I've been considering writing this blog for a few weeks now, I've been putting it off because one of the many things I said I would adjust about myself was my negative opinions on various subject but I find, day by day, bus trip by bus trip many reasons why public transportation in this city sucks.
I think it all came about when the Metro ( a free daily newspaper) put out an article that said that customer service complaints were on the rise, but oc transpo didn't know why because when ever they monitored drivers they always seemed to run on time and be pictures of civility. They don't know why customers complain about the service they recieve?
Well as a person who relies on the bus to get her anywhere in the city she can't bike in the summer, or anywhere at all in the winter, I can list MANY reasons why people complain.
Most commonly is the frequency of the buses, and how often they don't run on time. If a schedule says the bus is going to be there at 4:30 you can bet you frozen little tooshy it's already gone by, or you'll be waiting an extrat ten to fifteen minutes for it.
Today's reason why OC Transpo sucks-->
The infamous 2 Route.
It never runs on time. Even when it's running late, you can lay good odds that you'll be waiting a half hour at least for it, even though its a high-traffic route with scheduled stops every 10 to 15 minutes you KNOW not to bother running to the stop cause it WILL be late. When it does come, the first bus is JAM packed full of people, and the second bus that just breezes by is emptier then a zombie-crawled grave.
Whilst standing, waiting for the 2, it arrives, late and full of people, this time...no second empty bus and I'm freezing so I get on. I fight to the back of the bus through the ignorami standing at the doors and I get to a place where I can stand, when the bell rings and the people shuttling off the bus fight to the door. The bus goes on through, passing the requested stop with out even slowing down.
This incites irrate people who'd probably been waiting as long as I had for the bus to start yelling. The driver ignores them and carries on to the next stop, three blocks away, leaving little old ladies, mothers with kids to BACK-TRACK to their stop to carry on home. I shrug and figure new driver doesn't know the route. It happens.
Next stop. Same thing. MORE irrate people. I start to wonder. This happens every other stop, including ignoring the people WAITING at the stops for the bus, leaving them in the blustery cold day for another bus, which being the 2 route, WILL BE LATE.
Now, I'm pissed because this is just plain ignorance on the bus-drivers behave and I'm starting to wonder if it's gonna happen to me. SHOCK and AWE it didn't, but I couldn't believe the unbelievable actions of the driver. WHO DOES THAT.
It is your job to STOP the BUS at the BUSSTOP when the STOP IS REQUESTED. Not carry on through to the next stop. You get OVERPAID to stop at peoples requests. And Its not like they waited to the very last second to ring the bell, no they gave AMPLE time for the bus driver to pull aside to the curb and let them off. Like they are OVERPAID to do.
What slayed me, is not two days after it was reported a car driver was killed for driving on the roads because talking on cell phone, the 2 route in the opposite direction goes FLYING by, ignoring the people at the stop, and the bus driver is on his cell, looking for the life of him like he was having the time of his life. Guess what...his bus was nearly empty and there was no bus behind him in sight.
Yah. Way to fucking go OCT and not knowing why you have so many customer complaints. TRY OPENING YOUR EYES AND ACTUALLY WATCHING WHAT YOUR DRIVERS ARE DOING!!!
idiots.
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16 comments:
My bus came ten minutes early tonight, then didn't come for another 40 minutes after I gave up waiting and 3 buses went by on the other side of the road, same route.
Seriously It sucks. I know.
I've been bussing for just a few weeks since my car went on sick leave, and of the 30-40 times I've taken the bus, I can't remember a single event where it was even remotely on time.
I live downtown, and my bus is scheduled to run every 10 minutes. Most mornings I wait 45 to an hour before seeing just one. I'm not too concerned about being late, my job is pretty flex, but I certainly am concerned about wasting 2-3 hours a day waiting for a bus when I could walk in less than half the time.
What's worse is the damned taxis can't keep up either. I had never heard of a taxi company having over one hour of backlogged calls, even when I was working as a cabbie over the holidays, years ago.
