OC Transpo reports ridership is up by about 1 per cent this year.
But assistant manager Pat Scrimgeour says that doesn't mean revenue is up too.
"We're very close to the budgeted number, but the revenue is primarily because of the way that people are choosing to pay their fares," said Scrimgeour. "We're selling more monthly passes and fewer single ride fares, so the average amount that we receive per customer is lower that budgeted."
Ottawa, like other major Canadian cities had been seeing a downward trend in ridership until now, and this marks a reversal in that trend.
"I think it's a combination of the economy. We're looking at the workforce numbers, that's always a big driver. Great service, the detours," said OC Transpo General Manager John Manconi, referring to the detours caused by the closure of the Transitway. "There was a big, big fear out there that our ridership was going to tank because of the detours. We've have people say the detours are actually really working well.
Last year, OC Transpo provided some 97-million passenger trips.