When it’s -30 degrees out it may feel like every bus is late, but according to OC Transpo data, that is not always the case.
OC Transpo keeps a complete log of bus time accuracy online. Released twice a year, these numbers go back to 2010 and list the buses’ timeliness as percentages.
Buses can run early by more or less than two minutes, on time, or late.
While some buses are consistently late—the 261 was late 34 per cent of the time on average between 2012 and 2014—others are on time a lot more often than students might expect.
On campus, the 111 bus is on time the most often and late the least. In 2014, it was on time 71 per cent of the time and late a mere nine per cent.
Eric Tibbetts, a political science student who takes the 111 on his daily commute, said these numbers come as a big surprise.
“Generally it’s either 15-20 minutes late, or if it is on time it’s too full for students to get one so you have to get a second or third bus,” Tibbetts said. “I’ve been late several times, even for exams because of the 111 bus, so it affects me a lot.”
According to Troy Charter, associate general manager of transit services at OC Transpo, bus timeliness depends on a lot of factors besides the obvious traffic.
“Disruptions to regular service can occur despite having established service standards,” Charter said in an email. “Inclement weather or traffic congestion impact many of our routes or can produce delays, which can sometimes result in overloaded buses depending on the area of the City that they service along with running behind schedule.”
On the other hand, the 7 St. Laurent was the least timely campus bus, running exactly on time only 62 per cent of the time last year, and was late 15 per cent of the time.
For Jennifer Halsall, a third-year journalism student, this comes as no surprise.
“Typically I’ll show up at the stop and it’ll be late, or it’ll be early for once in my life and I’ll miss it, so I skate to school a fair bit,” she said.
The numbers are collected for peak period runs, which are between 6-9 a.m. The statistics also differentiate between commuter buses, which run on the Transitway, and regular routes. Not surprisingly, commuter buses tend to be on time more often than regular buses.
Between 2012 and 2014, the trends hold true. On average, the 111 was still the campus bus that is most often on time, running on schedule 66 per cent of the time, while the 7 and the 4 were on time 63 per cent of the time. The 111 was late only eight per cent of the time, while the 7 was late a whopping 15 per cent of its scheduled routes.
OC Transpo has a variety ways to ensure buses are where they should be, Charter said.
“We monitor approximately 825 buses on the street during rush hour and we also rely on Traffic Management for camera imagery at intersections; and GPS technology that permits us to monitor where each bus should be and whether they are on-time, ahead of or behind schedule,” Charter said.
But according to Halsall, no matter how often the bus is on time, students will always be destined to be waiting in the cold.
“It’s especially good when they send one weensy bus, when you’ve got everyone coming out of your 9 p.m. class and everyone is stuck at the stop,” she said.
