Active Fleet
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Only models with at least some buses currently in service are listed, and the number in fleet is based on the number originally ordered. All GMDD models of 1982 or before (also known by many as fishbowls or New Looks) were retired by the beginning of April.
In 2006 and 2007, OC Transpo evaluated a double-decker bus on the Transitway and express routes. This bus, an Enviro500 built by British firm Alexander Dennis, can carry nearly 100 passengers. The initial service demonstration ran from June 28 to July 12, 2006, with a further demonstration under winter conditions in February 2007. The City of Ottawa purchased three Enviro500 buses and they were delivered in November 2008. OC Transpo decals were added to the buses in December, but the strike delayed the introduction of these buses. The buses started service in February.
The OC Transpo fleet numbering scheme changed in 1999. Prior to 1999, the two last digits of the year of purchase were the first two digits of the fleet number. The scheme was changed because OC Transpo ordered 140 Orion 06.501, and also because buses purchased in 2000 would have been in the 0000 series, which was not favoured by the computer system. The new numbering scheme starts with 4 for 40-foot buses, 6 for 60-foot buses, 1 for the Enviro500 double-decker buses, and 5 for the Orion VII NG HEV, followed by a three-digit consecutive fleet number.
In August 2010, OC Transpo took advantage of an offer by New Flyer Industries, replacing 226 of its older 60-foot D60LF articulated buses (purchased between 2001 and 2004), and replacing then with brand new D60LFR models. The bus exchange was completed in March 2011. OC Transpo also received other incentives as part of the deal, including rebates on the trading-in of the old buses and a credit on new parts. Eighty new D60LFR articulated buses were also purchased from New Flyer, bringing the combined total to 306 buses. All of the 2001-2004 D60LFs are now retired. Some of the older New Flyer D60LF sixty-foot articulated buses have caught on fire during the summer of 2006 and the Summer/Fall of 2010, due to overheating engines, effectively putting them out of service.
OC Transpo has created a business plan for their bus fleet. The plan includes a purchase of 75 more Enviro500 double-decker buses to replace the older 40-foot models currently in service (namely the buses purchased between 1997 and 1999). These extra double-decker buses would be used mainly on express routes. Double-decker buses use about the same amount of fuel as an articulated 60-foot bus, but only take up the same road area as a regular 40 foot bus, meaning they free up space (especially downtown), and provide increased passenger capacity. This will help lower OC Transpo's operating costs. As a result of the purchase, the 60-foot articulated buses will be moved from express routes to Transitway and other mainline routes, replacing the 40-foot models currently used on some trips by those routes. Those 40-foot models will replace the older 40-foot models currently used on local routes. The older 40-foot buses will be retired from service. This plan was approved by the Transit Commission on April 20, 2011. The extra 75 Alexander Dennis E500 double-decker buses are expected to be in service between fall 2012 and spring 2013.
However, not everything about the new double-decker buses is good news. Advocates against the purchase of the new double-decker buses have said the buses are too top-heavy and prone to tipping over, and the maintenance of the fleet was complicated by adding buses from another manufacturer (OC Transpo already had buses from New Flyer and Orion before purchasing the double-deckers from Alexander Dennis). Accessibility is also an issue with new buses, because the ramps on the double-deckers are also not well suited for express routes, where buses travel on various roads without proper sidewalks, and the wheelchair spots have seat belts that do not function as well as those found on the rest of the fleet.
On July 12, 2011, OC Transpo announced that all remaining high floor buses were retired.
The first few double-decker buses arrived in Ottawa on August 23, 2012 and are currently located at Industrial Garage. On August 24, 2012, Ottawa mayor Jim Watson and transit chair Diane Deans introduced the first of the 75 double-decker buses at a ceremony at Ottawa city hall. The new double-deckers are starting to enter service in October 2012, and will be primarily used on express routes from Kanata, Barrhaven, and Orleans. Express routes 35, 61, and 77 will be the first three routes to use the new buses, with several other express routes receiving them over the next few months, as they become available. Rapid transit route 93 will also be using the new buses.
Two of the new double-decker buses are in service as of September 10, 2012, and are temporarily used on express routes 22 and 30 (serving Orleans) at approximately 16:00. This lasted until the sinkhole on Regional Route 174 was fixed in mid-October.
Eight double-decker buses entered service on October 15, 2012, on routes 30, 35, 38, 60, 61, 62, 70, 71, 76, and 77. Six more entered service on October 29, 2012, on routes 20, 21, 31, 34, 41, 68, and 93. On November 5, 2012, six more entered service, bringing the total number of double-deckers in service to 20 buses, and introducing them on route 66 in addition to the aforementioned routes. As of November 19, 2012, 28 buses are in service.
