{"id":325,"date":"2026-02-25T16:31:38","date_gmt":"2026-02-25T16:31:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stories.j-proj.com\/capitaltransitreport\/?p=325"},"modified":"2026-02-25T18:56:02","modified_gmt":"2026-02-25T18:56:02","slug":"a-war-zone-on-wheels-ottawa-students-say-the-88-bus-proves-time-is-a-suggestion-not-a-schedule","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stories.j-proj.com\/capitaltransitreport\/2026\/02\/25\/a-war-zone-on-wheels-ottawa-students-say-the-88-bus-proves-time-is-a-suggestion-not-a-schedule\/","title":{"rendered":"A \u201cwar zone on wheels\u201d: Ottawa students say the 88 bus proves time is a suggestion, not a schedule"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

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

Every weekday morning, Bruno Luten checks the time, grabs his camera bag and heads for the stop. He leaves early, not because he wants to, but because he has learned he has to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The photography student rides the 88 bus to Algonquin College twice a day, four days a week. Over time, the routine has come with a quiet rule: expect delays.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI take the 88 twice a day, and it\u2019s late at least two or three of those trips,\u201d Luten said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI wouldn\u2019t exactly say the bus is reliable. I have to make it reliable myself by showing up early.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The 88 is one of the busiest routes run by OC Transpo, stretching across Ottawa and connecting major transit hubs, shopping areas and schools, including Algonquin College. For thousands of students, it\u2019s the simplest way to get to class.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

But simplicity doesn\u2019t always mean certainty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some mornings, Luten watches the bus sit at Hurdman Station for five or 10 minutes before leaving. Other days, it simply runs late. Because he often goes straight from class to work, even a small delay can ripple through his day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLate buses definitely affect work and school,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the afternoon, the problem shifts from timing to space.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIn the afternoon, it\u2019s a war zone on wheels,\u201d Luten said. \u201cI\u2019ve sat on the wheel platform just to get a spot.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The bus fills quickly with students heading home, backpacks squished together, riders swaying with every stop. Luten thinks more double-decker buses during peak hours could ease the crush.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Algonquin mechanical engineering graduate Enrique Guzman remembers the same routine from his student days. He took the 88 almost daily to get to school and work, and he says the uncertainty became part of life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor the most part it was on time,\u201d Guzman said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBut it wasn\u2019t rare for a bus to be very late or not show up at all, and then two buses would arrive together.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He remembers waiting while the OC Transpo app countdown ticked toward arrival, only for the bus to be cancelled minutes before it was due.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou\u2019ll be waiting, it says five minutes, and then it gets cancelled,\u201d he said. \u201cSuddenly you\u2019re waiting 30 minutes or more.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The frustration isn\u2019t limited to bus stops. Online, riders vent their experiences through posts, including the Instagram account @i_hate_the_88, where the account creator shares jokes, videos and memes about missed buses and how much they dislike the bus route.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Guzman says the bus becomes especially crowded during fall and winter semesters, when both Algonquin and nearby schools are in full swing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIn the fall and winter, it\u2019s always packed,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Both riders acknowledge that running a citywide transit system is complicated. Still, they say the route\u2019s importance makes reliability essential. For many students, it\u2019s the only realistic way to get to class.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt passes government buildings, a college, major shopping areas,\u201d Luten said. \u201cA lot of people depend on it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So each morning, he keeps leaving early, hoping the bus comes on time, and that there\u2019s space to stand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For riders along the 88, reliability isn\u2019t just a convenience. It\u2019s the difference between being on time, and left waiting at the curb.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Written by: Delaney Smith Every weekday morning, Bruno Luten checks the time, grabs his camera bag and heads for the stop. He leaves early, not because he wants to, but because he has learned he has to. The photography student rides the 88 bus to Algonquin College twice a day, four days a week. Over […]<\/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-325","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stories.j-proj.com\/capitaltransitreport\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/325","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=325"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/stories.j-proj.com\/capitaltransitreport\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/325\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":330,"href":"https:\/\/stories.j-proj.com\/capitaltransitreport\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/325\/revisions\/330"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stories.j-proj.com\/capitaltransitreport\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=325"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stories.j-proj.com\/capitaltransitreport\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=325"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stories.j-proj.com\/capitaltransitreport\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=325"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}