Large groups of students were stuck on campus in the afternoon and evening of Jan. 29 when buses were majorly delayed by inclement weather.
The delays began at approximately 4 p.m. and continued throughout the evening as Ottawa received 10-15 centimetres of snow.
More than one third of OC Transpo buses in service were delayed by over 20 minutes at 4:45 p.m., according to Troy Charter of OC Transpo transit operations. Of these buses, 14 per cent were delayed by more than 30 minutes.
Delays occurred as bus drivers struggled with falling snow, but also as other vehicle collisions caused road blocks, including on Bronson Avenue.
“The delays experienced last Thursday were directly related to the winter weather, road and traffic conditions, and were felt across the city,” Charter said.
The day saw 125 collisions, the Ottawa Sun reported.
Overcrowded buses at peak times are constant issues regardless of the weather, president of the Carleton University Students’ Association (CUSA) Folarin Odunayo said.
“If it’s a weather thing, it’s not exclusive to Carleton campus,” Odunayo said.
CUSA is meeting with OC Transpo later this month to discuss campus bus service and the U-Pass.
OC Transpo received four complaints from customers who were identified as travelling to Carleton, three regarding bus route #111 and one regarding bus route #4, Charter said.
Fourth-year Carleton student Kevin Partridge said he waited over an hour for bus route #7 from approximately 4:30 p.m. to 5:45 p.m.
“It was getting very, very crowded,” Partridge said. “It got so silly.”
Several buses on other routes came and went, and the bus that eventually became route #7 waited at the shoulder of the road for approximately ten minutes, not in service, Partridge said. He gave up and took the O-Train instead just before the waiting bus became a #7, Partridge said.
“I could not understand how they would simply cancel what is supposed to be one of the most frequent buses that goes there,” Partridge said.
Customers were informed of service delays through OC Transpo’s website updates, text and email alters, Twitter, and the MyTransit App. Updates were posted on all communication channels, including a warning as the inclement weather began that delays were likely, Charter said.
Partridge said he phoned OC Transpo while he was waiting but couldn’t get through.
When winter weather conditions cause delays, transit supervisors monitor and adjust buses and routes to reduce customer impact. Bus drivers receive cyclical training with a focus on driving in winter weather, Charter said.
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