Bus passengers feel fear, guilt as daily commute resumes

Buses packed with commuters were again trundling through Ottawa's Westboro transit station Monday morning, three days after a deadly crash that killed three and sent nearly two dozen people to hospital.

The double-decker Route 269 bus crashed into a shelter overhang around 3:50 p.m Friday, just as people were starting to head home for the weekend.

The impact tore apart the bus's second level, causing most of the carnage. The cause is under investigation.

• What we still don't know about the fatal Ottawa bus crash
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The bus-only Transitway reopened Sunday night, after the mangled bus had been towed away.

Kathryn Rose was seated in the second row on the left side of the bus's top deck when the collision occurred. The two people seated in front of her were ejected from the bus.

That was the worst thing I've ever seen, so I don't want to go up there because I'll remember what every seat looked like.- Kathryn Rose, crash survivor

"I saw the roof of the transit station plow through the side of the bus. It probably covered about eight seats," Rose said, "It was silent under that roof. I thought everyone was dead. It was awful."

At first, she thought about driving downtown Monday morning, but decided to board her regular route at the Eagleson park-and-ride.

She said she wanted to maintain her routine, but won't be sitting on the upper deck any more.

"That was the worst thing I've ever seen, so I don't want to go up there because I'll remember what every seat looked like."

"The weekend was difficult. I was on the phone a lot with a lot of family and friends," she said. "I feel bad for the victims."

Rose knows the road ahead will be difficult, but she'll perservere.

"My injuries are minor. I just have bruising, and my injuries are in my head I think right now," she said. "I'm a bit nervous about going on the Transitway, but ... it'll be OK."

Feelings of guilt

Diego Santilli believes he would have been on the bus that crashed if his connecting bus had been on time that day.

"I feel weird getting on the bus [today]," Santilli said Monday at Eagleson station. "I feel so, so sorry for the people involved."

'I was supposed to get on that bus'

6 years ago

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Many people boarded buses in Kanata this morning for the first time since Friday's deadly crash on the Transitway. Diego Santilli is a regular rider of route 269 who narrowly missed the fatal run.

"I have mixed feelings: I feel relief on one hand, and also I feel a little guilt. Like, why me?"

Passenger Sanjeev Shangari said he probably won't be sitting up front or up top for at least a few days. The Department of National Defence employee believes some of his colleagues are among the injured.

"I feel a little bit scared. But I have to go [to work], so I'll continue my work schedule and hopefully everything should be fine," he said. 

One woman at the bus stop in Kanata Monday morning said she felt safe getting on the bus. She was sitting beside a man whose wife was on the bus that crashed, but he eventually was able to get in touch with her. 

The city's fleet of double-decker buses is still in service following Friday's crash, and the the head of OC Transpo maintained they're safe.

Transit commissioner Allan Hubley, the city councillor for the area where the ill-fated bus was headed, said there's no need to wait for a final collision report before taking action.

"If something is found in the interim, we'll certainly work on that right away," he said. "On a day-to-day basis OC Transpo inspects all its buses on a very tight schedule, looking at brakes, tires, windshield wipes. These buses are as safe as possible when they go out on the road."

Ottawa's chief medical officer is urging residents to pay attention to their mental health in the days and weeks following the crash, and said the city has resources to help anyone struggling with their feelings.