Complaints about OC Transpo bus drivers flood city's fraud hotline
CTV
Auditor General Nathalie Gougeon says the fraud hotline has been receiving approximately five to 10 reports a day over the past year linked to bus operator "compliance nature", and it is overwhelming her office.
Ottawa's auditor general will no longer investigate complaints about bad driving by OC Transpo operators, as tips continue to flood the fraud and waste hotline about driver behaviour.
Nathalie Gougeon says the hotline has been receiving approximately five to 10 reports a day over the past year linked to bus operator "compliance issues", and it is overwhelming her office.
"I believe that the number of cases which continue to be received by the office has actually become an abuse of the fraud and waste hotline," Gougeon said.
"These cases are significant and require a significant amount of resources just for our office to review and to triage them."
Ottawa's fraud and waste hotline received 201 tips in 2022, and another 1,187 reports that were similar in nature.
"The majority of the similar in nature reports received in 2022 are consistent with allegations that we investigated in 2021 and 2022 linked to violations of the Ontario Highway Traffic Act by OC Transpo bus operators," Gougeon said.
The auditor general released a report in June 2022 after the fraud and waste hotline received over 400 reports in eight months related to alleged violations of the Ontario Highway Traffic Act by OC Transpo bus drivers.
