Transit Service, Post-2018 Phase 1 LRT

[GTAmissions1]

2 hours ago, Waiting for 30 Minutes said:

Your thinking here is based on the assumption nothing will go wrong in a light rail tunnel.

I should have edited further to explain. 

Though, the tunnel is built to withstand earthquakes along with backup power available just in case of a power outage, trains won't be stuck unable to move thousands.  

In the event that the tunnel had to be closed for any reason (security issue, maintenance or mechanical issue on-board train blocking the platform), they would simply extend the rapid transit routes nearby the affected to bridge the gap like the current proposed plan for extending rapid transit routes when the LRT isn't running. 

11 minutes ago, HB_1024 said:

The article doesn't explicitly state that 170-180 buses will be retired, only that they will be "removed from the road", although it's strongly implied.

That being said, "170-180" lines up almost perfectly with the hybrid bus fleet size (176). Not to mention the hybrids are the only ones not receiving new equipment (D40i light rebuild, Luminator retrofit in D60LFs). I will not miss them if they retire in 2018.

The hybrids are a disaster to begin with. Especially having 176 of them in the fleet, there isn't that many stop and go routes so they can recharge. 

I did read about how they planned to covert the engines to diesel, but they scrapped that project. Considering how much they contributed to the deficit, I also won't be missing them either. I personally call the hybrids "black holes" for sucking in a lot of resources. 

[MCIBUS]

There not a diaster, if you want a diaster take the Invero, its the worst bus out there. The A/C sucks big time hence why you se the rear windows open all the time when the A/C is on. The lighting inside suches. The rioute destination sign sucks you can't really read it in the sun and for those who have visual disabilities that even harder to see, the rear seating is just horible, if your seating in the rear seat next to the windo the person sitting next to has to get up for you get out compared to the Hybrd where you only need to move your feet slightly to get out.

 

On the other hand the lighting in the Hybrds is mice, the A/C is perfect,the desination signs are large and visable even in the sun.

 

Scrape the Invero's not the Hybrds

[chimo]

I don't understand the hate about the inveros. While not perfect they do work better than the hybrids. I have taken the bus for over 30 years and the only times I have been on a bus that went mechanical was the hybrids. While it's only my personal experience I couple that with the reports from the auditor general about the really bad design, high fuel consumption and bad assembly and really the hybrids have to go. 

Fortunately that's what OC management told council last year. 

Now is the time for Ottawa to go to Queen's Park ( Ontario wants to cut carbon emissions and improve the environment) and ask for funding to electrify the fleet. With the latest improvements from Proterra even the longest express routes can be done with electrics. Van Hool has interesting buses with the Exquicity line which could be deployed with no wires.

I am disappointed with the numbers of staff to be cut. I am afraid that OC might after all try to pull a Rapibus on us. This is way too much.

Yes the LRT was suppose to reduce the number of buses going downtown but it was supposed to improve transit in Ottawa. Sure my commute might improve but the rest might be worse. 

Am wondering if it's again OC management trying to make it look worse before they reduce those numbers...Also a good way to ask for funding. 

In this day and age constant investments and improvements in transit should be the norm. Then again we still have politicians stuck in the 1950's promising to expand the 174...

No reason to expand the 174 especially with stage 2 going all the way to Trim. 

[JRM1000]

5 hours ago, MCIBUS said:

There not a diaster, if you want a diaster take the Invero, its the worst bus out there. The A/C sucks big time hence why you se the rear windows open all the time when the A/C is on. The lighting inside suches. The rioute destination sign sucks you can't really read it in the sun and for those who have visual disabilities that even harder to see, the rear seating is just horible, if your seating in the rear seat next to the windo the person sitting next to has to get up for you get out compared to the Hybrd where you only need to move your feet slightly to get out.

 

On the other hand the lighting in the Hybrds is mice, the A/C is perfect,the desination signs are large and visable even in the sun.

 

Scrape the Invero's not the Hybrds

You think that's bad, go ride a Nova. Here in Hamilton we have LFS CNG because we are part of the Metrolinx purchasing consortium. The A/C is so bad in the back, it doesn't blow really at all. I have been on the Invero from my time in Ottawa and I can say they are better than the Nova's we have and the Nova's are brand new. 

 

Although, I do wish OC had gone with the D40LFR instead of the Invero, or the DE40LFR instead of the Orion VII. 

[HB_1024]

2 hours ago, JRM1000 said:

Although, I do wish OC had gone with the D40LFR instead of the Invero, or the DE40LFR instead of the Orion VII. 

