Ottawa LRT Delays Are So Bad That Commuters & Councillors Want The Old Buses Back

Ottawa's LRT has been experiencing more issues than anticipated since the city switched out busses for a new light rail system. Commuters have been vocal about their struggles with the new transit system, and many are calling for going back to the way it was before. The Ottawa LRT delays have been going on for months now. CBC reports that even Ottawa city councillors are working toward ditching the LRT until it is "dependable". Councillor Jeff Leiper has said that commuter's backlash on social media is what really got the conversation rolling."We saw social media discussions about people waiting for some long times in the cold, people being asked to walk … on sidewalks that didn't look plowed," he told CBC.

"The train needs to work before we can ask people to continue relying on it."The service has been so dissatisfactory that even the mayor called for a fare freeze to try and make up for the issues people have had to face on the new system. It has been so bad that they even launched a support group and distress hotline to help people cope. Councillors and residents alike agree that something needs to change. Councillor Catherine McKenney wrote on Twitter that she is "calling for the restoration of all R1 busses until the trains are dependable."

This has been in response to the slew of frustrated passengers who took to social media to expose the atrocity of their morning and afternoon commutes.

It also seems that OC Transpo has not been responding to peoples' complaints.

The long wait times are becoming even more desperate because of how cold it is now. Waiting during delays is hard enough, but with -20 C windchill, it's worse. 

"Looks nice, doesn't work," wrote one frustrated Twitter user over the delays that have been plaguing the city for months.

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