Transit Committee

Minutes

Meeting #:
18
Date:
Time:
-
Location:
Champlain Room, 110 Laurier Avenue West, and by electronic participation
Present:
  • Chair Glen Gower, 
  • Councillor Riley Brockington, 
  • Councillor Marty Carr, 
  • Councillor David Hill, 
  • Councillor Jeff Leiper, 
  • Councillor Shawn Menard, 
  • and Councillor Tim Tierney 
Absent:
  • Vice-Chair Steve Desroches 
  • and Councillor Wilson Lo 

1.
Notices and meeting information for meeting participants and the public

This item has attachments. 
1.Public Notices English - Hybrid Standing Committee.pdf
2.Public Notices French - Hybrid Standing Committee.pdf

Notices and meeting information are attached to the agenda and minutes, including: availability of simultaneous interpretation and accessibility accommodations; in camera meeting procedures; information items not subject to discussion; personal information disclaimer for correspondents and public speakers; notices regarding minutes; and hybrid participation details.


Accessible formats and communication supports are available, upon request.


Except where otherwise indicated, reports requiring Council consideration will be presented to Council on March 26, 2025 in Transit Committee Report 18.


The deadline to register by phone to speak, or submit written comments or visual presentations is 4 pm on Friday, March 14, 2025, and the deadline to register to speak by email is 8:30 am on Monday March 17, 2025.

These “Summary Minutes” indicate the disposition of items and actions taken at the meeting. This document does not include all of the text that will be included in the full Minutes, such as the record of written and oral submissions. Recorded votes and dissents contained in the Summary Minutes are draft until the full Minutes of the meeting are confirmed by the Committee. The draft of the full Minutes (for confirmation) will be published with the agenda for the next regular Committee meeting and, once confirmed, will replace this document.

2.
Declarations of Interest

 

No Declarations of Interest were filed.

3.
Confirmation of Minutes

 

4.
Presentations

 

4.1
OC Transpo Update – Rail, Bus, and Para Transpo

This item has attachments. 
1.English slides - OC Transpo Update Presentation.pdf
2.French slides - OC Transpo Update Presentation.pdf

The following Transit Services Department staff provided a presentation on the item, and answered questions from the Committee. A copy of the slide presentation is filed with the Office of the City Clerk.

  • Bart Cormier, Director, Transit Strategic Communications & External Relations
  • Troy Charter, Director, Transit Service Delivery and Rail Operations
  • Pat Scrimgeour, Director, Transit Customer Systems and Planning
  • Matthew Wolstenholme, Manager, Service Planning
  • Amanda Thompson, Manager, Transit Strategic Communications

The following staff also responded to questions from Committee:

  • Richard Holder, Director, Rail Construction Program
  • Marko Kroenke, Director, Engineering Services
  • Sabrina Pasian, Chief Safety Officer

Kyle Humphrey and Patrick Shepherd, residents, spoke before the Committee and provided comments on the item.

5.
Transit Services Department

 

5.1
Fare Compliance Initiative Update

This item has attachments. 
1.English Report - Fare Compliance Initiative Update .pdf
2.French Report - Fare Compliance Initiative Update.pdf

File No. ACS2025-TSD-SRTD-0001 – City Wide

Sabrina Pasian, Chief Safety Officer provided a presentation on the item, and answered questions from the Committee. A copy of the slide presentation is filed with the Office of the City Clerk.

Following discussion on this item, the Committee received the report as follows.

  • Report Recommendation(s)

    That Transit Committee receive this report for information.

    Received

5.2
Stage 2 Light Rail Transit Project 

This item has attachments. 
1.Report English - Stage 2 LRT Project.pdf
2.Report French - Stage 2 LRT Project.pdf

File No. ACS 2024-TSD-RCP-0001 - City-wide

The following Transit Services Department staff provided a presentation on the item, and answered questions from the Committee. A copy of the slide presentation is filed with the Office of the City Clerk.

  • Mary-Ellen Gleeson, Program Manager, Rail Construction Management
  • Micheal Bartlett, Manager, Rail Infrastructure
  • Richard Holder, Director, Rail Construction Program

The following staff also responded to questions from Committee:

  • Marko Kroenke, Director, Engineering Services
  • Troy Charter, Director, Transit Service Delivery and Rail Operations

Following discussion on this item, the Committee received the report as follows.

  • Report recommendation(s)

    That the Transit Committee receive this report for information.

    Received

6.
In Camera Items

 

There were no in camera items.

7.
Notices of Motions (For Consideration at Subsequent Meeting)

 

7.1
Bus reliability

 

Submitted by: Councillor R. Brockington

WHEREAS, reliable public transit service remains a top priority for OC Transpo passengers in the City of Ottawa,

WHEREAS, passengers depend on buses arriving on time, in order to get to work, school, appointments and other events,

WHEREAS, unreliable bus service impacts passengers in a myriad of ways, jeopardizing the retention of passengers and challenging the agency to attract new passengers,

WHEREAS, the City Manager confirmed at the December 11, 2024 City Council meeting, that bus reliability in particular, remains one of the top priorities for OC Transpo,

WHEREAS, within the last decade, three major periods have challenged OC Transpo’s ability to offer consistent, reliable bus service, including:  the construction of the Confederation LRT Line (closure of the Transitway, major detours, high absenteeism of operators), the structural and mechanical deficiencies related to the train carriages and Line following the grand opening in September 2019 (fleet had been reduced, yet replacement bus service was needed along the Line) and insufficient mechanics, operators and buses in the most recent years,

WHEREAS, month after month after month, the subject of bus reliability has been raised at Transit Committee meetings, with the main question being asked, what immediate investments are being made to improve overall bus reliability,

WHEREAS, the hiring of mechanics and operators were welcomed investments to the transit agency, yet, according to the metrics presented to the Transit Committee (up to February 2025), overall bus reliability has not improved,

WHEREAS, the 2025 OC Transpo Budget was discussed and debated at the November 2024 Transit Committee and December 11, 2024 City Council meeting where specific questions about how bus reliability was being prioritized and financed in the budget, with few details provided,

WHEREAS, bus reliability metrics consistently do not meet OC Transpo’s performance targets,

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that by October 2025, the General Manager of OC Transpo present to the Transit Committee a detailed plan on how bus reliability will meet or surpass the 85% performance target by December 2027.

8.
Inquiries

 

There were no Inquiries.

9.
Other Business

 

There was no other business.

10.
Adjournment

 

Next Meeting: Thursday, April 10, 2025.

The meeting adjourned at 1:35 pm.

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