 2000s, as well as a more modern procurement of a bunch of novas and a handful of XE40s gotten since 2020, and the majority of our buses are beyond their useful life.
Despite some opposition, transit committee voted YES to re-open the door to more high capacity buses at transit commission yesterday following our support
We welcome this first step, while still pushing council to buy more buses sooner, instead of delaying our next order until 2027
We welcome this first step, while still pushing council to buy more buses sooner, instead of delaying our next order until 2027
November 25, 2025 at 7:59 PM
Despite some opposition, transit committee voted YES to re-open the door to more high capacity buses at transit commission yesterday following our support
We welcome this first step, while still pushing council to buy more buses sooner, instead of delaying our next order until 2027
We welcome this first step, while still pushing council to buy more buses sooner, instead of delaying our next order until 2027
Transit commission day
November 24, 2025 at 3:55 PM
Transit commission day
Reposted by Better Transit Ottawa
Someone should look into this @bettertransitottawa.ca
November 24, 2025 at 12:48 AM
Someone should look into this @bettertransitottawa.ca
Another normal day for Ottawa's bus shortage where council still is insistent that increasing the size of our bus orders is not necessary
This is what we call 97% trip delivery
This is what we call 97% trip delivery
November 18, 2025 at 8:31 PM
Another normal day for Ottawa's bus shortage where council still is insistent that increasing the size of our bus orders is not necessary
This is what we call 97% trip delivery
This is what we call 97% trip delivery
The 2026 draft Ottawa budget announces further delays to the Carling bus lane project, estimating the completion time for a bus lane project at 2035. This project was started in 2016 with designs released in 2017, which would make this be a 19 year long project just to install interim bus lanes.
November 13, 2025 at 1:38 AM
The 2026 draft Ottawa budget announces further delays to the Carling bus lane project, estimating the completion time for a bus lane project at 2035. This project was started in 2016 with designs released in 2017, which would make this be a 19 year long project just to install interim bus lanes.
Reposted by Better Transit Ottawa
With all of the talk about Lansdowne 2.0, and improving transit access to the location, this is the perfect opportunity to get fully dedicated 24/7 bus lanes, not just during "peak" hours.
Delays for buses are almost constant throughout the day.
strongtownsottawa.ca/2025/11/08/a...
#Ottawa #Bank
Delays for buses are almost constant throughout the day.
strongtownsottawa.ca/2025/11/08/a...
#Ottawa #Bank
November 8, 2025 at 4:50 PM
With all of the talk about Lansdowne 2.0, and improving transit access to the location, this is the perfect opportunity to get fully dedicated 24/7 bus lanes, not just during "peak" hours.
Delays for buses are almost constant throughout the day.
strongtownsottawa.ca/2025/11/08/a...
#Ottawa #Bank
Delays for buses are almost constant throughout the day.
strongtownsottawa.ca/2025/11/08/a...
#Ottawa #Bank
Reposted by Better Transit Ottawa
To anyone who came out to the open house yesterday about bus lanes on bank... Wow, what an amazing amount of support. Unanimously every speaker, besides the BIA, said they want the city to be BOLDER!
We've written a summary of the event here : strongtownsottawa.ca/2025/09/25/t...
We've written a summary of the event here : strongtownsottawa.ca/2025/09/25/t...
The City Needs to be Bold with Bank
What is "balance"?
strongtownsottawa.ca
September 25, 2025 at 10:41 PM
To anyone who came out to the open house yesterday about bus lanes on bank... Wow, what an amazing amount of support. Unanimously every speaker, besides the BIA, said they want the city to be BOLDER!
We've written a summary of the event here : strongtownsottawa.ca/2025/09/25/t...
We've written a summary of the event here : strongtownsottawa.ca/2025/09/25/t...