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OC Transpo is warning Para Transpo users to expect more service delays in the coming weeks due to its aging fleet of minibuses needing “higher-than-normal” maintenance.
OC Transpo general manager Renée Amilcar wrote in a memo to city council on Dec. 19 that the old age of Para Transpo minibuses is causing mechanical issues and a lack of availability for service. As a result, wait times have increased in recent days.
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“These older vehicles require additional repairs that are often more complex and take longer to complete,” the memo says.
Amilcar blamed the poor state of Para Transpo’s current minibus fleet on a postponement in replacing old vehicles due to “very low ridership” during the early years of the COVID-19 pandemic. City council has approved the purchase of new minibuses, but they won’t begin to arrive until 2025 at the earliest, Amilcar said.
She added it may take up to two weeks to stabilize vehicle availability.
In the meantime, Para Transpo is relying on external taxis and contractor vans to service trips. The memo says that Para Transpo will contact customers by phone in advance about trip delays and to tell them what type of vehicle will be provided.
However, Kyle Humphrey, who has a trip booked with Para Transpo for Dec. 20, is not confident he will receive a call. As of Dec. 19, he said Para Transpo had not informed him about what kind of vehicle will pick him up.
“You don’t find out until it shows,” he said.
Humphrey added that he doesn’t often rely on Para Transpo because he prefers regular OC Transpo services.
When Humphrey does use Para Transpo, however, he said he “always anticipates delays.”
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