Written by: Vasileios Tselios
Students relying on transit are faced with more cancellations and service delays than ever before
On Feb. 16, post-secondary students enjoyed a break from their classes for Family Day. Jay Thakkar, an Algonquin College environmental management student, enjoyed a few added benefits on the day.
For the first Monday this year, Thakkar did not have to wake up at 5:30 a.m., so he can attend his 8 a.m. class.
“I have to leave half an hour earlier than I would usually leave. If my classes start at 8 a.m., I have to leave around 6 a.m. rather than leaving around 6:30 a.m., just to make it on time.”
Thakkar’s daily commute consists of two bus rides, taking an hour and 15 minutes to reach Algonquin College. During this winter, his transit commute has been plagued by service issues.
“I face the issue of crowded buses. When I get a bus from Heron to college, it’s mostly crowded,” Thakkar said. “Sometimes I have to miss a bus because it’s overcrowded. The buses don’t stop because there’s no space to get in.”
The student also mentioned possible delays that cause him to miss his connection. If that happens, he is forced to wait an extra 30-40 minutes for the next bus.
Thakkar’s experience with OC Transpo is a commonality for Ottawa students. The city’s transit quality has been a point of discussion recently, as the buses have proven unreliable in the winter months.
During the first week of February, 1,577 bus trips were cancelled. The figure was an improvement from January’s rate, which saw a total of more than 9,200 cancelled trips. OC Transpo officials acknowledged the weather played a role in the number of cancelled trips.
Glen Gower, councillor of Stittsville and chair of the Transit Committee, said the bus fleet is facing a shortage of vehicles. The city is waiting on a delivery of new electric buses, which are expected to help the situation.
“I think in general right now we’ve got a big issue with missing buses. We don’t have enough buses to deliver the service.” he said.
According to Gower, the weather is not affecting the reliability of transit, but it does not help the situation either.
“When you have problems with transit in the winter, it affects people more because of the cold weather,” Gower explained. “It might be more tolerable to have a bus that’s a few minutes late when it’s a warm summer day, much less so when it’s -20.”
Students’ experience with OC Transpo in the winter months differ, but there is a throughline of service reliability issues. Thakkar said he only had a couple of cancelled bus trips this year, while others have not had such luck.
Richard Mccormick, a high-school student, said four of his bus routes have been cancelled in February alone.
“I feel like there’s more bus cancellation because of the weather. And it’s just more crowded,” Mccormick explained. “There’s a lot of buses that skip the stop, ’cause it’s too crowded.”
Mccormick is reliant on the 85 for his commute to school, and he has missed class over bus cancellations.
Eric McKenzie, an electrical technician student, said his commute from Westboro was “reasonable” and generally unaffected by transit disruptions, as he had access to three different buses.
“I took the 75 line, because you got three different buses. You can take (the) 73, 74, 75. You would get one every 15 minutes or so,” McKenzie said. “I’d always budget an hour and a half, but I’d get here within an hour.”
McKenzie considers himself lucky, as he mentioned other students who could have waiting times up to half an hour for a bus, specifically mentioning the 85 line.
Consistent delays and cancellations can lead to students missing class more consistently. Algonquin College professor Jim McEwen has noticed a decrease in the attendance numbers between his two courses this semester.
“I would say it was a 25 per cent uptick in absenteeism since the fall. If I was to try to put a number on it,” McEwen said. “I do know some students would show up in class an hour late or they’ll leave early.”
He went on to reference students who left class early to catch rides, in order to avoid their lengthy commutes in inclement weather.
WIth more vehicles and warmer weather in the near horizon, students expect their commuting experience to improve in the spring.