Dec. 18, 2024: Para Transpo Fleet Availability

The purpose of this memo is to inform the Mayor and Members of Council regarding service delays affecting Para Transpo customers due to higher-than-normal fleet maintenance requirements.

Over the past few days, Para Transpo customers have been experiencing increased wait times due to a lack of minibuses available for service. OC Transpo continues to take all new bookings, deliver trips and is reaching out to customers proactively to find individual travel solutions where possible. The Para Transpo minibuses are experiencing increased mechanical issues due to the age of majority of the fleet. These older vehicles require additional repairs that are often more complex and take longer to complete.

Replacement of the minibus fleet was postponed during the COVID-19 pandemic due to very low ridership, resulting in keeping the current fleet operating longer. Council recently approved investments to purchase new Para Transpo minibuses given the age of the existing fleet, and they will begin to arrive in 2025. This measure will reduce maintenance requirements and further stabilize the fleet to provide improved service for customers.

OC Transpo’s maintenance team is working diligently to complete maintenance requirements and return the minibuses to service, but this work may take up to two weeks to fully stabilize vehicle availability.

Getting Para Transpo customers to their destinations safely is OC Transpo’s greatest priority. A number of measures have been put in place to improve service levels. This includes:

• Maximizing the use of external accessible taxi and contractor vans to support customer trips
• Prioritizing Para Transpo minibuses for those customers that cannot use contract taxis
• Contacting customers by phone in advance to inform of trip delays and advise them of the type of vehicle that will be provided for their trip
• Reviewing trip planning and operator schedules to ensure it is as efficient as possible
• Daily meetings by the operations, fleet maintenance and customer service teams to plan service for the next day
• Increasing the number of minibuses undergoing maintenance at one time by leveraging external providers to increase the rate at which the vehicles can return to operations

OC Transpo has been notifying customers of delays directly through phone calls, text messages and social media. Para Transpo customers are also encouraged to use the My Para Transpo app to track or cancel their trips. We recognize that these service delays have an impact on our customers’ daily lives, and we appreciate their ongoing patience as we work to address this issue.

Should you have any questions about the information provided in this memo, please do not hesitate to contact me at extension 52111.