The D40LFR did not exist when the Inveros were purchased, it was just the regular D40LF. Based on my riding experience on D60LFs, I'd rather have the Invero.

Thoughts on the Inveros and Hybrids

The Invero isn't really that great of a bus (more of a mostly-failed experiment than anything else), but it's a much better quality product than the Orion VII is. Diesel or hybrid, the Orion interior just reeks of "we're going out of business and can't afford this" cheap plastic. The ceiling is way too high (or the floor is way too low), and every single road blemish can be felt in them. They'll also be 8-10 years old...prime time for rebuild, that's big $$$ especially given their status as hybrids and the really inefficient powertrain. And so it is prime time to disappear too.

I will agree that the Invero lighting isn't really good and really should be improved. The hybrids are not the bus to look to as an example of good lighting though, I find that unless the doors are open or both sets of lights are turned on, the interior of the hybrid is really dark and dull, moreso than the Invero in some cases.

Thoughts on future fleet purchases

I can picture OC's next buses (whenever those come in, likely not until mid-2020s) potentially being Novas, to be perfectly honest. I'm hopeful they won't be Xcelsiors, after seeing a few of GRT's buses I have to say I am not impressed with them. To me, they are a cheaply built bus that is basically a modernized Invero and is actually rather ugly and unappealing to look at. The fully raised roofline (on the ones that have it) just makes it look even uglier, but I don't think there's a single bus out there that makes a fully raised roofline look good.

I can also see OC getting more hybrid buses. However, they would have to be running a different powertrain, something like the GM-Allison parallel system with a Cummins ISL9. The BAE powertrain (which is a series system) is a joke. Topping all that off is the undersized pickup truck engine (Cummins ISB). ISBs are meant (IMO) for medium duty vehicles like pickup trucks and 30 foot buses; whoever thought putting an ISB in a "full-sized" 40 foot bus was a good idea wasn't thinking about anything but significant cost savings...which really wasn't a good idea.

I think there would need to be significant infrastructure investment and a lengthy trial period before Transpo buys electric-only buses. I can't imagine they want a repeat of the hybrid disaster if the electric buses don't work out as planned.

Air conditioning

The A/C sucks on every OC Transpo bus that isn't a double decker.

I've been on many hybrids, and I can't say I am impressed with the air conditioning. The same thing goes for the artics and the Invero. People having to open the windows on hybrids is a fairly common occurrence, as it is on any bus.

I never liked the Orion VIs we had (too slow, funny engine noises, awkward seating), but the one thing they got right was the air conditioning.

More bus retirement thoughts

As crazy as this sounds, I wouldn't put it above OC Transpo to try and sell some of their D60LFRs. They're decent buses, but they aren't the most reliable things in the world (hello rush hour bus fleet shortage of recent past), and aren't really capable of handling our wonderful winters. Why not get some money out of them now while they're worth something?

Really, we'll probably see a mixture of buses retired. Dump the worst hybrids and use their parts to fix up the good ones, get rid of a few unrefurbished Inveros, maybe even sell a few D60LF[R]s off to try and get additional revenue that way. With that, you'll (hopefully) get the most reliable bus fleet, as opposed to a fleet of common bus types that may not even be reliable over the long run, resulting in further bus shortages.

[Dane]

I haven't been following this project too closely until I read the number of job reductions it will bring... Isn't the New line only 12km? Seems shocking to think that there will be such a dramatic reduction in driver positions and buses for a relatively short piece of infrastructure? 

[Waiting for 30 Minutes]

11 hours ago, GTAmissions1 said:

The hybrids are a disaster to begin with. Especially having 176 of them in the fleet, there isn't that many stop and go routes so they can recharge. 

The routes that best qualify for hybrids are the 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 14, 16, 18, 105, 111, 112, 114, and most of the locals, along with night-time operations on the Fallowfield-to-Riverview 94 and Greenboro East 98. The combined requirements there do mandate the number of hybrids procured by OC Transpo about a decade ago.

10 hours ago, MCIBUS said:

There not a diaster, if you want a diaster take the Invero, its the worst bus out there. The A/C sucks big time hence why you se the rear windows open all the time when the A/C is on. The lighting inside suches. The rioute destination sign sucks you can't really read it in the sun and for those who have visual disabilities that even harder to see, the rear seating is just horible, if your seating in the rear seat next to the windo the person sitting next to has to get up for you get out compared to the Hybrd where you only need to move your feet slightly to get out.

