OC Transpo making express service even faster

With its spring service changes this year, OC Transpo is working to make express and rural express (the commuter-targeted direct-to-downtown transit option) faster than ever. The changes will limit the number of stops these routes make during the morning rush hour, with most routes offering only drop-offs when travelling between the community they start from and downtown.

Express service is also due for improvements when the city's $82M double-decker bus purchase goes through. The double-decker buses have been earmarked for express service, offering a more comfortable ride for users.

What does all this mean for urban riders within the Greenbelt? Not very much. Express buses, with relatively low cost-recovery due to the necessity of dead-heading, aren't too popular with urban residents as it is. And with these changes, it's probable that even more buses will drive right past people in the core waiting at the bus stop (although many express routes are full at that point, so many would be driving past that way even under the current service model).

As an express bus rider, though? This is good for me personally.