Ottawa Transit Riders / Le groupe des usagers de transport en commun d'Ottawa

What did Ottawa Transit Riders do in 2023?

We started the year with a forum in Kanata to discuss local transit issues. We followed up with a forum in Orleans, discussing the specific challenges of anticipating transit demands in a growing neighbourhood. Reports on both events are available on our website or by email.

In April, several members attended and spoke at the Transportation Master Plan Workshop hosted by the Federation of Citizens’ Associations of Ottawa (FCA).

Throughout the year, Ottawa Transit Riders staffed booths at several in-person events, including at Lansdowne Market, Elgin Market, and the Sandy Hill Eco-Fair.

We had members attend every Transit Commission meeting, including at a marathon meeting in November where councillors debated raising fares.

Members organized and spoke at several rallies and protests throughout the year, often in partnership with groups such as Horizon Ottawa, Free Transit Ottawa, Ecology Ottawa, Acorn, and various unions.

We held our Annual General Meeting on July 4th. 

In September, we held a Para Transpo Awareness event at City Hall, attended by a significant number of people who use accessible transportation and a respectable number of city councillors.

Transit Chair councillor Glen Gower accompanied board member Sally Thomas on a routine trip to the grocery store to experience ParaTranspo himself. We recommend that other people who use Para Transpo invite their own councillors to do the same - it’s highly informative!  

We were disappointed that Renée Amilcar, general manager of OC Transpo, did not attend our Para Transpo event, but in October, advocates for accessible transit Sally Thomas, Ryan Lythall and Laura Shantz had an in-person meeting with Mme Amilcar and several key OC Transpo executives.

We will see if mayor Sutcliffe is willing to meet with us in 2024.

We’re kicking off the New Year with a plan to re-enervate the ParaParity committee. If there is a specific issue you want to see the Ottawa Transit Riders focus on, contact us at [email protected]