That's a design issue with the sloped front panel of glass in front of the destination sign. The Luminators also become illegible at certain angles on the other buses, but not to the degree as the Inveroes. Some Inveroes, the destination sign cannot be seen until the bus is right in front of you. A few buses have a remedy where the destination sign is also installed on a slope to match that of the glass.

6 hours ago, chimo said:

I don't understand the hate about the inveros. While not perfect they do work better than the hybrids. I have taken the bus for over 30 years and the only times I have been on a bus that went mechanical was the hybrids. While it's only my personal experience I couple that with the reports from the auditor general about the really bad design, high fuel consumption and bad assembly and really the hybrids have to go. 

The Inveroes are terrible buses to drive. Most are not sturdy, the steering is easily affected by minor blemishes in the road surface, and climate control is questionable at best. The downshifts are inconsistent, from non-existent to far-too-existent, to it-comes-on-when-and-how-it-wants-to. The brakes become dangerously weak too easily, and the steering is inconsistent to an amount that has left buses needing to back up where hybrids, artics, and double-deckers can easily clear.

The rebuilds aren't much better.

4 hours ago, JRM1000 said:

You think that's bad, go ride a Nova. Here in Hamilton we have LFS CNG because we are part of the Metrolinx purchasing consortium. The A/C is so bad in the back, it doesn't blow really at all. I have been on the Invero from my time in Ottawa and I can say they are better than the Nova's we have and the Nova's are brand new. 

As an operator I know from York Region Transit said when he first got behind the wheel of a Nova, "it's a Thomas!"

1 hour ago, HB_1024 said:

Thoughts on the Inveros and Hybrids

The Invero isn't really that great of a bus (more of a mostly-failed experiment than anything else), but it's a much better quality product than the Orion VII is. Diesel or hybrid, the Orion interior just reeks of "we're going out of business and can't afford this" cheap plastic. The ceiling is way too high (or the floor is way too low), and every single road blemish can be felt in them. They'll also be 8-10 years old...prime time for rebuild, that's big $$$ especially given their status as hybrids and the really inefficient powertrain. And so it is prime time to disappear too.

I will agree that the Invero lighting isn't really good and really should be improved. The hybrids are not the bus to look to as an example of good lighting though, I find that unless the doors are open or both sets of lights are turned on, the interior of the hybrid is really dark and dull, moreso than the Invero in some cases.

Orion's buses are (and I think have always been?) taller than New Flyer's.

The hybrids are brighter, but actually seem dimmer and duller, particularly at night, because of the lack of proper balance. The strips of LED lights are so bright that one's eyes will balance it out by darkening the other side (same principle as photo subjects being darker with a strong back light). The Inveroes are easier on the eyes, because most operators do have both sets of lights on in those buses, as the large HVAC thingy right behind the operator blocks it out and does cause the glare that impairs our view of the road.

[Waiting for 30 Minutes]

1 hour ago, HB_1024 said:

The A/C sucks on every OC Transpo bus that isn't a double decker.

I've been on many hybrids, and I can't say I am impressed with the air conditioning. The same thing goes for the artics and the Invero. People having to open the windows on hybrids is a fairly common occurrence, as it is on any bus.

I respectfully disagree with your assessment there. Though I don't drive the double-deckers enough (at all) to accurately speak for them, I know the articulated buses very well have some of the coldest air-conditioning in the fleet, when functioning fully. Keep in mind that on days where it's 30C out with a humidex over 40, no amount of air-conditioning will truly cool a bus down, especially given the number of times the doors open, the fact the large windows essentially make it a greenhouse on wheels, and the body heat that comes off everybody's sticky bodies.

47 minutes ago, Dane said:

I haven't been following this project too closely until I read the number of job reductions it will bring... Isn't the New line only 12km? Seems shocking to think that there will be such a dramatic reduction in driver positions and buses for a relatively short piece of infrastructure? 

The 12 kilometres the light rail will replace covers the densest service area.

Put it this way. Peak travel times between Blair and Tunney's range from about 30 to 40 minutes, 20 to 30 minutes between Hurdman and Tunney's, and 10 to 15 minutes from Tunney's to Mackenzie King. Multiply that by the number of routes that service that portion, which I hastily counted to be 47 (correct me if I'm wrong), and roughly 35 fewer hours of service would be required per day, using the lower estimate...assuming there is one trip in each direction per route. I tried counting headway on each route, but I gave up after losing count mid-way through the 8.

