Real-time information

Travel tools and data sources

OC Transpo has a variety of real-time travel tools to help you plan trips reliably:

All travel tools look for and indicate the best prediction for departures based on data sources, such as:

When reliable real-time data is available, our travel tools indicate real-time departures. On screens and via 560560, this is marked by an asterisk. Real-time information in Transit app is shown in bold with a pulsating wifi symbol.

When there is no real-time data available for a route, trip, or stop, the travel tools will provide the scheduled departure time.

All cancelled trips have their status updated to "cancelled" in the GTFS Realtime feed. In Transit app, cancelled trips are displayed with a strikethrough.

Limitations

There are a number of other scenarios in which providing real-time information is limited:

  • Trips scheduled to start in 45 minutes or more
  • Emergency detours: Detours that occur last minute or that are not formally entered into the schedule, may not provide real-time information. The best way to stay informed is to sign up for alerts or check the Alerts page. Some third-party apps will see this detour information in the Alert feed, but the real-time and schedule data will not be updated.
  • Traffic patterns: If a vehicle is completely stuck in traffic and has not moved for several minutes, the initial real-time predictions may not be updated. Such significant delays are communicated as customer alerts.
  • O-Train Line 1: Real-time information is only displayed on transit information screens on the train platforms (not those in lobbies or entrances of stations).
  • Delayed trips: If a bus is at its terminus location but is late departing on its trip, the real-time arrival countdown may remain unchanged for several minutes until the bus starts moving.
  • Alerts: When time or resources are limiteed, we prioritize alerts for Connexion routes, infrequent trips, or trips with higher ridership.
  • Technical difficulties: If a vehicle loses GPS connection, real-time information goes offline.

Improvements

OC Transpo is committed to ensuring that you receive accurate, relevant, and timely information regarding service disruptions for all parts of the system.

We are working to fill vacant bus operator positions and increase training sessions throughout the year. Our priority is to reduce any effects on service as we aim to reduce the number of trips that are not delivered or arrive late. We expect service reliability to increase as new bus operator trainees graduate and are booked to work.

There has also been a recent investment in a generational update to our control/dispatch system for operations. All of our buses are equipped with a system that indicates the status and real-time location of in-service buses. This updated system will ultimately lead to more reliable information for customers.

Future plans

OC Transpo continues to consider new methods of publishing data to expand options to customers:

  • Exploring various ways of publishing real-time information.
  • Assessing developer preferences.
  • Reviewing customer feedback.
  • Reaching out to peer agencies across the world.  

The solutions will need to bring together all published data in a way that all customers can easily understand and access via their preferred channels.