Even before the end of Ottawa's transit strike, there were guesses as to how much of a bill the labour disagreement between the city and the union had rung up.

With the strike over, that final price tag is still in dispute.

OC Transpo's 2,300 transit drivers, dispatchers and maintenance workers walked off the job for 53 days this winter – a strike that officially ended on Jan. 30.

This week, the office of Mayor Larry O' Brien put out a memo to say that the strike had cost more than $2.7 million.

But the transit committee's chair, city Coun. Alex Cullen, says that figure is too high.

"We need to have our auditor general take a look at this," said Cullen. "It ought not to be that complicated."

He said the confusion surrounding the strike is hurting the city's credibility.

"This was a damaging strike," said Cullen. "We need to know what we need to avoid this kind of situation again. The audit of the cost of the strike is part of that."

Coun. Georges Bedard said he hopes the audit will go further than simply tracking down lost revenues and expenses.

"It should also include social costs, people who couldn't go shopping, people who couldn't visit."

Cullen said the request to have the auditor general look at the cost of the strike isn't official yet, but it could be soon.