No more stops at Place for Orléans express transit

Starting Nov. 16, routes 20, 22 and 35 will no longer stop at the Place d’Orléans station and Park and Ride throughout the morning rush, a decision that comes in the wake of rider frustration about daily pauses at the shopping centre not seeing any new or departing passengers.

“People want to get from point A to point B as soon as possible without any interruptions,” explains Orléans Coun. Bob Monette, especially with many east-end express routes already filled to capacity by the time they reach Place each day. “Even before getting on the highway they have to get off at Place d’Orléans. No one would get on and no one would get off. (A lot of residents) were frustrated about that. It makes a big difference if you’re trying to get to work.”

According to OC Transpo numbers, as few as 18 riders a day are using the three express routes to travel to the east-end shopping centre, service still available on other local buses. By comparison, 140 passengers use those same routes on a daily basis to commute downtown.

After taking the 35 express route for 20 years, Orléans resident Tom Lockett says he was frustrated to see new scheduling implemented in September include breaks at Place, where buses would wait anywhere from two to five minutes without gaining or losing passengers.

“Most mornings, nobody would get on, nobody would get off,” he recounts, with most riders opting for the 95 bus rather than trying to squeeze onto the crowded express route for a higher fare. “By the time they get down there, most of (the express buses) are completely full. Everyone just found it a waste of time.”

The “so-called improvements” only caused more aggravation for east-end riders, he continues, especially after paying additional money for express service.

“It was frustrating because we were stopping where we shouldn’t have been stopping,” Lockett suggests, explaining the issue was less about inconveniences and more about not being in line with typical express service. “They were turning it into a local route.”

News that the practice of pausing at Place will cease later this month was positive for Lockett, calling himself “quite pleased” at hearing the news.

“We’ve been fighting for it all fall,” he adds.

Initial hesitation on OC Transpo’s part to eliminate those stops shifted after numerous complaints from area transit users, continues Monette, calling their role in modifying the schedule “very cooperative. They realized it made sense.”

The changes will only come into effect mid-month thanks to scheduling information that had already been released publicly, he recounts, and will mark an improvement to Orléans’ transit service, though Monette admits other kinks in the area’s routes still remain to be ironed out.

“A lot’s been done,” he adds.