This city needs to act its size and grow its infrastructure accordingly. Of all the big cities I've lived in, Ottawa is the most frustrating and disorganized, especially when you factor in the high cost of living vs Toronto and New York.
Perfect blog. There should be an entire internet site dedicated to OC Transpo complaints, because I'm seeing them all over the web and hearing them on a daily basis.
Personally, I've been severely stressed while waiting for the bus to go to university. I figured an hour and a half would be a good time to wait for my bus and take the five or so kilometre trip to school, but I was only 10 minutes from being late! It's really sad when I can walk five kilometres faster than a bus can drive the same distance...
(P.S. Has anyone ever received a nice $150 fine for not getting a transfer? What kind of quick-change scam is that?)
OCTranspo Sucks! We need to have another service to compete with them.
Dear esteemed members of the Transit Committee,
The mood out there in our fair city is not so fair these days when it comes to the topic of OC Transpo. Hmmm … . I wonder why?
Last night (February 18), the lead-off story on CJOH focused on how upset and fed-up residents are right now due to a series of decisions which have only resulted in continued hardship for want-to-be OC Transpo riders. Again, I wonder why?
Last week, I called your customer line (613-842-3600) and was told that I could proceed with an application for an ECOPASS. My HR group took the time and effort (I emphasize their valuable time and effort) to process this application based on this information. This morning, I was contacted by the HR group who were informed only late yesterday that NO new ECOPASS applications were to be processed until further notice. I have been out of Ottawa since last August so I cannot benefit from the 60 % reduction of a December pass. So I'm supposed to fork out $81 for March and possibly another $81 for April, as payroll deductions for EcoPasses won't start until April sometime, by which time it will be too late to apply for an ECOPASS effective in April. I guess OC Transpo is not so desperate for new revenue after all???
Well, well. Fine little mess you've all created. I for one will not be rewarding you for decisions which are clearly not client-centered (hint: riders are the clients). Until I receive an acceptable solution to this situation, I will be doing the following:
1/ Starting tomorrow, I will not be riding OC Transpo ever again.
2/ I will be posting this letter to all websites as one more example of decisions being made without considering their effect on the client (again, hint: the rider is the client).
In closing, I have always been a strong advocate for public transit. Your recent decisions have just changed that. Well done.
A former OC Transpo rider,
L Grady
So, ummm. ya
I went on a bus, then I realized I lost my transfer. So then , I went to another bus, on the back, coz I don't have money or tickets. Then, thses guys check our tickets and I get in trouble
I hate OC transpo
I later found my trasfer
They are overpaid lazy------
Ugghhh.
I had the worst day ever today with OC Transpo! It's FREZING out today with winds that could rip 2 layers of skin off a person and I had to wait 35 mins for a 95 Barrhaven bus to show up at Baseline station!! Three of every bus came and went and even four 95 Baselines, but that dosen't help ME or the people waiting to get to Barrhaven. FINALLY a 95 Barrhaven bus shows up, and wouldn't ya know it, another one is right on it's back bumper. WTF!!
I get on the first one that clearly reads "95 Barrhaven Centre" and I'm thinking I'll be home home soon and that I can finally warm up; not so. Once we get to Fallowfield station, most people got off the bus like normal, except me and another person. We start taking a different route than usual and then the bus driver stops infront of the train station. He looks at me like I'm an idiot and asks "Didn't you hear the annoncement?" (for the last stop) and I said no because I had my headphones on. The driver was being a super DICK about it and was acting like I did something wrong. I told him I got on a Barrhaven bus and he told me that I didn't!! Yeah I effin' did I said. I read the sign before I got on. HE didn't have the right sign and he was acting like that was my mistake!!!! All-in-all, it took me over an hour to get from Baseline to Fallowfield/Greenbank (usually a 12 min bus ride). I never want to have to look at another OC Transpo bus again, let alone ride on one.
Can we put in complaints with OC Transpo to get something done? Or is that a silly question?
