Free transit in Ottawa for 1st weekend in May
OC Transpo and Para Transpo service will be free the first weekend in May to thank customers and encourage use after both the Trillium Line relaunch and a massive service overhaul set to take place earlier that week.
The free rides May 3 and 4 were announced by Ottawa's transit general manager in a Friday morning memo.
The announcement comes after the launch of the expanded north-south rail lines earlier this year and ahead of the April 27 rollout of the "New Ways to Bus" initiative, which is designed to realign service with Lines 2 and 4 and will change nearly every route.
The changes will also reduce service by about 3.5 per cent compared to levels at the start of last spring, when the campaign launched amid budget constraints.
The city's transit committee heard plans about an unspecified free transit weekend last week.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CTV News
12-06-2025
- CTV News
OC Transpo says no early LRT closure tonight
An eastbound O-Train pulls in to Rideau Station on the Confederation Line of the Light Rail Transit system in Ottawa, Ont. (Brenda Woods/CTV Ottawa) Line 1 O-Train service will run as normal Thursday night instead of stopping early, OC Transpo says. Planned maintenance occurring on Line 1 this month requires some partial or full interruptions to service for passengers, with most of the work occurring at night or on weekends. Service stopped early the evenings of June 6, 7, and 8, with five more days of interruptions planned. Line 1 service was slated to be offline between uOttawa and Blair stations after 10 p.m. Thursday, with R1 bus service running between Rideau and Blair stations, but in a memo to city councillors and the mayor Thursday afternoon, Transit Services general manager Renée Amilcar said that won't be necessary. 'Since June 6, Rideau Transit Maintenance (RTM) has been performing annual maintenance activities on O-Train Line 1. They have been able to accelerate some of the work, and as a result the early closure of Line 1 on Thursday, June 12 is no longer required,' Amilcar wrote. 'Customers have been advised through all our communication channels that Line 1 service will continue to operate until the normal closing time.' This means Line 1 service will run until 1 a.m. The planned shutdown this weekend will still take place, Amilcar says. 'The maintenance and Stage 2 East integration activities will continue as planned on June 14 and 15. During the weekend there is no train service on Line 1 and R1 bus service will be running between Tunney's Pasture and Blair stations,' Amilcar wrote. The Line 1 east extension is getting closer to completion, with the Transit Committee hearing Thursday that the public is expected to be riding the train east from Blair Station to Trim Station in Orléans before the end of the year. The maintenance schedule for Line 1 also includes no train service on the entire line between 8 a.m. and noon on June 22 and on June 29, with R1 buses moving transit riders between Tunney's Pasture and Blair stations during those times. Amilcar says these interruptions are required for additional adjustments to Line 1 service for Stage 2 East Extension integration work.
CTV News
12-06-2025
- CTV News
O-Train eastern extension expected to open to transit riders by end of 2025, staff say
Passengers will be riding the O-Train into Orléans by the end of the year, but there is no firm date on when the Line 1 extension will open as construction continues in Ottawa's east end. The Transit Committee received an update on construction on Stage 2 of the light rail transit system on Thursday, including work to extend Line 1 from Blair Station to Trim Station. 'Overall, we're making good progress, but it's important that we take our time and follow all the necessary steps to ensure we have a successful launch, as we recently experienced with Lines 2 and 4,' Richard Holder, director of rail construction, told councillors. 'Trial running is anticipated to begin in the fall and the system is projected to open to the public in Q4 2025.' A presentation to councillors showed handover to the city is expected in the July to September period, with trial running and trial operations scheduled for October to December. The pathway to passenger service includes five to 10 days of pre-trial running work, followed by a minimum 21 days of trial running. The pre-trial work and trial running will be conducted once OC Transpo and its partners reach substantial competition. The trial running period will 'exercise and evaluate the performance' of the system's infrastructure, vehicles, operating and maintenance personnel and operating procedures, according to staff. Montreal Road A look at the Montreal Station platform on the new O-Train Line 1. (OC Transpo/report) Coun. Tim Tierney said he's not optimistic the LRT line will open by the end of this year. 'Very exciting news. Of course, promise less, deliver more,' Tierney joked. 'Definitely, towards the end of the year, we'll see something - train testing will take place. Most likely it will be fare revenue, you're saying probably Q4, I'm not going to say that. I've been spit-balling with some colleagues, I'm thinking it's probably going to be February 2026. If it's earlier, that's gravy.' Tierney calls the LRT a 'game changer' for the east end. Trim Station An overhead view of the new Trim Road LRT Station in Ottawa's east end. (OC Transpo/report) A report for the Transit Committee says major activities to complete include software upgrades and operator training for the fleet, and staff say 'work is progressing' on the training program, staffing and recruitment and maintenance readiness. The hiring of new Electric Rail Operators and familiarization training are underway, and training on Stage 2 is expected to begin in late July. The western extension of the O-Train Line 1 from Tunney's Pasture to Moodie Drive and Algonquin College is expected to open to the public in 2027.
CTV News
10-06-2025
- CTV News
OC Transpo to offer free service on Canada Day as part of summer schedule
An O-Train on Line 1 pulls into Bayview Station in this undated image. (Natalie van Rooy/CTV News Ottawa) OC Transpo will be offering free service on Canada Day and extending O-Train Line 2 and Line 4 service hours on July 1 and on Sundays during Ottawa Bluesfest. Transit Services general manager Renée Amilcar outlined the summer service changes in a memo to councillors Tuesday morning, which includes changes to service for major events. On Canada Day, service will be free all day on OC Transpo buses and O-Train Lines 1, 2 and 4. Amilcar says Line 1 will operate from 6 a.m. to 2 a.m., with enhanced frequency in the evening. Lines 2 and 4 will operate from 7 a.m. to 1 a.m., one hour longer than normal. Additional buses will supplement service levels 'where needed,' Amilcar said. For Ottawa Bluesfest, service on O-Train Lines 1, 2 and 4 will be extended in the evening on Sundays to end at midnight. 'Line 1 will operate with enhanced frequency in the evening on event days,' Amilcar said. 'Additional buses will supplement service levels where needed.' Amilcar reminds people heading to Bluesfest that transit fares to and from the event are included with your ticket. Fans with tickets to Redblacks games will also have a transit fare included with the ticket to the game. OC Transpo summer schedules Construction adjustments: Route 14 St-Laurent will be detoured along Montreal Road and Vanier Parkway to accommodate a watermain replacement project on McArthur Avenue between North River Road and Vanier Parkway Route 66 will be detoured off Carling Avenue between Herzberg Road and Moodie Drive Seasonal service changes Amilcar says the 600-series school routes will not run during the summer Route 25 will have a minor reduction to reflect reduced ridership levels normally seen on this route during the summer. Route 125 to the Canada Aviation and Space Museum and Route 139 to Petrie Island will return to the summer. Amilcar says weekend service to the Canada Agriculture and Food Museum will be provided by an extension on Route 8 Minor schedule adjustments will be made on Route 110 seven days a week, and on Routes 8, 33, 63, 70, and 74 on Sundays. The full schedule is available at
