The head of OC Transpo says he’s heard positive feedback from riders and bus drivers about the new express routes introduced this fall. The transit system launched its fall service on Aug. 30, which included increased frequency weekdays on O-Train Line 1, earlier start times on O-Train Line 2 Monday to Friday, seven new Express routes serving Orléans and Kanata, and adjustments to the run times on the 30 most popular routes. Speaking on Newstalk 580 CFRA’s The Morning Rush with Bill Carroll on Wednesday, Leary said the initial response to the new express routes, in particular, has been positive. “Everybody wants the express bus and everybody recognizes the timeframes that it can save 10 to 20 minutes on the bus,” he said. “I don’t have the hard numbers yet, but the initial feedback is we have about 1,000 trips a day taking the seven routes, which is nice.” Express service in Kanata includes 20 new non-stop express bus trips from Park and Ride lots to Tunney’s Pasture Station, Kanata North and the Department of National Defence campus on Carling Avenue. There are 10 new non-stop bus trips from Park and Ride lots to Blair Station as part of the Express service in Orléans. Leary said he is also hearing positive feedback from the drivers and the union. “They’re the center of everything, as you know, and they’re hearing some very positive from the ridership on those routes,” he said. OC Transpo has struggled with ridership this year. Its own data shows that fewer people have been riding on buses and trains compared to last year. There were 36.9 million passenger trips on OC Transpo buses and the O-Train in the January to July period—the latest figures available—down from 39.6 million riders during the same period in 2025. Ridership typically sees a bump in the fall after post-secondary students return to the city. Park-and-ride usage up—in some places Leary also said there has been a 20 plus percent increase in cars parking at Park-and-Ride lots around the city. Parking availability varies depending on where the lots are located, with lots in Kanata seeing little usage, while those located along O-Train Line 2 in south Ottawa are nearing capacity. According to the City of Ottawa’s Mobility Dashboard, average weekday usage of the Park-and-Ride lots at Eagleson, Terry Fox and Innovation fell the week of Sept. 11 to 17, compared to the week prior, with Eagleson seeing 33 per cent usage, down from 38, Terry Fox seeing 9 per cent, down from 11, and Innovation seeing 11 per cent, down from 13. In Orléans, usage was 81 per cent at the Place d’Orléans Park-and-Ride, down from 85 but it was 61 per cent at the Trim Park-and-Ride lot, up from 59 per cent. Several south-end lots saw usage increase the week of Sept. 11 to 17, with Nepean Woods at 8 per cent average use, up from 5 per cent; Fallowfield at 43 per cent, up from 30 per cent the week prior; Greenboro up to 83 per cent, compared to 63 per cent; and usage at the Strandherd lot went to 21 per cent, up from 20. The lot at Leitrim saw an average weekday usage of 98 per cent last week, compared to 78 per cent the week prior, but the Bowesville lot dropped from 93 per cent usage during the week of Sept. 4 to 10 to 76 per cent during the week of Sept. 11 to 17. The city says bus service reliability the week of Sept. 11 to 17 was 99.3 per cent, and 94 per cent of Para Transpo trips were on time. Thursday was the busiest travel day and Monday was the least busy. Leary did not offer anything new on a timeline for opening the O-Train Line 1 East Extension, saying that pre-trial running will begin in early October. “We’re going to validate all the systems to make sure they’re ready so when we go into trial testing, we know we can get through that 21 days,” he said. “The last thing we want to do is have 21 days become 45 days or more because we weren’t ready. We really have to hold our contractors accountable for delivering what they’re contracted to deliver.” OC Transpo is offering a weekend of free service on Sept. 26 and 27. All rides on buses, trains, and Para Transpo will be at no cost to riders the entire weekend. OC Transpo is also offering a tour of the future Place d’Orléans Station on Saturday, will have a booth at the Ottawa 200 Block Party at City Hall on Saturday, and will host a transit showcase at Hurdman Station on Sunday. A second weekend of free service will take place after the opening of the east extension.