| Model | Year | Bus Numbers | No. In Fleet* | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Orion VI 06.501 | 1999–2000 | 4001-4140 | 140 | These buses are low-floor allowing full access for strollers and wheelchairs. Buses numbered 4010, 4139 and 4140 received bike racks for one season only. They are used on various local routes, and some express route and peak route trips. Some retired and will be replaced by the new double-deckers. |
| New Flyer D40i "Invero" | 2003 | 4201-4202 | 2 | This order of two buses was the first order of Inveros. Bus number 4201 was sent ahead as a demo. All New Flyer D40i Invero models (buses 4201-4526) have working Thermo King air conditioning and are low-floor and fully accessible for wheelchairs and strollers. |
| New Flyer D40i "Invero" | 2004 | 4203-4273 | 71 | On September 20, 2005, the 4200 and 4300 series buses had been governed to 50 km/h because of steering problems caused during high speeds. According to Transport 2000 "several bus drivers reported that the front end of the bus vibrates when driven at more than 60 km/h." An Operations and Safety Memorandum claims that on Friday, 21 October 2005, steering dampers where to be installed on one hundred and nine Invero buses and that the governors were to be raised to 100 km/h on buses 4201 to 4227 (except bus 4205), resolving the problems. Bus 4209 suffered an engine fire in November 2010. Bus 4244 suffered a brake fire in June 2011. |
| New Flyer D40i "Invero" | 2005–2006 | 4274-4439 | 166 | Bus number 4299 was crashed into a median en route to the stop at Queensway Station. It has been rebuilt and has re-entered service. Buses 4427 to 4439 are equipped with bike racks between May and October. |
| New Flyer D40i "Invero" | 2007 | 4440-4526 | 87 | Bus number 4444 is used for Ottawa's Santa Claus Parade. All have entered service as of October 2007. The drivers seat has arm rests and the stop-request chime is different from all other OC Transpo buses. These buses are equipped with bike racks between May and October. |
| Orion VII 07.501 NG HEV | 2008–2009 | 5001-5177 | 177 | These vehicles are diesel-electric hybrids, and therefore they are mostly used on routes that do not use the Transitway or highways. Most bus routes that use 40 foot buses use these buses. Some express trips also use them, because these buses replaced a lot of older high-floor buses previously used during peak periods. Buses 5001 and 5002 were the first to arrive in November 2008. As of July 2010, all 177 buses have entered service. Bus 5117 was involved in a major accident in August 2010 and has re-entered service June 22, 2011. |
| New Flyer D60LF | 2008 | 6351-6398 | 48 | As of October 16, 2008, buses numbered 6351-6398 have entered service. Bus number 6394 had a special wrapping for the Transitway Anniversary, but it was removed in April 2010. There was a recall on these buses because of overheating brakes, so New Flyer Industries sent the required parts to fix this problem. The Axion destination signs look the same but when there is something written, it is pushed to one side. The route number displayed on the rear of these buses are larger and more readable than those on the New Flyer D60LF buses from 2001-2004. Bus number 6387 was in a collision with a 5 ton truck in downtown Ottawa. On August 1, 2010, bus 6391 was involved in a major front end collision when it rear-ended bus 4290. Bus 6391 has since re-entered service. All New Flyer D60LF and New Flyer D60LFR models are articulated buses and all are fully accessible for strollers and the disabled. These buses are equipped with bike racks between May and October. |
| New Flyer D60LF | 2009–2010 | 6399-6403 | 5 | Bus number 6399 arrived during the last week of 2009, and buses 6400-6403 arrived the week of January 17–23, 2010. Bus number 6399 entered service January 29, 2010. Since, buses 6400-6403 have also entered service. They use the same bus design, and the same Axion destination signs (front, side, back), as buses 6351-6398 from 2008 (see above). These buses are equipped with bike racks between May and October. |
| New Flyer D60LFR | 2010–2011 | 6404-6709 | 306 | They are 226 buses that have replaced the New Flyer D60LF buses from 2001–2004, and 80 new buses that expanded OC Transpo's bus fleet. All arrived in Ottawa between August 2010 and March 2011. The 306 buses came from two different manufacturing plants in Minnesota. Buses 6404-6579 came from St. Cloud and buses 6580-6709 came from Crookston. Starting in September 2010, OC Transpo received deliveries of fifteen D60LFR buses a week. The first bus, 6404, entered service on August 30, 2010. As of April 4, 2011, all 2011 D60LFR buses have entered service. All of these buses come with the Next Stop Announcement System already installed. These buses are equipped with bike racks between May and October. |
| Alexander Dennis Enviro500 | 2012-2013 | 8001-8075 | 75* | Double-decker buses purchased by OC Transpo for use on its express routes. Expected to be in service in 2012-2013. Newer model than buses 1201-1203 (see Retired fleet) with a redesigned front end. Bus 8003 arrived in Ottawa on August 23, 2012. Two of these buses entered service on September 10 on routes 22 and 30 due to the sinkhole. The first eight buses entered service on October 15, 2012. As of November 19, 2012, 28 buses are in service. All double-decker buses are equipped with bike racks between May and October. |
| Bombardier Talent BR643 | 2000 | C1-C3 | 3 | This is the light-rail vehicle used by OC Transpo for the O-Train, which runs North/South between Bayview Station and Greenboro Station. |
denotes wheelchair accessibility
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