There’s a lot of anger in Ottawa.

Granted, the bus strike is over. Most major bus routes have started running again. Binding arbitration is how the 51-day strike ended and only after the federal government threatened back-to-work legislation.

But many Ottawa residents are still angry. And it’s not only because some bus routes won’t resume until April.

They’re angry at the city, for allowing a bus strike to continue for 51 long days. They’re angry at the bus drivers’ union for holding the city’s most vulnerable hostage during the most unforgiving time of the year. They’re reeling from weeks of traffic jams, three-hour waits for taxis and the frustration of fighting for downtown parking.

But for those most affected by the strike — the students, the poor, the seniors — there’s a whole different kind of anger.

The kind of anger fuelled by the knowledge that their city could turn a blind eye to their suffering for more than seven weeks. As seniors trudged through minus 30 degree weather, as students missed classes and as those who couldn’t afford to miss work walked hours a day back and forth — they were ignored.

So too were small business owners. Whether it was because customers couldn’t get there or because a significant portion of consumer income was now being diverted to commuting costs, small businesses were wounded deeply. Some restaurants reported a 60 per cent downturn in customers while analysts pegged the loss for retail businesses at a staggering $3.3 million a day.

Everyone has their own opinion on how the strike was allowed to continue for so long. Some blame Ottawa’s mayor, Larry O’Brien, for not being transparent enough during negotiations. Others blame the union for refusing to compromise.

Some say that without Parliament in session, it was impossible for the strike to end. As Ottawa’s bus system crosses both Ontario and Quebec, it did fall under federal jurisdiction. And it was the Feds’ threat of legislation that ultimately put buses back on Ottawa streets.

But it stands to reason that if the strike had had a major impact on a different demographic of Ottawa — say policy-makers or those who can bend city council’s ear or those who earn enough to have a car — the strike would not have taken so long to resolve.

Instead it was a perfect storm to provoke lethargy. Those most affected by the bus strike were often the most marginalized and silenced in our society, and they also happen to be the demographics least likely to vote.

Stories of hardships floated around; enough to induce frustration but too little to induce immediate action. Stories of those forced to walk two hours each way to work in the cold, or risk losing their much-needed jobs. Of the immigrant lady who owned a tailor shop downtown and who was sleeping on a cot in her shop just so that she could open everyday. Of soup kitchens whose patrons had no way of getting to them.

And yet, transit is not an essential service according to the Canada Industrial Relations Board. The suspension of bus service did not pose any immediate danger to the health and safety of Ottawa’s citizens they ruled. The ruling went against the wishes of many transit workers themselves. As veteran bus driver Tony Mitchell told the CBC during the strike, "I think about 99 per cent of us would love it to be essential service."

Where to go from here is an interesting question. How do you lessen some of the anger felt by citizens who found out that their well-being wasn’t a major issue for the city?

Ottawa’s bus system has tried to placate their riders with measures like free rides until mid-February and free Wednesdays for seniors. It’s a start, but more needs to be done.

Transit must be declared an essential service — at least partially. The municipal council should work to head off crises like these so that they don’t inflict harm on the city’s most vulnerable. And above all, the city has to care.

Because it’s this lack of caring that has left many angry — and shocked to find out that when they needed the city the most, nobody cared.