Maintenance backlog to blame for hundreds of missed OC Transpo bus trips

Hundreds of bus trips went undelivered last week due to a backlog in bus maintenance and increased congestion on Ottawa's roads, OC Transpo says.

The service first posted on X about an increase in missed trips on Monday, then again on Thursday. 

Of 8,210 planned daily trips, OC Transpo told CBC that hundreds were missed this week: 348 on Monday, 297 on Tuesday and 270 on Wednesday.

It did not provide CBC with the number of trips missed on Thursday or Friday. 

One transit rider, Govin Varadarajin, said he was waiting for a bus at Tunney's Pasture for close to an hour, calling the experience "quite frustrating."

Trips have been missed in part because OC Transpo lacked buses due to a "backlog in bus maintenance," according to an OC Transpo spokesperson. 

"Safety is our top priority, and our maintenance team is working diligently to reduce the backlog by completing tasks such as preventative maintenance, bodywork, and other work orders to ensure our vehicles meet our strict safety and regulatory requirements," they wrote.

OC Transpo has been able to reduce the number of trips missed each day since Monday, they added. 

Union cites staff departures

Noah Vineberg, president of the local transit union, said staffing levels are at play too.

He said many mechanics are choosing other jobs where they earn better pay and don't have to work 24/7.

"We've lost some 10-year and 15-year, some even 20-year mechanics that have gone off into the private industry," Vineberg said.

Vineberg said OC Transpo knew about these problems in advance and didn't change their schedules. 

"These are all issues that we could have predicted, we could have planned," he said.