Ottawa's auditor general found that overtime is now built into OC Transpo's operations. The review, released Monday, November 2, covers 2024 and 2025 and remained the basis of CBC's November 3 report.
Of about $132 million in Canadian citywide overtime over those two years, three transit branches accounted for $44.4 million. OC Transpo is short 57 licensed mechanics. In 2025, bus and Para Transpo operations exceeded their overtime budget by $4.1 million, and fleet-maintenance overtime ran $5.6 million over budget. Maintenance workers have been offered double time to attack a backlog on an aging fleet.
Paper sign-up sheets and timesheets make hour limits hard to enforce. No bus drivers or diesel-rail operators were found over the legal maximum, but 7% of electric-rail operators and 23% of maintenance staff were. About half of bus drivers worked more than 130 hours in a two-week period. The auditor flagged missing approvals and the risk of higher costs and burnout. No fare increase was announced.
Could this audit raise an Ottawa transit fare now? No fare change was announced. The verified cost is $44.4 million in OC Transpo overtime over 2024 and 2025, plus breaches of hour-of-service limits.