NOTEBOOK: Recap of Transit Committee on May 14, 2026

by | May 15, 2026 | Notebook

NOTEBOOK: Recap of Transit Committee on May 14, 2026

Celebrating safety

At the start of meeting, we recognized the recipients of this year’s Chief Safety Officer Award, Safe Driving Awards, and the Transecure Call of the Year Award, and their efforts to make our city a safer and better place. I had the honour of attending OC Transpo’s annual Transecure, Safe Driving, and Safety Awards ceremony last month with Vice Chair Steve Desroches and Mayor Mark Sutcliffe, and the character shown by the individuals recognized is always inspiring. Congratulations to all the OC Transpo employees recognized at this year’s ceremony.

OC Transpo’s new Customer-First Action Plan

General Manager Rick Leary expanded on OC Transpo’s new Customer-First Action Plan. There are ten action items to rebuild a safe, reliable and customer-focused transit system through measurable operational improvements, investments in employees, stronger accountability, and improving customer safety and security.

Actions within the plan include:

  • Restoring O-Train Line 1 capacity
  • Improving preventative bus maintenance and putting new vehicles into service
  • Making Para Transpo more flexible for customers
  • Improving system-wide safety, cleanliness and employee presence
  • Hosting customer townhalls
  • Introducing new reporting and performance metrics
  • Completing the LRT upload to the Province of Ontario and reinvesting $85 million into transit
  • Growing non-fare revenues through enhanced digital advertising
  • Developing a 10-year capital investment plan
  • Establishing an integrated workforce strategy
  • Engaging transit employees to become the top transit employer in Canada

Updates to this action plan will continue to be shared over the coming months.

Restoring O-Train Line 1 capacity

Some double-car trains began operating on O-Train Line 1 on Thursday morning, which marks progress in restoring normal peak period capacity.  Customers may see some double-car trains during peak service hours from Monday to Friday, and trains continue to operate every three to four minutes. OC Transpo is continuing to work with Rideau Transit Group (RTG) and Alstom on the containment measures for the Cartridge Bearing Assemblies (CBAs). Full Line 1 service capacity is expected to resume by mid-June.

The timing for the trial running of the East extension is still to be confirmed, and depends on getting more vehicles available for service.

Bus service availability

OC Transpo is moving towards a preventative maintenance model, and this summer will focus on targeted vehicle refurbishments, decommissioning old buses, and the onboarding of more Zero Emission Buses and new 60-foot buses. This work will help prepare the fleet for peak customer demand in September and the winter season.

New Special Constable Community Visibility Team

This new Special Constable Unit initiative will increase visible patrols across the transit system. During weekday daytime hours, Special Constables in high-visibility vests will patrol on foot and by bike to enhance presence and visibility. While their primary focus is proactive engagement, they will also address issues and conduct enforcement when needed.

Key performance indicators

In March 2026, O-Train and bus ridership was 5.9 million and the total ridership for the past 12 months is 69 million, which is 0.4 per cent higher than the previous 12-month period.

Para Transpo ridership for April was 81,500. Total ridership over the past 12 months is 909,800, an increase of 5.2 per cent compared to the previous 12-month period.

Presentation slides

YouTube index