OC Transpo
Encyclopedia : O : OC : OCT : OC Transpo
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 7th 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).
In 2001, a pilot diesel-powered light rail service project, known as the O-Train, was introduced. The local government has 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 also be possible, over the nearby Prince of Wales railway bridge over the Ottawa River.
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, 99, 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. Service levels have since declined, however, as funding cutbacks have led to route changes and reductions. Over the twenty year period, 1986 to 2006, OC Transpo has seen virtually no growth in ridership, although the city of Ottawa has grown exponentially during this time period.[[Citing sources citation needed]]
The system derives its name from the initials of the former Regional Municipality of Ottawa-Carleton, which was merged into the City of Ottawa in 2001. From 1973 until 2000 OC Transpo was an agency of the regional government, under the full name Ottawa-Carleton Regional Transit Commission.
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 Colonade road and the other on Queensview drive. The Queensview and Colonnade garages are usually for employees working during the rush hour and consists mostly of older buses although some articulated buses can be found at Colonnade and other low-floor buses at both Colonnade and Queensview.
April 6th, 1999
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."
OC Transpo routes
OC Transpo has approximately 246 bus routes that are grouped both by a colour and their number.
Colours:
Black: Run both directions, all day (0400 or 0600 to 2300 or later), seven days a week, with some exceptions (which are generally shown as black with white stripes). The regular fare in 2006 is $3.
Red: Run weekdays at rush hour only. Most are in one direction (either towards downtown, away from downtown or between a non-downtown employment area and a Transitway station) in the morning (0630-0830) and the other direction in the evening (1530-1800). The regular fare is $3 in 2006.
Green: Run weekdays, in one direction (always towards downtown) in the morning (0630-0830) and the other direction (always to a suburban or exurban area) in the evening (1530-1800). The express or rural express fare is $4 to $5 in 2006.
Blue: Run Monday-Saturday early mornings (0330-0630) in one direction only. The regular fare is $3 in 2006. Only appears as a "sun" symbol on bus stop signs.
Numbers
OC Transpo classes its routes according to the following numerical groups:
1-99: Go downtown (except Route 84 during off-peak hours and Route 99 only brushes the edge of downtown).
- Routes numbered 1-19 are mainline or local routes to downtown that are generally independent of the Transitway.
- Routes numbered 20-79 are all peak period red or green routes between downtown and residential urban or suburban areas. 20s and 30s are clustered in the east end (mainly Orleans), 40s are clustered in the south end, 50s are clustered in the west end, 60s are clustered in and around Kanata and 70s are clustered in Barrhaven.
- Routes numbered 80-89 are similar to 1-19 although they spend longer on the Transitway.
- Routes numbered 90-99 are limited stop routes, including the three main Transitway routes 95, 96 and 97.
100-119: Cross-town routes that bypass downtown (except Route 105)120-199: 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 continue/begin downtown at peak times.
200-299: Rural express routes
300-399: Special community routes (currently only two - 306 and 316, both within the downtown area - exist, a third - 356 - was eliminated in 2000)
400-499: Special service to Scotiabank Place (arena)
500-599: Rural service operated by partner bus lines
600-699: Special service to elementary and secondary schools (numbers not shown on most bus flags, although shown at most Transitway stations)
700-799: Currently unused
800-899: Early morning service (bus routes not shown on bus flags).
900-999: Employee shuttles for OC Transpo employees only at times and places with no service (mostly overnight).
Active fleet
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 summer. 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 then most other buses with the exception of the articulated buses (6001-6178 and 6301-6350). The test was over on July 12 and 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 accomodates passengers at a limited height.
| 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 in most average 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* | All buses are now in service. 4300-4355 have bick racks. All Invero buses have Thermo King A/C. | |
| New Flyer D40i "Invero" |
2006 | 4440-4502? | 66* | Future order | |
| 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 causes fires (notably 6017 and 6159). During the December Snow Storm of 2005, several articulated buses jack-kniffed due to slippery conditions and unbalanced weight (front part can easily lose control on slick conditions. | |
| New Flyer D60LF |
2003-2004 | 6301-6350 | 50 | Articulated, ultra-low sulphur diesel | |
| GMDD T6H-5307N | 1979 | 7901-7930 | 30* | Most retired (only 7926 is left) | |
| GMDD T6H-5307N | 1980 | 8001-8012 | 12* | Most retired | |
| GMDD T6H-5307N | 1981 | 8101-8122 | 22* | Most retired | |
| GMDD T6H-5307N | 1981 | 8231-8240 | 10* | Most retired | |
| GMDD TC40-102N | 1985 | 8541-8555 | 15* | Most retired | |
| 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* | 8918 and 8943 retired. 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 (only 9126 and 9128 are still running) | |
| New Flyer D40HF | 1992 | 9201-9227 | 27 | Will be retired gradually soon due to extensive mileage. 9211-9227 have green luminators and 9201-9210 have Balios signs. They also had Sutrak A/C but were disconnecting in the mid 1990's | |
| 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 it's A/C removed from the roof after an accident. | |
| NovaBus TC40-102A | 1993 | 9301-9330 | 30* | 9302 was recently retired due to accident. 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
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)
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 $6.00 if pre-purchased.
Passes are as follows:
- 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 Semester Regular: $209.75 (January - April)
- Student 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 will replace the current policy of free service for the disabled as of March 1, 2006.
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 free upon boarding and are valid for 90 minutes in any direction, with stopovers allowed.
As of the 1 December 2005 fare increase, OC Transpo had one of 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.
Other
Advertising on OC Transpo buses is contracted to Pattison Outdoor Advertising. Advertising on bus shelters is contracted to Clear Channel Outdoor.
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. However, official Environment Canada records show roughly 22 cm.
-->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.
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. There are also long range plans for other extensions in the Orleans and Kanata areas to keep up with more growing communities there too.
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.
- Robert Simpson - President
- Rick Maheral - Vice President
- Donna Lynn Ahee - Secretary-Treasurer
- Mike Milloy - Assistant Business Agent - Equipment
- Normand Deschamps - Assistant Business Agent - Transportation
- Mike Fecteau / Marc MacKay / Gino Paolino - Executive Board Members
See also
- Ottawa Rapid Transit
- Société de Transport de l'Outaouais (STO) in Gatineau, Québec
External links
From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Original article here. Support Wikipedia by contributing or donating.
All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License See Wikipedia Copyrights for details.