OC Transpo riders have been giving city officials and drivers an earful over changes made to route changes two weeks ago, saying service in Ottawa has gotten worse, not better.

The transit authority introduced changes to schedules and routes earlier this year with the aim of saving about $20 million per year and improving bus times in the city's downtown core.

Councillor Rainer Bloess said he's had a steady stream of complaints from bus users who say late and full buses are causing headaches during their daily commutes.

"They're wedged on like sardines," said Bloess. "And in some cases the first opportunity they can take to get off the bus they take that, if they get to the Transitway. And some say they get to the point where doors are squeezing them, they're getting bruised...you know they're worried about their safety."

OC Transpo union head Garry Queale said the route changes have made life more stressful for riders and drivers alike.

"And from what I hear in the last couple of weeks, this is the worst it's been. And I've been here over 35 years," said Queale.

OC Transpo did acknowledge in its annual report, delivered Wednesday, that overcrowding is a serious problem but said the news was mostly good, with more people using buses in Ottawa, and fewer are complaining about the service.

General manager Alain Mercier said overcrowding is always an issue in the fall, when drivers are back on the roads, and riders are back in the buses.

He said OC Transpo has already relocated eight articulated buses to problem areas, mostly in the east and south end of the city, and have added a few extra runs to existing routes.

"What we've done is reallocated some of our articulated buses where ridership may be lower at this time than others, so we're trying to address all those needs by moving resources around," said Mercier.

The report revealed a number of challenging issues for OC Transpo:

The new call-out service is not in operation all the time.

Regular buses were on time only 65 per cent of the time during the afternoon rush hour.

There are budget challenges connected to higher fuel costs.

However, Mercier emphasized that Ottawa lives in a constant state of downtown congestion, and that, until a high-capacity-rail system is built, there will continue to be challenges for public transportation in the city.