{"id":322,"date":"2026-02-25T16:25:36","date_gmt":"2026-02-25T16:25:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stories.j-proj.com\/capitaltransitreport\/?p=322"},"modified":"2026-02-25T18:55:44","modified_gmt":"2026-02-25T18:55:44","slug":"richmond-student-faces-long-unreliable-routes-due-to-limited-bus-service","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stories.j-proj.com\/capitaltransitreport\/2026\/02\/25\/richmond-student-faces-long-unreliable-routes-due-to-limited-bus-service\/","title":{"rendered":"Richmond student faces long, unreliable routes due to limited bus service"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Written by: Delaney Smith<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Students living in Richmond, a growing village southwest of Ottawa, say limited and unreliable public transit options are making commuting to post-secondary institutions increasingly difficult.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Carleton University student Courtney Smith, getting to campus is a daily challenge that often begins hours before her classes start.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cA typical day of getting to school is way more difficult than it should be,\u201d said Smith, a full-time criminology student.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI have classes at 8:30 a.m., which means I\u2019m commuting during rush hour. A drive that should take 40 minutes often turns into an hour and a half.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Richmond is currently served by OC Transpo\u2019s Route 283, one of the only active bus routes connecting the village to Ottawa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Trip-planning tools show that travelling from Richmond to Carleton University in the late morning can take between one hour and 30 minutes to nearly one hour and 45 minutes, often requiring multiple transfers and long walks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Some routes include an 18-minute walk to the bus stop, followed by Route 283, transfers to other buses or the O-Train, and additional walking time. Several trips also indicate service alerts and diversions, adding uncertainty to already lengthy commutes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy transportation options are minimal,\u201d Smith said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere\u2019s one bus route in Richmond, and I have to walk about 25 minutes to the stop in minus-20 weather, and some days it doesn\u2019t even run.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other options are financially unrealistic. Smith said taking an Uber or taxi can cost more than $50 one way, while driving daily means paying for fuel during a time of rising gas prices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI lose about 90 kilometres\u2019 worth of gas just getting there and back,\u201d she said. \u201cGas is not cheap.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Smith said the lack of transit options affects more than just her schedule. She has bonded with other Richmond residents over the shared frustration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI have a co-worker who also lives in Richmond, and we\u2019ve bonded over how ridiculous the transportation situation is,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe shared frustration among Richmond residents is very real.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The unreliable commute has also taken an emotional toll.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe lack of reliable transportation makes me anxious every time I leave the house,\u201d Smith said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m constantly worried about being late. I\u2019ve been late to multiple classes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When she began university last fall, Smith did not yet have her driver\u2019s licence and relied on her mother to get to campus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy mom drove me every single day,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cShe had to rearrange her work schedule to get me to school, which often made her late.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As housing developments continue to expand in Richmond, Smith believes transit service has not kept pace with the community\u2019s growth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI wish the people in charge of Ottawa\u2019s transit understood that one bus route isn\u2019t enough for a fast-growing community like Richmond,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI see new houses going up every day. We need more options, especially for people who can\u2019t access or afford a vehicle.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

OC Transpo has not announced any changes to Route 283 service.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Written by: Delaney Smith Students living in Richmond, a growing village southwest of Ottawa, say limited and unreliable public transit options are making commuting to post-secondary institutions increasingly difficult. For Carleton University student Courtney Smith, getting to campus is a daily challenge that often begins hours before her classes start. \u201cA typical day of getting […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":26,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-322","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stories.j-proj.com\/capitaltransitreport\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/322","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stories.j-proj.com\/capitaltransitreport\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stories.j-proj.com\/capitaltransitreport\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stories.j-proj.com\/capitaltransitreport\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/26"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stories.j-proj.com\/capitaltransitreport\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=322"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/stories.j-proj.com\/capitaltransitreport\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/322\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":329,"href":"https:\/\/stories.j-proj.com\/capitaltransitreport\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/322\/revisions\/329"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stories.j-proj.com\/capitaltransitreport\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=322"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stories.j-proj.com\/capitaltransitreport\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=322"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stories.j-proj.com\/capitaltransitreport\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=322"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}