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Passengers step off the east-bound Blair train at Rideau Station on Nov. 22. Photo by Raylene Lung.<\/p>\n
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OC Transpo attempts to compensate for recent lack of LRT reliability<\/strong><\/p>\n This week, OC Transpo announced plans to freeze transit fares until March 2020<\/a>, to compensate riders for months of LRT trouble.\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n However, one of Ottawa\u2019s citizen transit commissioners says she thinks more needs to be done.<\/p>\n \u201cI don’t honestly believe that three months (fare freeze) is enough to compensate our riders for the ongoing frustrations,\u201d said Sarah Wright-Gilbert Friday.<\/p>\n The fare freeze halts a 2.5 per cent increase that was scheduled for next year. The freeze is expected to cost OC Transpo nearly $1 million<\/a>.<\/p>\n Mayor Jim Watson proposed the three-month fare freeze on Nov. 8 in a letter to city manager Steve Kanellakos<\/a>.<\/p>\n Coun. Catherine McKenney then introduced a proposal to extend the freeze for 12 months. However their proposal failed to pass at the transit commission meeting on Nov. 20.<\/p>\n Wright-Gilbert said that if the reliability and technical issues have not been resolved by March 2020, there is still a possibility that the freeze could be extended.<\/p>\n \u201cI would like to have a little bit more transparency and clarity on what senior staff at the City of Ottawa are doing to determine whether or not we’ve reached reliability and the issues have been fixed,\u201d Wright-Gilbert said.<\/p>\n It\u2019s no secret that the LRT has frustrated commuters since it opened in September.<\/p>\n Emma Berthiaume and Jessica Morin, both students at the University of Ottawa, take the LRT to school every day. They said that they welcome the fare freeze because it would help keep transit passes affordable, but they believe that the LRT introduced a host of unnecessary problems.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re forcing us to take the train, you\u2019re forcing us to pay more when we had an efficient bus system in the beginning,\u201d said Berthiaume.<\/p>\n \u201cI wish there were still normal buses going downtown,\u201d added Morin. \u201cBecause sometimes (the train) breaks down and I waited 45 minutes once just for it to get fixed, when I could have just used a bus to bring me there.\u201d<\/p>\n Both hope that the fare freeze will be extended beyond the spring.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”3.25″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” min_height=”2128px” custom_margin=”0px|auto||auto||” custom_padding=”0px|||||”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”3.25″ custom_padding=”|||” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/yow\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/IMG_3603-2.jpg” _builder_version=”4.0.6″ custom_margin=”1px||10px|||”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.0.6″ text_font_size=”13px” text_line_height=”1.2em” width=”100%” min_height=”39px” custom_margin=”-10px|-338px|-1px|||” custom_padding=”|0px|1px|||”]<\/p>\n Sarah Zabudsky, a Carleton University Student, waits at Rideau Station for the west-bound train to Tunney’s Pasture on Friday. Photo by Raylene Lung.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.0.6″ min_height=”455px” custom_margin=”5px|||||” custom_padding=”0px||1px|||”]<\/p>\n Sarah Zabudsky, a third-year criminology student at Carleton University who takes the LRT on weekdays, said the fare freeze would benefit frequent riders.<\/p>\n She has other LRT woes too, though.<\/p>\n \u201cI have issues getting on the [Trillium Line] at rush hour because those trains come every 15 minutes instead of four,\u201d Zabudsky said. \u201cSo it gets really overcrowded.\u201d<\/p>\n OC Transpo continues to struggle with multiple LRT issues, including problems with the onboard computer system, the doors and what some are describing as limited platform space at Blair station. Wright-Gilbert said that the Rideau Transit Group, who built the system are in the process of \u00a0resolving these issues.<\/p>\n \u201cThe frustrations that riders are feeling are that [they] were promised a system that was going to be a \u2018world class system with world class service\u2019 and that is clearly not what we received,\u201d said Wright-Gilbert.<\/p>\n She said that OC Transpo has been very responsive to feedback and taking ideas from the public into consideration.<\/p>\n \u201cThey are open to suggestions from riders and commissioners,\u201d Wright-Gilbert said. \u201cI do hope that as we move forward, things will improve.\u201d<\/p>\n On Nov. 21, Wright-Gilbert asked followers on Twitter for their advice on improving the system. Among responses, people called for more transparent communication from OC Transpo.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_code _builder_version=”4.0.6″]<\/p>\n While it is great you are lending your voice and suggestions to improving the comms, the reality of it, is that internal leadership\/management is not there, it shouldn't be that difficult to get consistent, clear detailed updates on service related issues. OC needs change in mgmt<\/p>\n \u2014 Drew Van Boeschoten (@DrewVanB) November 21, 2019<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n \n