OC Transpo in the hot seat over Barrhaven bus service
Suburban residents still say it's too hard to find space on Barrhaven-bound buses downtown
OC Transpo officials were in the hot seat in Barrhaven again Wednesday night, answering rider questions about long delays and gaps in service.
More than two dozen residents attended a followup meeting hosted by Coun. Jan Harder to discuss transit issues — the first in February attracted about 80 people.
Several people boiled the problem down to buses being overcrowded with commuters trying to get around in the core and taking space on the only buses that travel to their suburban community.
Amanda Bernardo started the Twitter hashtag #Lifeonthe95 to discuss problems with service along her bus route.
She said she hasn't seen improvements, especially when she's trying to commute home from downtown.
"It's like a sardine can. You'll get on from Albert [Street] and it's already at full capacity," she said.
"Unfortunately if you're relying on a specific route to get home — like a 270, 271, a 95 Cambrian — you're unable to get on the bus that you truly rely on to get into your community."
Marie-Pier Charette, who works in Gatineau and lives in Barrhaven, suggested a route with a terminus at Fallowfield station to redirect people that don't need specific buses.
OC Transpo staff said higher usage on routes adds to their frequency and they have to weigh convenience, usage and financial viability in considering those kinds of changes.
Accessibility factor
Amanda St. Dennis, a full-time Carleton University student who works in Westboro, said she has difficulty walking, which means difficulty getting on crowded buses.
"When the buses are packed, I physically can't get on. I have to wait for a non-packed bus, which may or may not be the one that I need," St. Dennis said.
She said would like to see OC Transpo adopt designated waiting areas, clearly marked, so people with accessibility issues won't miss buses when drivers stop at long lines at transit stations.
OC Transpo staff said those issues will be addressed as stations such as Tunney's Pasture complete their redesign in accordance with Ontario accessibility legislation.
Better service within Barrhaven
Camryn Groulx, a 15-year-old student at Longfields-Davidson Heights Secondary School, spoke about students being passed by bus drivers on bad weather days when they were trying to get to school.
She also said she'd like to see improved service within the suburb for young people trying to hold down part-time jobs.
"The buses to take in order to get from one part of Barrhaven to another part of Barrhaven are very complicated," Groulx said.
OC Transpo responds
John Manconi, general manager of transportation services at the City of Ottawa, said OC Transpo is looking for that kind of feedback from the community to improve service.
"I want clear expectations that we're going to explore things, doesn't mean we're going to agree with everything," Manconi said after Wednesday's meeting.
"But we heard some great ideas and we put them into the hopper and we got some solutions going."
OC Transpo has added field supervisors to deploy extra buses when there are a delays or gaps and some people in the room did note an improvement since last February's meeting.
Manconi said there may be some longer-term solutions, such as a new park-and-ride under consideration between Strandherd and Chapman Mills, the expansion of LRT and seasonal adjustments to the bus network outside the core.
