OC Transpo has made recent strides in improving bus punctuality and completed trips, but is still falling short of its longstanding reliability targets.
Presented data to the council’s transit committee revealed that in August, over 76% of buses adhered to their schedules. This marked a slight uptick from just under 73% the previous year.
The on-time performance standard at OC Transpo is determined by the departure time of buses, with a window of up to five minutes late or one minute early considered on time.
The assessment also includes measuring missed trips where buses either did not depart from their starting point or left significantly late (more than 20 minutes), causing passenger inconvenience.
In contrast, the number of missed trips has shown improvement. Last August, 5.2% of trips were missed, escalating to 13.4% in January amid a bus reliability crisis due to winter conditions and aging fleet issues.
The percentage of missed trips has progressively decreased throughout the year, particularly with the introduction of new electric buses. In August, missed trips dropped to three percent, with 2.2% of trips delayed by more than 20 minutes and 0.9% not completed at all.
River ward Coun. Riley Brockington praised the positive trend, stating, “This is a noteworthy achievement, and we are moving in the right direction.”
Mechanical problems, traffic congestion, and operator availability, including mandated driver break times, are cited as common causes for trip disruptions.
Despite these improvements, OC Transpo has yet to meet its set benchmarks. The transit agency aims to deliver at least 99.5% of all trips and ensure that 85% of them are punctual, with General Manager Rick Leary pushing for even higher performance, setting a personal target of 95%.
In terms of ridership, OC Transpo is facing lower than expected numbers, with only about 67% of pre-pandemic ridership levels during the first half of 2026, falling short in comparison to the same period last year.
The transit agency anticipates a ridership increase with a federal directive requiring more in-office days, leading to more commuters utilizing public transportation. In response, OC Transpo has made adjustments to accommodate the returning riders.
During a recent transit committee meeting, Pat Scrimgeour, the director of transit customer systems and planning, announced plans to introduce new schedules for 20 additional routes in the upcoming winter season, including routes 8, 10, 13, 40, 56, 57, 58, 60, 62, 74, 93, 94, 98, 99, 105, 110, 111, 161, 162, and 165.