[GTAmissions1]

49 minutes ago, Dane said:

I haven't been following this project too closely until I read the number of job reductions it will bring... Isn't the New line only 12km? Seems shocking to think that there will be such a dramatic reduction in driver positions and buses for a relatively short piece of infrastructure? 

The first Stage (Blair to Tunney's) is 12.5 kilometres. Like "Waiting for 30 Minutes" has mentioned, the travel times can range from 30 to 40 minutes between Blair and Tunney's. Factor in the multiple bus routes (regular routes such as the 91, 92, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98 and 99, express routes and rural express) along with the frequency fighting for the same space of infrastructure, this is when the bus rapid transit model falls apart. 

When all the room is taken up, but the demand is still increasing needing more resources without the available space to carry them, then this is what causes the system to fall apart. Some days, when you get the bus lineup, it can take 10, possibly 20 minutes to get through downtown. 

If a bus breaks down in the bus lane, it compounds the issue further because there isn't as much flexility in moving around especially on Albert or Slater. I know one driver, he was smart enough to push to the side outside of the bus lane preventing the service from getting killed in one direction. Though, some are not as lucky which buses are mechanical that can break down just like a car. Difficult to predict when it will go down especially in the most uncomfortable places such as Albert or Slater. 

Stage 2, once the funding is in place, it will extend out to Place D'Orleans in the east (possibly Trim, but not 100 percent confirmed if it will be fully funded), Bowesville to the south on Trillium line (possible Airport connection, also not 100 percent confirmed), Baseline to the southwest and Bayshore in the west. 30 new kilometres of rail transit. It also means further reduction of positions which the routes will be designed around feeding into the nearest station (feeders) into the Confederation line (trunk). 

Final comments:

The reason why the first Stage is pretty small is because of the limited amount of funds which the City of Ottawa chose to find a group of companies willing to build the project on a fixed cost. When the contractor chose to accept the contract of building out the first Stage, they agreed that any cost overruns beyond 2.13 billion would be the responsibility of the contractor until the project is completed. They were pretty smart starting with the most popular destination which is the downtown core. 

Light rail transit is a good investment, but also very expensive technology. The variables can range from $15 million to over $100 million per mile (Seattle's light rail transit system cost $179 million due to poor soil conditions and the complexity of the project). Each situation is different which the Transitway is easily convertible to rail which lowers the cost of building light rail, but when there are new stretches that have to be created such as the tunnel, this is when costs go up because of the design required. 

[Dane]

So express and local bus services all will transfer into the LRT? It sounds like travel times will improve but that's going to be a lot of ridership to push onto an LRT train. Again being ignorant of the details of the project I hope that the line suffices for the requirements. Almost sounds like Ottawa needs some heavy rail service! But we can dream  

[Waiting for 30 Minutes]

15 minutes ago, Dane said:

So express and local bus services all will transfer into the LRT? It sounds like travel times will improve but that's going to be a lot of ridership to push onto an LRT train. Again being ignorant of the details of the project I hope that the line suffices for the requirements. Almost sounds like Ottawa needs some heavy rail service! But we can dream  

In terms of numbers, the train will suffice in covering the bus ridership in that stretch. I have (blind?) faith that those who planned the system factored in that ridership will not be a steady stream within each travel period, and surges will happen, particularly during events and inclement weather. Based on my experiences observing some subway stations in Toronto (particularly Finch) that serve as the same type of major node as Tunney's Pasture, Hurdman, and Blair will be, I think it will work out just fine.

However, this is a completely new operation for Ottawa, and though we can look to nearby cities or those with similar systems for best practises, the reality is the system will have to be up and running before any real problems are found and adjustments can be made. Tunney's Pasture and Blair stations will be unique in that the vast majority of ridership at those stations will be transferring passengers, unless Big Rig at Gloucester is really that popular.

Edited July 12, 2016 by Waiting for 30 Minutes
Added a comma. Literally just one comma.

[Dane]

No doubt you're right about planners entering with good faith. I'm a bit jaded by Vancouver's Canada Line which was a woefully inadequate roll out of capacity and is now, only six years in, almost at a crisis point. Happily the change in federal government brought much needed infrastructure cash to bolster capacity. 

 

There will ill for obvious reason be a substantial difference between Toronto's ability to crush lol quickly on Subway than Ottawa on LRT too - door size, layout, and frequency all coming into play. 

 

Nonetheless seems like a very positive change for Ottawa. 

