OC Transpo Ridership Hurt By Poor Service

OC Transpo’s ridership has dropped for a number of reasons, even before the pandemic.

Increased fares may be one contributing factor. But there are others. The extended travel time being one.

I recall reading about then Barrhaven Councillor Jan Harder expressing her shock when she heard that some her constituents spending over an hour-and-a-half on multiple buses in each direction. Three hours of commute for an eight-hour day at the office is quite the extension to the not leisure component of the work-life balance

A contributing factor was that buses were too full to allow the passengers to ride at stops closer to the city centre, thus extending the wait for the next or next next next bus. At a bus stop without a shelter, it would keep one out of the wind, rain, snow.

Another contributing factor is the lack of timely service from the main hubs to the neighbourhoods. This is not just an extended commute issue. In some cases, the next bus is tomorrow morning.

In short, bus fares are but one variable in a complex algorithm regarding the significant drop in ridership.

Raising the tax levy for transit is cautionary. The transit levy component of the property tax bill as a way to defray the direct has a problem. What is the impact on the seniors on fixed incomes of this increase, either on their own property bill or on that of their landlord? Arithmetically it is likely a smaller hit to the bank account, but it remains a hit nevertheless.

In summary, WoeC Transpo’s ridership dilemma extends well beyond the cost of a ride.

Ron Benn, a finance executive, has been a member of the Centrepointe Community Association for the better part of three decades.

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