Ottawa's transit riders got some attention this week as mayoral candidate Jeff Leiper unveiled a new transit plan centred on reversing recent cuts to OC Transpo bus service.
What's in the plan
Leiper, who currently represents Kitchissippi on city council, says that if elected mayor he would work to restore roughly $10 million worth of bus service that was cut from OC Transpo's budget. The specifics of which routes or frequencies would be affected weren't detailed in the announcement, but the price tag gives Ottawans a sense of the scale of the rollback he's promising.
Why it matters for Ottawa
OC Transpo has faced a rough few years, with ridership still working to recover post-pandemic and the city under pressure to balance transit funding against other budget priorities. Cuts to bus service tend to hit hardest in neighbourhoods that rely on frequent, reliable routes to get to work, school, or appointments — and reduced service can also make it harder to convince former riders to come back to the bus instead of driving.
For a city that's also grappling with LRT reliability issues, any commitment to strengthen the bus network is likely to resonate with commuters who've grown frustrated waiting at stops for buses that show up late or not at all.
The mayoral race context
Transit has increasingly become a flashpoint issue in Ottawa municipal politics, and Leiper's announcement signals that it will likely be a central plank of the upcoming mayoral race. By putting a specific dollar figure on his promise, Leiper is inviting scrutiny — and comparison — from other candidates on how they'd handle OC Transpo funding.
Ottawa residents who depend on public transit will want to watch closely as more candidates lay out their own transit platforms in the months ahead. Whether $10 million is enough to meaningfully restore service levels, or whether it's simply a starting point for a larger conversation about how the city funds public transit, remains to be seen.
What's next
As the mayoral race heats up, expect more details from Leiper's campaign on which specific routes or service levels would be prioritized for restoration. Ottawa voters will have the chance to weigh transit promises against other issues — housing, infrastructure, and public safety — as the campaign progresses.
Source: Ottawa Citizen
