Hundreds of bus trips were not delivered last week due to a backlog of bus maintenance and increased congestion on Ottawa roads, according to OC Transpo.

The service first published on X an increase in missed trips Mondaythen again THURSDAY.

Of 8,210 scheduled daily trips, OC Transpo told CBC that hundreds were missed this week: 348 on Monday, 297 on Tuesday and 270 on Wednesday.

He did not provide CBC with the number of missed trips Thursday or Friday.

Transit rider Govin Varadarajin said he had been waiting for a bus at Tunney’s Pasture for almost an hour, calling the experience “pretty frustrating.”

Trips were missed in part because OC Transpo was short of buses due to a “backlog in bus maintenance,” according to an OC Transpo spokesperson.

“Safety is our top priority, and our maintenance team is working diligently to reduce the backlog by performing tasks such as preventative maintenance, bodywork and other work orders to ensure our vehicles meet our strict requirements safety and regulatory requirements,” they wrote.

OC Transpo has managed to reduce the number of missed trips each day since Monday, they added.

The union mentions staff departures

Noah Vineberg, president of the local transportation union, said staffing levels also play a role.

He said many mechanics choose other jobs where they earn better pay and are not required to work 24/7.

“We’ve lost mechanics of 10, 15, even 20 years who have gone into the private sector,” Vineberg said.

Vineberg said OC Transpo was aware of these issues in advance and did not change its schedules.

“These are all issues that we could have foreseen, we could have planned for,” he said.