[chimo]

3 hours ago, Waiting for 30 Minutes said:

 

The Inveroes are terrible buses to drive. Most are not sturdy, the steering is easily affected by minor blemishes in the road surface, and climate control is questionable at best. The downshifts are inconsistent, from non-existent to far-too-existent, to it-comes-on-when-and-how-it-wants-to. The brakes become dangerously weak too easily, and the steering is inconsistent to an amount that has left buses needing to back up where hybrids, artics, and double-deckers can easily clear.

The rebuilds aren't much better.

 

My comments were from a passenger standpoint. The Orion ventilation system is loud, by not using a generator the Diesel engine makes a racket and yes it's too tall and not comfortable as a passenger as it wallows side to side. Along with the unreliability of anything mechanical on those buses.

You raise important points though from a driver's perspective. And those are really important as it impacts productivity. 

Most of the problems with the inveros are design base but some are the options OC chose (most likely to get the price down). 

Those issues are not going away as some of it are due to low floor operation but mostly as North American manufacturers are trying hard to make sure we buy bus every 12 years on the dot thanks to the funding arrangements in the US. 

Manfacturers wont cut us any slack in Canada even though we don't have the same funding profile. 

 

[Guest]

The Invero is a vehicle that seats 44 people and 2 wheelchairs. As long, the fleet meets ridership demand and passenger comfort at an effective cost, we should be all happy, either rebuild or replacement

[GTAmissions1]

Herei s a blue print for feedback being solicited for route changes in Kanata North to prepare for the light rail transit service in 2018. 

http://www.octranspo.com/routes/proposal_revised_service_and_new_park_ride_in_kanata_north

Key Change: Route 60 and 64

Routes 60 and 64 are replacing Route 93. 60 and 64 will run the same corridor up until Innovation and then do their own separate loops. Route 60 will serve Morgan's Grant (western part) while 64 services Briarbrook (eastern part).The frequencies be 15 minutes during the daytime combined frequency (60 and 64 running every 30 minutes each) and every 15 minutes combined frequency during the peak (60 and 64 running every 15 minutes each).

These routes are temporary until Route 63 comes online. This will be the rapid transit route once the Confederation line comes online. I look at it as stress testing the route to make sure that once converted to Route 63, there will be no issues once implemented and any issues that do occur can be addressed once noticed. 

Route 165:

A loop will be added to Briarbrook in a one way loop before terminating at the new Park and Ride. It is hourly service, so I don't think there is much demand or feedback to provide there. Not many people want to wait 60 minutes for a bus during the daytime unless really necessary. 

Route 181:

Travelling via Terry Fox by Legget, Soldant, Hine and Innovation to the new Park and Ride. 

Route 182: 

Extended to the new Innovation Park and Ride. 

Route 264: 

Running from Kanata Lakes to downtown in the morning. With return trips to Kanata Lakes from downtown in the afternoon. The frequency is planned to be every 20 minutes during both time periods.  

Final comments:

It is nice that they are already planning for the new Innovation Park and Ride opening in January 2017. A new hub for people who want to take transit in Kanata North along with preparation for changes to the network before the first stage is opened in 2018.

Routes 60 and 64 are temporary and will  be replaced with new rapid transit route 63 most likely between Tunney's Pasture (terminus station) to Innovation Park and Ride. This is more to bridge the gap between once implemented and the real service changes. Along with getting a better picture on demand from the two subdivisions in Kanata North.

I think it is very smart they are stress testing with two routes to see how much usage in the two areas and the conditions are like for running a route. Making sure that everything runs smoothly before the real workhorse is implemented for Kanata North. 

 

 

[1overcosc]

I'm pleasantly surprised by how well served Innovation Park & Ride is in this proposal. It will actually be a pretty convenient park and ride for Kanata North and West Carleton residents with a good frequency & directness of service to downtown. It may actually provide meaningful relief to the insanely overused Eagleson Park & Ride.

