Full OC Transpo service resumes March 15

As some readers who may have taken their usual public transit routes in to work Monday morning, full OC Transpo service--including all express and rural express routes--resumed to pre-strike levels on Monday, March 15.

Even with service resumed, though, some rural commuters aren't happy with their lot in the service resumption plan, according to the Ottawa Citizen:

Bruce Webster, president of the Richmond Village Association, said he wrote to Bay Councillor Alex Cullen, head of the city’s transit committee, suggesting that the committee consider providing partial OC Transpo service or hire school buses until full service could be undertaken. Webster said he never received a reply.

“We are definitely being treated like second-class citizens,” said Webster.

“There was no explanation through the whole return to service of why they felt Rideau Street needed to have 50 buses a day whereas Richmond should have none.”

Original service resumption plans had the OC Transpo returning to full pre-strike service on April 6, meaning that the transit utility is three full weeks ahead of their resumption schedule.

With the buses back in normal service, Ottawa Metro is reporting that downtown parking restrictions and discounts will be reverting to their pre-strike systems:

On-street metered parking rates will return to $3 per hour.

The temporary parking lots that opened during the transit strike will close, as will carpooling lots at city facilities and carpooling discounts at municipal lots will cease.

All-day, on-street parking at one-, two- and three-hour unmetered parking locations will no longer be permitted.