Hour 1 of Ottawa Now for Mon. January 19th, 2026

Should OC Transpo refund its riders when bus trips are cancelled? We are asking this question as the transit service temporarily cuts hundreds of trips to improve service reliability. Right now, it is dealing with an aging bus fleet and a handful of maintenance issues, a problem that is grinding the gears of countless transit riders in Canada’s Capital. In a memo sent to City Council last Friday, OC Transpo implemented a revised bus schedule on January 12th, which includes a reduction of 255 weekday trips. Halfway through the first month of 2026, hundreds of trips have been scrapped already. How should we keep the service accountable? We dig deeper with Laura Shantz, who is a board member with Ottawa Transit Riders. Later in the show, we pick the brain of Amalgamated Transit Union 279 President Noah Vineberg and Interim OC Transpo GM Troy Charter. Plus, the hottest TV show on the planet is Canadian-made, and one of the show’s biggest stars is from Ottawa. And now, Ottawa’s NHL team is having some fun with it. That story is on the way in Hour 1.