Ottawa transit rider group wants old schedule back

An Ottawa transit rider group isurging OC Transpo to go back to its pre-pandemicschedule because of the fear of crowded buses in the time of physical distancing.

Bus schedules were modified late last monthdue to very lowridership in the COVID-19 pandemic, reducing most routes to a Saturday schedule every day but Sunday.

But John Redins with Ottawa Transit Riders, whichspeaks out about issues and improvements with the service, saidthat's not working.

"There's been occasions that there havebeen more people in the bus, especially during the rush hours, forcing people to not even get on the bus," Redins said

"There was one [Sunday] in Nepean I saw that a medical professional refused to get on the bus because there were too many people. This person was trying to get to work."

Others have raised similar points.

Redins would like to see a return to the regular schedule to get more buses on the road andallow better physical distancing.

"They're going to say the cost is too high. What's the cost to human life?" he said. "You're putting operators and passengers at risk."

Four OC Transpo employees have tested positive: two bus drivers, a Confederation Line red vest worker and a special constable.

City will monitor routes

In a statement Monday afternoon, Pat Scrimgeour, the city's director of transit customer systems and planning, said service on some routes had already been increased, with the most recent changes implementedApril 10.

Scrimgeour said the transit agency was "listening to feedback from customers and operators."

"We will be prioritizing changes that keep sufficient space available on buses and changes that address travel needs to essential services," he said.

A city spokesperson also pointed to a March 29 memo to council and the transit commission.

In it, the city's transportation general manager John Manconi saidthe city will continue to monitor routes and add extra buses if needed