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I gave up on the OCT there are way too many problems to list. started biking everywhere. It takes less time to bike from Kanata to Downtown, it is more fun and best of all, my bike is much more reliable then the bus. Unfortunately my bike doesn't work in the winter very well, chain freezes up and today I had to wear a suit to an interview, can't really bike with a suit on. After a full year of biking and not taking the bus, the 2 times in the last 2 weeks I took the bus, I was reminded of how horrible it is. I can't remember 1 single ride on the OCT where I didn't have a problem.
First I'd like to thank you for posting this blog, It's needed.
I think OCT needs a lot of improvement and it won't happen unless we make it happen. I've had so many horrible experiences riding OCT buses it's hard to remember them all but the worse I can think of is:
One morning waiting for the 155 Lebreton, At Baseline and Navaho, due to arrive at 8:33am it arrives at 8:40am, it's late as per usual. I hop on and try to get as comfortable as I can in these plastic hard seats that start to hurt my butt after 2 min. Then the bus drives down baseline to make a left onto Merivale. The bus is then supposed to go through some residential streets (Central park etc)and back out onto Merivale, The driver messes this up by not turning off Merivale and drives all the way down Merivale to Carling stoping at stops that aren't for the 155 I though it was strange but as long as we're heading in the right direction still. The bus makes it to Carling and instead of making a right the driver goes straight into the mall. Now I'm pissed, I walk to the front to ask the driver if she knows where she is going. She says I'm just turning around. Ok, I thought, thats's good, No its not, The driver has not turn around and started to driver back up Merivale the way we came. I walk to the front of the bus again and asked the driver if she knows where she is going, she replies "I missed half my stops I have to go back." OMFG!!!! are you kidding. Eveyone on the bus if pissed and freaking, and 3 people want off right now. She stops to let then off, and yells the the rest of the bus, I you want off get off now cause I'm not stoping again. I had no choice I had to stay on the bus and bare it.
This kind of incompetence must and will be stopped.
OC Transpo is a profit-hungry piece of shit.
So they recently made major changes to a number of routes, including my express bus 23, which was cancelled. Great, the only express bus in all of Chapel Hill is cancelled. They replace it with the 34, which now runs through all of Orleans before getting onto the transit way, and is LITERALLY the same speed as the overcrowded 94 that crawls its way through Blackburn Hamlet. The only upside is that it does not pick up the inconsiderate high school and university students that are too cheap to pay for express. Thanks for turning a 20minute ride into a 40 minute commute from hell.
Just another confirmation as to why I do my best to avoid Ottawa at all costs. Too many greatly-entitled limp-wristed, delicate Lefties ... from the lowly Green Hornets to your very boring, superior-being Mayor.
Happy in Gatineau
The bus drivers are rude and in recent years, the GM of OC transpo was arrested for molesting a child! Way to run a business!
To touch on what Daniel sad,
I was about to receive a fine and I refused to give them my name or show them ID. The first words out of my mouth after being pulled off the bus was call the police! I was then issued a warning and gave them the correct information. Not like I was hiding anything.
You have to know your rights and they have to know theirs. Many of them are rude and act like they are law enforcement professionals.Of course there not.They are city's municipal employees at best.In fact better in some ways, better as they can shut down the city on strike.
One fact we have to know is we have the most costly, less efficient public transportation in North America. In short that means they use the most money for the service they provide. Little wonder, anyone knows if something is run by the government its never as good as a privately run would be.
Any problem with OC take your complaint straight to the city. I myself have mailed the mayor and got back what I expected. Agreement with me and noting was done. In fact I have no idea why it was ever called OC transpo in the first place ?To save money, next time we order new buses use the same paint as city vehicles are used and add a City of Ottawa logo, now that's the truth!
For the same city councilors that vote to make rout changes. They all should be forced to leave their cars at home and use the bus for a full year threw winter to be allowed to make that judgment call.
We need to change how this city act's and spends each dollar now!
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