'A bit of confusion': Weekend bus riders test out citywide route changes

Ottawa's big transit shift hits another gear Sunday, as major changes tobus routes are introduced in an attempt to better align the busnetwork with light rail.

Parallel bus routes that have been operating during thefirst three weeks of LRT service will end today. Most OC Transpo routes will also stop bringing ridersinto the downtown core, shuttling theminsteadtoward the Tunney's Pasture, Hurdman and Blair light rail stations.

Other longstanding Ottawa routes, like the heavily-used No. 95, will be retired from service.

Pat Scrimgeour, the transit agency's director of customer systems and planning, has called it OC Transpo's "biggest service change ever."

• OC Transpo's 'biggest service change ever' just 4 days away
• Major bus route changes on the way

Scrimgeour said they'll be keeping a close eye on the changes and will haveextra buses ready to address problems that might emerge.

The transit agency is also open toaltering schedules if something isn't working, he added.

"If we see a trend developing that there are a group of customers not being accommodated, we will make sure the arrangements are there for subsequent days,"Scrimgeour said.

Look for red vests

OC Transpo has promised that removing the bottlenecks in the downtown core willmake taking transit morereliable the main criticism amongriders whoendured light rail construction for years.

The city has been advertising the changes for weeks, and Scrimgeoursaid there will be lots of people on hand to both help with the transition and offer advice to people whose commutes are changing.

"Look for anyone at any of our stations that is wearing a red vest," Scrimgeour advised transit users."We will be happy to help you any way we can."

Riders prepare

While the big test will be Monday morning, when people return to work, some riders like Anna Morris used Sunday as a chance to get used to the changes.

Morris said theywouldprobably add 15 to 30 minutes to her commute.

"I don't think they've put enough thought into how they're handling the people in the suburbs. For the people that are living in the downtown area and are right off of the stations, I think it's going to work fantastic for them," she said, standing at Tunney's Pasture station.

"But the people that are in the suburbs, trying to get parking in park-and-rides ...it's adding [time] for some people."

'I have no choice'

Moe Asgari said he knew the changes were coming, but was still slightly perplexedabout how to navigate his route Sunday.

"It's a bit of confusion. Good thing that you don't see high traffic [today]," Asgari said.

"There are people that they just don't know what is going on. Maybe, I guess, because they never checked the information site. But overall, you know, you seeit's all right. Everything seems to be in order, kind of."

As forEvlynPeter, she'll be switching to the train since her bus route No. 57 no longer exists.

"I don't really like it," Peter said Sunday."But I have no choice."