People have lost trust in OC Transpo, riders group says on free-fare weekend

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OC Transpo rolled out free fares this weekend for people to try out the New Ways to Bus initiative. Photo by Ashley Fraser /POSTMEDIAArticle content

The cuts will affect low-income families, teenagers, people with disabilities and elderly people who may not be able to drive, Elliott said.

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The changes will also affect those in low-traffic areas the most, particularly those who live in the suburbs, she said. Ottawa’s transit system is currently designed to cater to suburban to urban commuters and those who work a traditional nine-to-five office job, she added.

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“We would really like to see OC Transpo look at who transit riders are, the people who are currently relying on public transit, and go to them and ask what they need. Let’s provide service for those people,” the public transit advocate said.

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Most importantly, Elliott wants to see more money be invested into the public transit system. Ottawa city council allocated $856 million to public transportation in the 2025 city budget, the largest investment in OC Transpo’s operating budget so far.

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But Elliott called the budget an “austerity budget,” especially when transit service keeps getting reduced. A lot of people have given up on public transit and started driving because service is so unreliable, which added to the city’s congestion problems, she said.

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“If we just put a little bit more in the pot, we could actually have a functioning, effective, exciting public transit system. … It’s such a good public transit system, and it’s really depressing to see it just get cut for no good reason.”

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OC Transpo rolled out free fares this weekend for people to try out the New Ways to Bus initiative. Transit riders were coming and going from the Tunney’s Pasture LRT station and bus stops on Sunday, May 4, 2025. Photo by Ashley Fraser /POSTMEDIAArticle content

Elliott said OC Transpo staff should reach out to communities across Ottawa and talk to people who are transit dependent, especially high school students. Youth are future transit riders and should be able to go to places on their own, she said.

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“I’m not sure that OC Transpo really understands how much trust has been lost with transit riders. Sometimes when I talk to people about public transit, there’s a lot of sort of rolling of eyes and they sort of say, ‘Well, OC Transpo is terrible. I just don’t trust anything that they do,’ ” Elliott said.

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“I think OC Transpo really needs to focus a lot more on the real basics of providing this service and making sure it really is as reliable as can be. … I really think it probably wouldn’t cost OC Transpo much money to go out into the community and really talk to people who are transit dependent.”

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However, Elliott said she understands that OC Transpo is simply using the resources that they’ve been given, and it’s up to city council to pass a “more reasonable budget.” She wants suburban councillors to understand that not everyone in their wards are able to drive a car.

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“I live in a rural area. Trust me, there are lots of us out there. You can’t disadvantage people just because they don’t drive. That’s really unfair,” Elliott said.

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“I would really love the councillors in Kanata to really consider that’s not additional money (to public transit), and it’s not extra taxes. It’s sort of rethinking where do buses go.”