OC Transpo

OC Transpo
From top left to bottom right: O-Train Line 1, O-Train Line 2, and an articulated OC Transpo bus.
Overview
OwnerCity of Ottawa[1]
Area servedOttawa, Ontario
Gatineau, Quebec
LocaleOttawa, Ontario
Transit typeBus service, light rail, bus rapid transit, paratransit
Number of lines170 bus
2 light rail
Number of stations18 in use
27 under construction
Annual ridership110,596,700 (2023)[2]
Headquarters1500 St. Laurent Boulevard
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Websiteoctranspo.com
Operation
Began operation1948; 76 years ago (1948)
Number of vehicles740 buses, 13 diesel multiple units, 39 Citadis Spirit
Technical
Track gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge
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Subway style map of the two o-train lines and various bus rapid transit lines crisscrossing the city
Rapid transit lines in Ottawa as of 2019. Local, non-rapid frequent, and connexion routes not shown

OC Transpo is the organisation that operates and plans public transport in the city of Ottawa, Canada. OC Transpo runs bus rapid transit, light rail, conventional bus routes, and door-to-door paratransit.

OC Transpo was established in 1948 as the Ottawa Transportation Commission, and currently operates two urban rail lines, 11 bus rapid transit (BRT) lines, and 170 regular bus routes. Ottawa is served with 18 urban rail stations, 43 BRT stations, and two intercity railway stations. Urban rail in Ottawa is called the O-Train, and the BRT is called the Transitway.

The network is designed as a hub and spoke system, where local bus routes feed Transitway lines, which themselves feed into O-Train lines.[3][4]

Ottawa is considered an important BRT city, due to its early adoption of the influential Transitway network, which has garnered one of the largest public transport mode shares in North America. This high ridership, which was 110,596,700 in 2023, has led to the creation of the O-Train system, which is seeing over-capacity segments of the Transitway be converted to a higher capacity light rail system. As a result of this, Ottawa has become the first city in the world to convert bus rapid transit to light rail.[5]

Some OC Transpo routes also serve Gatineau in Québec during peak periods. In addition, many Société de transport de l'Outaouais routes also run into downtown Ottawa.

  1. ^ "City of Ottawa, Main Administrative Structure". Ottawa.ca. Archived from the original on 29 January 2012. Retrieved 22 January 2013.
  2. ^ "Transit Ridership Report Fourth Quarter 2023" (PDF). American Public Transportation Association. 4 March 2024. Retrieved 5 September 2024.
  3. ^ Egan, Kelly (28 September 2021). "Egan: How to social distance on a crowded OC Transpo bus. Start the car?". Ottawa Citizen.
  4. ^ "New Ways to Bus | OC Transpo". www.octranspo.com. Retrieved 29 March 2024.
  5. ^ Osman, Laura (3 January 2024). "'I am done': Amid rider woes, is Ottawa's transit system a victim of its own success?".