Opinions mixed on STO route changes in Aylmer neighbourhood

Some public transit riders in west Gatineau say this week's fall schedule changes are leaving them with fewer, more crowded buses on their morning and afternoon commutes, while others are thankful for service that's now closer to their homes.

As of Monday, several Socit de transport de l'Outaouais (STO) routes 40, 41, 44, 45, 46 and 47 no longer stop at the Rivermead and Hippodrome parkandride stations.

Routes 49, 50, 54, 55, 58, 59 and 800 continue to serve those stops.

Meanwhile, route 59 to and from Ottawa has been extended to the Allumettires parkandride station, and it will run more frequently during peak hours.

DanielBlouin, who lives near theRivermeadstation and has walked there to get to work in downtown Ottawa for about 10 years, said he's not pleased with the reduced service at his station.

"As of [now] they're saying that the service is going to be better. It's not. They're literally taking this station and poisoning the service to itin order to resolve situations elsewhere in the network. It's ridiculous," he said in an interview atRivermeadstation on Wednesday morning.

"In the morning, instead of having the service every couple of minutes now I'm getting service, generally, I'd say, within eight to 10 minutes."

"That doesn't sound all that bad,"Blouinadmits, but watching buses that used to stop at the station pass by is frustrating. And on the way back toRivermeadstation, buses are often full, he said.

Other riders said they hoped the STO could find a way to restore service levels to where they used to be, when they had several options to get downtown.

"Especially in the morning when I have to go to work and not be late, [I'd like] to have at least one bus every two to three minutes, the same thing in the evening," said Angela Baroncha, another rider who commutes from Aylmer to Ottawa.

'Makes things easier for me'

Darie Renamba said she's happy doesn't have to walk to Rivermead station anymore. She can take a bus closer to her home on Aylmer Road, and she gets more service along that route.

"It helps me for the simple fact that I have more buses going by, and also closer bus stops," she said.

"So that makes things easier for me."

The STO said these changes are meant to shift service toAylmer'snewer residential areas, where peoplehave been asking for it.

"The last [major] changes on the network in the Aylmer sector were in 2007, the residential development has been very important and we needed to adapt the network," she said.

Gauthier said buses that are normally on standby have becomeroute 59 busesthis weekand service could bepermanently boosted inthreeto fourweeks as they continue to watch the situation.

A report released Tuesday by Gatineau's auditor general's office detailed how the STO is having someproblemsmaintaining its fleet. It found that seven buses are out of service daily as mechanics struggle to make repairs without the available parts.