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A No. 16 Britannia bus pulls out of Tunney’s Pasture just before midnight on an Ottawa evening.

The first — and only — passenger boards a few minutes later on Kirkwood Avenue and jumps off after several stops, at the intersection of Dovercourt and Redwood avenues.

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The route then wanders down Saville Row, does a jog though Carlingwood Mall’s deserted parking lot, heads west on Carling to Lincoln Fields (also deserted) and ends with a meandering wind through the lonely streets of Britannia.

Had he wanted to, the driver could have cranked the radio or taken off his pants and no one would be the wiser because no one was on board.

And that, to senior OC Transpo managers, is a problem they’d like to solve by cutting dozens of first and last trips on some routes in an effort to squeeze out $500,000 in desperately-needed savings.

But despite low ridership — fewer than 10 passengers per run — some say these early-morning and late-night weekday trips are crucial to shift workers and low-income residents with few other options for getting around.

“If you want ridership on your buses, the buses have to be there,” said Kevin Kinsella, a Hunt Club Park resident. “Every time you cut an early-morning route, chances are it’s the type of people who can’t afford any other type of transportation.”

“You may end up losing them a job,” he said.

The disability-rights activist says he’s concerned his bus, the No. 98 run from Greenboro to Hawthorne at 5:27 a.m., is on the list because it could strand people like him as they try to get to the airport or train station first thing in the morning.

Across town, Michelle Walrond is worried about proposed cuts to Route 170’s evening service between Barrhaven Centre and Fallowfield Station.

Walrond says she takes this run at least once a week to buy groceries at night, which is when she prefers to go because the stores are less crowded. “I’m not going to have that option,” she said, adding that while many Barrhaven residents have cars, she does not.

“The people who have to use the bus because they don’t have any choice — they’re the ones being penalized,” she said.

The proposed changes could also affect people who work at night or are heading home after evening classes, Walrond added.