Backgrounder Fall Service Change

On Sunday, September 5, fall service changes go into effect on most bus routes and the O-Train with the exception of routes 87, 123, 145, 156, 170, 824 and 825 that are unchanged. Many routes have seasonal schedule adjustments or routing changes as a result of TransPLAN 2004 – our public consultation process.

There will also be service reductions and cancellations to some routes as part of the 2004 City budget review. The routes selected for reduction offer the largest cost savings while at the same time affect the least number of people. In most cases, alternatives are available, but they may require an additional transfer, a longer walk, or increased travel time. Trip planning assistance is available, so please call 741-4390 or visit octranspo.com.

The first and last trips will be affected on a number of routes – some will be cancelled and some will be added. If you travel early or late in the day, check your new schedule carefully.

New timetables are now available at all Sales and Information Centres, by mail (free of charge), or at 741-4390. Route information is also available at octranspo.com.

Ottawa’s award winning light-rail service, the O-Train will now operate every 15 minutes all day on weekdays. Departures from Greenboro and Bayview will be adjusted to conveniently leave at :00, :15, :30 and :45 after the hour.

The addition of several new low-floor accessible buses means that 15 more routes are now part of the accessible route network. Routes 4, 96, 126, 128, 142, 143, 145, 147, 148, 149, 154, 165, 178, 180 and 186 are new accessible routes this fall. This brings the total number of accessible routes to 37, adding to the 23 previous accessible routes which are Route 2, 5, 6, 7, 16, 18, 85, 95, 97, 124, 127, 135, 140, 146, 151, 156, 160, 161, 166, 172, 174, 306 and 316. Two more routes, 1 and 14, will be added later this fall. Low-floor buses will serve most weekday trips on these routes, but weekend service may be less accessible on some routes. Passengers using wheelchairs, scooters or walkers can still use any conventional OC Transpo route, including the
O-Train, at no charge.

Kanata residents will soon be able to enjoy their new Transitway Station and Park & Ride lot adjacent to Kanata Centrum, just north of Highway 417. In September, a temporary terminal will be in use and approximately 250 Park & Ride spaces will be available. The completed station is expected to open this winter.

Terry Fox Station will become the new transfer hub for Kanata where connections will be made to other routes. As a result, changes will be made to Kanata routes in order to serve the station.

As part of the Kanata improvements, Transitway service will be provided by the new Route 96 which will provide a faster service to downtown.

Congestion on Slater Street in the afternoon rush hour has increased steadily in recent years causing bus delays and slowdowns. This has affected customers waiting for buses downtown, as well as the reliability of the entire transit system. One of the problems has been the high volume of buses on Slater Street.

The number of buses on Slater Street will be reduced in the afternoon in order to speed up service and improve overall schedule reliability. Routes that carry fewer passengers will no longer serve the downtown core in the afternoon. Routes 124, 126, 140, 148 and 149 will start their homebound trips at Hurdman Station. To catch these routes, take any route on Slater Street to Hurdman Station and transfer. All buses on Slater travel to Hurdman, so there is a wide choice of routes and a high frequency of service. Note that green express routes require a premium fare. Morning service will continue to travel downtown.

Other changes affect Route 3, 221, 231 and 232. These routes will travel eastbound on Queen Street instead of Slater.

Route 90, 162, 163, 175, 185, 195, 829, 874 and 891 will be cancelled September 5. In most cases alternatives are available. Call 741-4390, or visit octranspo.com for trip planning assistance.

Do you want to know the best route to get from here to there? Now you can do-it-yourself with a new automated Travel Planner at octranspo.com. It’s fast, it’s easy, and you get instant results. Just enter the information about your trip — when and where — and the system will create a plan for you complete with routes, schedules, transfers and walking details.

Route 95 afternoon rush hour supplementary trips going eastbound will be extended to start at Tunney’s Pasture.

Route 96 is a new Transitway Route that will replace part of Route 97. Route 97 will be shortened to improve service reliability. Route 96 buses will operate from Hurdman Station to Kanata and Stittsville along the same routing as the 97, with the exception of service between Lincoln Fields and Bayshore, and in Stittsville.

From Lincoln Fields, Route 96 buses will travel via the Transitway to Queensway Station and then via Highway 417 to Bayshore for a faster, more direct trip. Route 96 will serve Pinecrest in both directions, but Queensway Station in the eastbound direction only. Service along Carling and Richmond, between Lincoln Fields and Bayshore, will continue to be provided by Route 97.

In Stittsville, Route 96 will be extended south via Stittsville Main Street, Fernbank and Shea to the Goulbourn Recreation Centre.

Route 97 will be shortened to end at Bayshore in the West End for better service reliability. Kanata and Stittsville will be served by the new Transitway Route 96. Peak period service on Woodridge Crescent will continue to be provided by Route 97X. Route 97 will continue to provide direct service between downtown and the airport.

Students are encouraged to get their September pass early to avoid back-to-school lineups and last-minute rushes. Student photo ID cards expire September 30. OC Transpo photo ID teams are visiting schools, colleges and universities over the next few weeks to make it easier for students to renew their photo ID’s. The schedule is available at octranspo.com or by calling OC Transpo at 741-4390. Full-time students can get a 20 per cent discount by purchasing an annual student pass, available at any OC Transpo Sales and Information Centre.

If you are under 19, you do not need a special form to get your ID at one of the OC Transpo Sales and Information Centres. If you are 19, or look 19, call 741-4390 for more details about what documents you’ll need to qualify for an OC Transpo Student ID Card.

This Labour Day (Monday, September 6), buses will operate on a Sunday service schedule. This means only those routes normally in service on a Sunday will be available to transit users.

Also on the holiday, OC Transpo’s DayPass becomes a Family Pass, meaning a family of up to six people, with a maximum of two who are 12 or older, can travel all day for $6.50. The OC Transpo DayPass is available at hundreds of vendors in the Ottawa area or can be purchased on-board the bus.

For further information about these changes, to get a new timetable or transit map, or for trip planning assistance, drop in to any OC Transpo Sales and Information Centre, visit octranspo.com, or call the Telephone Information Centre at 741-4390.


	Sales and Information Centres:
St. Laurent, Place d’Orléans & Lincoln Fields Stations:	Monday to Friday	7 a.m. to 7 p.m. *
	(* These offices will stay open until 8 p.m. on Aug. 30, 31, Sept. 1, 7 & 8)
	Saturday	11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
	Sunday	Closed
	Labour Day	10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Rideau Centre	Monday to Friday	7 a.m. to 9 p.m.
	Saturday	9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.
	Sunday	9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
	Labour Day	10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

	Telephone Information Centre:
	Monday to Friday	7 a.m.to 9 p.m.
	Saturday	8 a.m. to 9 p.m.
	Sunday	9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
	Labour Day	7 a.m.to 9 p.m.

OC Transpo fall service change