32 new operators will arrive on the road to drive buses across the city of Ottawa starting Monday, helping OC Transpo address the staff shortage that led to the cancellation of hundreds of trips daily this month.

The transit service canceled 4.5 percent of bus trips across the city of Ottawa this week due to a lack of operators. According to the OCTranspoLive Twitter account, 125 bus trips were canceled on Friday between 5 a.m. and 6 p.m.

"OC Transpo continues to work to improve the delivery of scheduled trips, and we sincerely apologize to our customers for any inconvenience they may have recently experienced," said Troy Charter, Director of Transit Service Delivery and Rail Operations, in a statement to CTV News Ottawa.

"In the last week of July and the first week of August, the average scheduled bus service was 94.1 percent on weekdays, 93 percent on Saturdays, and 97.2 percent on Sundays. Overall, 4.5 percent of trips were not delivered this week."

OC Transpo organizes about 7,900 trips on a normal summer day.

The transit service blamed "some short-term factors" for the cancellation of bus trips during August, including absenteeism due to sick leave that was higher than usual and regular seasonal vacations.

Charter says OC Transpo has implemented a "strong recruitment campaign" to increase the number of bus operators available for service "as quickly as possible, thus providing more reliable bus service."

Charter said, "58 bus operators started with us earlier this year and 32 more will start on Monday."

At the end of this week, OC Transpo will implement the alternative R1 bus service after 8 p.m.

Charter says OC Transpo will adjust service as needed to optimize the resources available.

Charter said: "OC Transpo has taken several proactive steps to ensure service continuity and minimize customer disruption during upcoming maintenance work on O-Train Line 1."

According to a memo from OC Transpo General Manager Renee Amilcar, the proactive steps to ensure service continuity and "reduce customer disruption" include:

* OC Transpo Red Vest staff will be present throughout the system and stationed in key areas to assist customers during temporary service adjustments.

* Increased staffing levels for transit supervisors during the weekend during R1 service to manage the service in both directions and ensure operators have a clear understanding of the routes.

* An alternative R1 routing plan has been developed in case of significant delays due to the Highway 417 closure between Carling and Metcalfe.