History
The 97 was created when the transitway gradually expanded in the 1990s especially when the southeastern leg was created all the way to South Keys. In its early years the route was serving from the Bayshore area until South Keys with occasional evening and Sunday service toward the Airport. During the 1990s, an older route 96 used to follow a similar route to the 97 from Carlingwood Mall to the Ottawa Airport before it was canceled and replaced in parts by routes 87 through Carlingwood and Hunt Club, 147 through CFB Uplands and the 97. Prior to the 96's cancellation, the 97 ended previously at Billings Bridge and later at South Keys (most trips). It replaced the 96 for the Kanata portion and eventually provided the only rapid transit along the southeast Transitway towards the Airport with more expansion planned towards the west. In 2003, the 97 travelled from Stittsville to the Ottawa Airport via Kanata, Bayshore Shopping Centre and downtown.
In 2004, the city suddenly introduced a major change by splitting route 97 into two different routes which included the new route 96. The 97 lost the section between Bayshore and Kanata/Stittsville, which is now served by the 96 (which also travels via Highway 417 between Queensway Station and Bayshore). The 97 also lost its early morning service to Pinecrest Garage to the 96, since the latter one was traveling much closer to it then the 97 - in the late 1990s the early morning trips were running from Kanata to Pinecrest while travelling on the southwest Transitway from Lincoln Fields Station until Iris Station before travelling on Iris Street and Pinecrest Road before serving the Garage ending/starting the trip. By staying on Carling and Richmond only, it sped up the early morning trips by several minutes. Local routes 172 and route 173 provide additional service on Pinecrest Road while the 96 served the area at the 417 (the future Pinecrest Station part of the western Transitway expansion).
Also, when the route was changed, the route's schedule configuration changed in some periods. In the past, numerous trips that started at the Airport were doing a longer trip to Kanata with some extending to Stittsville. Today, many trips that start from the Airport end at Tunney's Pasture. Many trips that end at Bayshore now start at South Keys, which in the past terminated at Lebreton Station. This occasionally forces some riders west of Tunney's Pasture to transfer to the 97 Airport from the 97X South Keys.
In the past two years, weekday service has increased for most of the route.
Read more about this topic: OC Transpo Route 97
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