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The OC Transpo wrecking yard. Photo by Andrew Knapp.

Ottawa OC Transpo Guide

Compared to most cities our size, we have a pretty good public transit system, and a vast network of bike paths, so leaving the car at home is an option. Here are some links to schedules and resources to help you plan an efficient bus trip.

On this page

• Official bus maps & schedules
  Links to the OC Transpo web site for bus route and schedule info. Also a list of locations where you can buy bus tickets or a transit pass.
• Unofficial maps and schedules
  Sser-generated maps that are quite often more useful than the official ones.
• Transit blogs, etc.
  
• O-Train / Light Rail
• School bus info
• Private routes
• Ottawa Transit History
• Miscellaneous

Official bus maps & schedules

• OC Transpo
  OC Transpo provides bus and train service on the Ontario side of the river.
• Société Transpo Outaouais (STO)
  STO provides bus service on the Gatineau side.
• Para Transpo / Accessible Transit
  Para Transpo is Ottawa's accessible transit provider.
• Where to buy bus passes / tickets
  

Unofficial maps and schedules (aka user-generated maps)

These sites have all been created by local citizens, and in many cases provided much more usueful schedule and route information than what you can find on the official sites.

• OC Transpo Alerts (via Twitter)
  An automated Twitter feed that posts information about route cancellations, detours, and other service disruptions.
• Where's My Bus?
  As part of the City of Ottawa's Open Data initiative, OC Transpo is giving developers access to a live feed of GPS locations of buses. This site takes the data, and uses it to provide schedules in realtime -- usually far more accurate than what's printed on the schedule. More info...
• octranspo.mobi (mobile schedules - unofficial)
• STO On the Go (mobile schedules - unofficial)
• See also: OC Transpo hacks

Transit blogs, etc.

• Public Transit In Ottawa
  A very comprehensive blog that covers the transit scene in Ottawa, including "news, notes, and comments about Ottawa's public transit system"
• OC Transit Riders Union
• OC Transpo Community
  A LiveJournal forum with pretty active discussions from bus riders and bus drivers alike. The go-to place for news from the Transitway trenches.
• Ken Yam's Blog
  Ken says: "Urban transit has been part of my life since I was young. Today, I commute to work on a daily basis on Ottawa’s OC Transpo. Public transit has, and always will be, part of my life."
• @iHateOCTranspo
  "Retweeting articles, tweets & blogs that document OC Transpo's screw-ups"
• I (Heart) OC Transpo
  "You hear so much negativity about using OC Transpo, when the experience, 98% of the time, is actually pretty decent."
• OttawaStart Blog: OC Transpo
  A collection of all of our posts about OC Transpo.
• OC Transpo Bus Fan Club
  This is a Yahoo! message board devoted to all things OC Transpo. You'll find photos, drawings, and even .wav files of bus sounds.
• OC Transpo Enthusiast Page
  This site features a fleet roster, a list of OC Transpo radio frequencies, a list of destination messages from the front panels of the buses. Out of date but perhaps useful?
• OC Transpo Etiquette (YouTube videos)
• Flickr: OC Transpo Photos
  

O-Train / Light Rail

• Ottawa Light Rail (official web site about the planned light rail expansion)
• Friends of the O-Train
• OC Transpo O-Train info page
• Ottawa's Light Rail Future (from OC Transpo)

School Bus Info

• Ottawa Student Transportation Authority (OSTA)
  The OSTA looks after school bus transportation for the major school baords in Ottawa. This is the place to look for the latest on school bus cancellations due to bad weather.

Private routes (not OC Transpo)

• 417 Bus Line
• Grayline of Ottawa
• Leduc Bus Lines
• More private routes... (via octranspofanclub)

Ottawa Transit History

• Ottawa Streetcar Restoration Group
• Ottawa Streetcar Rail Photos
• Ottawa Transit History
• Significant Dates in Ottawa/Hull Street and Light Railway History
• Transit History of Ottawa, Ontario
• More Ottawa history links...

Miscellaneous

• Commuter Challenge
• Mighty Machines: OC Transpo
• Ontario Community Transit Association
• Ottawa Streetcar photo - colour restored (nice!)

Related Guides

• Ottawa Driving Guide
• Ottawa Bicycle Guide
• Ottawa Maps Guide
• Ottawa Limousine & Taxi Guide
• Ottawa Weather Guide
• OttawaCarPool.ca

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