[GTAmissions1]

An article in the Ottawa Citizen regarding how customer service isn't prepared for light rail transit:

http://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/oc-transpo-customer-service-ill-prepared-for-lrt-document

The issues: 

• Lack of customer service staff (which ties into abandoned calls) especially when some people are on hold for long periods of time. I always advise people calling in the morning is the best bet because there would be much fewer people trying to call in when later in the day, call volumes tend to go up (more buses in service) meaning more reports
• The abandonment rate is between 16 to 30 percent, though comparing to the private sector such as TD which is notorious for having long hold times (I once was on hold for 40 minutes, but at least the rep I got was understandable and felt bad) because of not enough staff at their call centres
• Time it takes to respond: This is a big issue because different types of complaints take different amounts of time. I know MiWay Transit in Mississauga, they try to respond within 5 to 10 business days depending on the issue/concern. OC Transpo has no such thing which sometimes, can take weeks or even months for follow up on an online form. 
• Having enough knowledge regarding the new transit network before it actually takes effect. When people call in, they are the ones that should be asking OC Transpo staff, not customers calling in and staff asking around to verify information 

Some solutions were suggested:

• Front of the line service for Presto card holders (like with concert tickets where if you are a cardholder for a specific event date, they would let those buy tickets first before sale to the public). This was shot down because then it would create a two tier system especially when most people are Presto card holders. Even if they say "monthly pass holders get priority access", it would still create a two tier system because some people just simply are occasional compared to others that are heavy users
• Web chat option: I personally would like this because I won't have to pick up the phone. The issue with this solution is requiring additional training and resources (having computers for staff along with back office operations) which can be difficult since most interactions with transit agencies is through either email, phone or social media

Final comments: 

They did admit there are customer service issues. Some are easily identifiable especially being on hold for long periods of time which some simply just give up and not bother calling. Which is why I always advise calling in the morning where there is very few callers during the opening time. 

There was one thread once on Reddit that someone knows an employee who worked in customer service with OC Transpo and the biggest issue is being overburdened with the dozens of complaints every single business day. Along with being understaffed which I don't know the exact number of people who work in customer service. I know it is usually two or three working on the online forms submission. But, I could be wrong on that front. 

If they really want to improve, they are going to need to spend some more money to modernize customer service. I do think they can do more, they just simply say "we just simply don't have the money available" based on their track record. 

[Guest]

Hire staff, post the cancellations automatically from drivers seat to Twitter, have 24/7 Twitter staff (only for delays, detours) and automated annoucements, and text message subscriptions.

There you go 73 grand in 1 paragraph.

[JCL]

13 minutes ago, CyrusKafaiWu said:

Hire staff, post the cancellations automatically from drivers seat to Twitter, have 24/7 Twitter staff (only for delays, detours) and automated annoucements, and text message subscriptions.

There you go 73 grand in 1 paragraph.

Presently, Live Alerts (560 text alerts, @OCTranspoLive) are manually posted by a Team Lead of Transit Information that is on-duty (who is in charge of the Transit Information call centre at 741-4390). Trip Cancellation notices are NOT automated whenever a Transit Supervisor actions a trip cancellation on the computer system. That leads to trip cancellations and other related information not being communicated, at times, in a timely manner. 

I agree with you that there should be some sort of Communication Staff responsible of announcing unplanned detours and delays. Although, I'm not prepared to agree (just yet) to have somebody staffed 24/7 (there are times during the late-overnight/early morning hours where I don't anticipate there will be major service disruptions to occur as service is very limited at those times). Instead, maybe this position should be working starting from 30 minutes prior to the O-Train starting up, until either 30 minutes after the O-Train ends service or 30 minutes after a conclusion of "Special Transit Service" (e.g. Redblacks TD Shuttles). This Communication Staff should, in my opinion, be sitting at the Transit Control Centre working closely with the Transit Supervisors. 

[Guest]

1 hour ago, JCL said:

Presently, Live Alerts (560 text alerts, @OCTranspoLive) are manually posted by a Team Lead of Transit Information that is on-duty (who is in charge of the Transit Information call centre at 741-4390). Trip Cancellation notices are NOT automated whenever a Transit Supervisor actions a trip cancellation on the computer system. That leads to trip cancellations and other related information not being communicated, at times, in a timely manner. 

I agree with you that there should be some sort of Communication Staff responsible of announcing unplanned detours and delays. Although, I'm not prepared to agree (just yet) to have somebody staffed 24/7 (there are times during the late-overnight/early morning hours where I don't anticipate there will be major service disruptions to occur as service is very limited at those times). Instead, maybe this position should be working starting from 30 minutes prior to the O-Train starting up, until either 30 minutes after the O-Train ends service or 30 minutes after a conclusion of "Special Transit Service" (e.g. Redblacks TD Shuttles). This Communication Staff should, in my opinion, be sitting at the Transit Control Centre working closely with the Transit Supervisors. 

One night, I waited over 45 mins for a 97 because one trip didn't show up at 1am. Can't imagine how it would be for the rest, bus was status 6.

control should be able to tweet outside regular hours