The frequency of OC Transpo elevator outages doesn’t surprise transit user and accessibility advocate Alice Hui.
“I’m not surprised by it, but I’m not accepting of it, either,” Hui said, reacting to the Transit Committee’s recent report in which it responded to Alta Vista Coun. Marty Carr’s formal inquiry into broken transit station elevators.
In the Feb. 12, 2026 inquiry, Carr asked the committee the frequency of unplanned elevator outages in Line 1, 2 and 4 stations in the nation capital’s transit system, the causes for those broken elevators and OC Transpo’s role in supporting its customers during service outages.
In its late May 2026 formal response, the Transit Committee revealed that between September 2024 and February 2026, O-Train’s Line 1 saw 435 unplanned elevator outages.
The transit line, which goes back and forth between Tunney’s Pasture and Blair Station, had a total of 59 elevators during the time period.
Rideau and Lyon Stations have eight elevators each, the stations with the highest number of elevators per station. Cyrville had two, making it the station with the least number of elevators.
The inquiry response indicated that unplanned O-Train Line 1 elevator outages are concentrated during winter months, although it stated that, “October 2025 recorded the highest monthly total of 39 incidents.”
The report added that one of the common causes of unplanned outages for Line 1 was debris and salt interfering with the elevator doors’ ability to open and shut.
“The highest-impact stations are Blair (92), Rideau (85), Lyon (62), and St-Laurent (44), which together account for a disproportionate share of total outages,” according to the report.
O-Train Lines 2 and 4 saw a combined total of 91 unplanned elevator outages between September 2024 and February 2026, according to the report.
The two lines have a total of 26 elevators.
“Total amounts at Limebank (27), Uplands (16), Bowesville (14), and Leitrim (14) Stations account for the majority of incidents on these lines,” the report reads.
While planned elevator outages are scheduled in advance and communicated with the public, OC Transpo relies on the Transit Operations Control Centre to get an elevator alarm notification for unplanned elevator outages.
“For the one elevator at the north tower at Blair Station only, OC Transpo relies on Rail Operations staff identifying an outage of customers using an E-tel phone at the station which goes directly to the Special Constables Unit Communications group in the TOCC, or customers contacting OC Customer Service,” according to the report.
Once the outage is identified, the committee says staff will “act immediately” to deploy resources to inform customers of outage and “implement additional accessibility measures appropriate to the station.”
But Hui says this wasn’t the case when she bumped into a mother of two struggling to get down the stairs at Parliament station in late April 2026.
The woman had her two toddlers in a double stroller and was struggling to make her way down.
These were the exact same set of stairs a 92-year-old man had fallen down just eight days prior.
“Over a week after this (92-year-old) man fell over the stairs, OC Transpo didn’t put up any signs or do anything to help anybody with accessibility needs,” Hui said.
For Hui, experiences like these are raising questions about accessibility and duty of care in Ottawa’s transit infrastructure, particularly for those with mobility issues who rely on elevators.
“From what I have experienced, OC Transpo doesn’t seem to give a lot of thought and foresight to accessibility needs,” she said.
Though Hui said she is able to take the stairs, she says she cares for someone with accessibility needs.
“This is not about me. But I see the needs in the community,” she said. “And until you actually experience it first-hand, it’s very hard to put yourself in their shoes and understand how difficult it can be to navigate the city and to navigate transit.”
Hui said an example of a current accessibility issue on Line 1 is at Blair Station.
“It drives me crazy that to transfer from O-Train Line 1 to a local bus (Bus 12), someone would have to get off the train, take the elevator or flight of stairs two storeys up, cross the overpath and take another elevator three flights down.”
Hui said everything in the transit system seems to have been placed to make it fit the station and the existing infrastructure, with accessibility needs taking a back seat.
“It’s not in any way convenient or easy for somebody with accessibility needs.”
