An audit from the Office of the Auditor General for Ottawa finds that OC Transpo’s bus service has multiple issues, with peak weekday bus service “consistently underperforming.”
“Although short, mid, and long-term strategies to improve performance trends are underway through the Five-Year Roadmap, the audit identified several areas where historical decisions have impacted effective bus planning and scheduling processes in support of OC Transpo meeting its service delivery targets,” reads the text.
The audit notes that current run times, developed as recently as 2023, are now inaccurate due to road congestion. It found that the number of buses operating is a major factor in service delivery.
“A healthy fleet typically has 80% of the total number of buses owned available for use,” the audit reads. “For January and February 2026, the bus fleet assets were 67% available on average.”
After Wednesday’s city council meeting, Mayor Mark Sutcliffe acknowledged some of the issues outlined in the report.
“I understand the frustrations and concerns of residents,” the mayor said. “For many years now they’ve not been getting the transit service that they want and deserve.”
But Sutcliffe was optimistic. “The team at OC Transpo has been working hard to improve reliability and we’re starting to see the results of that,” he said. “Our new General Manager Rick Leary agreed with the Auditor General’s findings… He’s working very hard to find solutions to exactly the issues that the Auditor General identified.”
When asked if he would do anything differently regarding transit, Sutcliffe noted that some things were out of his hands.
“As an elected official it’s not up to me to set the schedules, it’s not up to me to decide on the routes… I’m not a transit engineer,” he said. “We rely on the professional staff at OC Transpo to bring forward plans.”
Sutcliffe said that there are always lessons to be learned, but that he had confidence in the new OC Transpo General Manager.
“We’ve got a great General Manager in place who’s sensitive to these concerns, and we’re also starting to see the pieces come together for a much more reliable service going forward.”
