The following is correspondence received from OC Transpo General Manager Rick Leary on Wednesday, October 14, providing an update on OC Transpo bus service key performance indicators.
La version française suivra / French version to follow.
The purpose of this email is to share OC Transpo’s progress to improve service for customers through our Customer-First Action Plan. Data for September shows network-wide improvements across many key areas, including bus on-time performance, reliability of the bus fleet and customer feedback.
On-Time Performance: Best performance in 13 months
A key part of the Customer-First Action Plan is adjusting bus schedules as 70 per cent of customers use the bus for their trips. As shared with the Transit Committee, this work began with 8 routes in the spring and summer and expanded to 22 routes by September for a total of 30 routes serving 50 per cent of transit customers. We are now seeing the results of this important work, when compared to last year:
- On-Time performance: Overall, in September bus on-time performance improved to 77 per cent, an increase of 9 per cent and the highest performance in 13 months.
- Missed trips: dropped by approximately 57 per cent. In September, only 4 per cent of bus trips were missed. This is important progress in delivering the service OC Transpo advertises to customers.
- Trips not delivered: dropped by approximately 69 per cent. In September only 0.8 per cent of bus trips were not delivered.
On-time performance improvements were also seen on Para Transpo service with on-time pickups increasing to 95 per cent in September, a 2 per cent improvement from the same time last year.
Additional key performance indicators normally shared at Transit Committee are attached here.
Customer Trips: Growing customer demand
Preliminary data shows that customers took more trips on the O-Train network and Para Transpo compared to last September. While data is still being verified, initial results indicate that overall ridership increased approximately 3 per cent compared to the same time last year.
Highlights include:
- O-Train network: In September there were 2.73 million customer trips on the O-Train network, a 2 per cent increase compared to September 2025.
- Para Transpo: ridership increased by 8 per cent since last year. This is an increase from approximately 75,800 to 81,600 trips.
Full ridership data will be shared with Mayor and Members of Council when available.
Continuing Express bus service improvements: Route 582
Express bus service introduced in September has proven to be well used. Preliminary data shows that customers made 783 boardings per weekday on average, with demand varying by route. Staff are reviewing uptake and customer feedback to see where further refinements can be made.
To respond to customer feedback for additional service, a new express bus trip is being added to supplement route 82 during peak periods. Route 582 will depart from Woodroffe and Knoxdale, serve local stops in the Craig Henry and Trend-Arlington areas, and save time for customers by continuing directly to Tunney’s Pasture Station with no stops after Baseline and Greenbank. This service will begin on November 2. Customers will receive further information at octranspo.com in advance of the route going into service.
Additional route adjustments have been made based on customer feedback and travel patterns. This includes adding two trips to both Route 256 and Route 75. Further adjustments will be made on the following routes in the coming weeks, including adding:
- Adding morning trips on Route 12, Route 62 and Route 277
- Adding a later morning trip on Route 561
- Adding afternoon trips on Route 85 and Route 111
Routes continue to be reviewed for further adjustments to better support customers.
Fleet improvements: New buses in every community
OC Transpo now has 187 electric buses as part of its fleet. This means that customers across the City, as seen in the map below and on octranspo.com are benefiting from the new buses that provide a quieter, more comfortable ride. The new electric fleet is the direct result of Council’s investment.
As mentioned at Transit Committee, the focus of the maintenance team has been to conduct proactive maintenance on the bus fleet. This has resulted in a 48 per cent decrease in vehicle defects reported on in-service buses since the peak of last winter. Maintenance activities continue to move towards more proactive work and less time spent on reactive maintenance.
Improving Customer Feedback
The improvement in service and investments made in the fleet has seen an improvement in the customer experience. Overall, customer complaints have decreased by 18 per cent. When comparing the number of complaints received to September 2025, highlights include:
- Schedule adherence feedback decreased by 57 per cent, indicating fewer reports of service reliability issues.
- “Bus did not show” complaints decreased by 72 per cent.
- Late-service feedback decreased by 50 per cent.
This decrease has been seen predominantly on routes that have had schedule adjustments made. As service continues to improve, Customer Service resources can be directed to support other customer needs, including Para Transpo service.
Park and Ride
As reported weekly through the City’s mobility dashboard, a steady increase in Park and Ride utilization has been seen since the start of September. The east and west end of the city have seen the largest increase. Some areas that have seen the strongest demand, when compared to the same time last year:
- Bowesville: 90 per cent increase
- Greenboro: 84 per cent increase
- Leitrim: 73 per cent increase
- Place d’Orléans: 77 per cent increase
- Trim: 50 per cent increase
Free parking and Park and Ride lots are available for customers in every area of the city. Further information for customers is available on octranspo.com.