OC Transpo is making the biggest update to its bus system in history. It’s all designed around how people travel today and connections to the expanding O-Train network. Whether you ride every day, once a week, or haven’t taken the bus in a while, here’s what you need to know and why it matters. Set to launch on Sunday, April 27, 2025, New Ways to Bus will significantly change bus travel in Ottawa.
We’re here to help you through it.
The way people move around Ottawa has changed, and our bus network needs to change too.
OC Transpo’s current system was built to serve over 100 million trips each year. Today, we’re seeing about 70 to 75 million. Since the pandemic, people are working different hours, staying closer to home, and taking fewer long trips.
Some routes are crowded. Others are underused. That’s why we’ve redesigned the bus network, to better reflect how people travel now and to prepare for the city’s future needs.
This is a key part of our 5-Year Roadmap, shaped by ridership reviews, community input, and your feedback.
Over 100 routes will be improved, replaced, or added. The new system will be more consistent and better connected to key destinations. You’ll also notice updated route types, colours, and symbols designed to simplify your trip and make things clearer at a glance.
Symbols are now blue hexagons instead of orange. Service every 15 minutes or better on weekdays. Connects major destinations and O-Train stations.
Neighbourhood service that connects to local destinations, Frequent Routes and O-Train stations.
Fast, peak period connections to the O-Train.
Blue circles are being phased out.
Clearer symbols and colour codes make navigation easier.
This is a big shift, and we know it takes time to adjust.
Here is what you can expect:
We’ve made it easy to preview your new trip and prepare before April 27:
2025 review
Remember when the O-Train extensions were just plans? 2025 changed everything.
We opened Lines 2 & 4 (hello, airport rail link!), powered up the East Extension for testing, rolled out the West’s first train, and completed station after station.
This is the story of how Ottawa moved toward a tripled rail network in one landmark year.
Read More about 🏆A year in review of the O-Train Extension project
OttaTalk
The OttaTalk team invited transit leaders into the studio to talk about Ottawa’s busiest room — the TOCC.
Hosts interviewed Director Joel Lemieux and Manager Brad Tubman about the command centre that handles 400,000 calls each year: no windows, but eyes on the entire city.
Go behind the scenes of the podcast with The Next Stop Blog!
Read More about 🎧 Behind the scenes of OttaTalk’s episode on the TOCC 🎙