Transit is the best option for travelling to Canada Day festivities downtown and across the city, with free service all day on OC Transpo and Para Transpo. A special holiday schedule will operate on July 1, with additional service during the day and after the fireworks. Only routes that normally run on Sundays will be in service, with the addition of Route 91 service to Orléans after the fireworks. Happy 150th Canada Day from OC Transpo!
Free Para Transpo and OC Transpo service will be in effect until the end of the service day at 5 a.m. on July 2. The O-Train Trillium Line will run throughout the day and all evening until 1 a.m. The Société de transport de l’Outaouais (STO) will also be providing free service on July 1. For more information on STO service, visit sto.ca.
Thousands of free Park & Ride spaces
- Thousands of spaces will be available at 12 OC Transpo Park & Ride lots served by high-frequency Transitway routes 61, 62, 94, 95, 97, 98 and 99.
- Many more spaces will be available courtesy of these shopping centres: Bayshore, Billings Bridge, Carlingwood, Place d’Orléans, St. Laurent Centre and South Keys, as well as Algonquin College, Carleton University and Canada Post (Heron/Riverside).
Leave early and arrive in time
- Due to large crowds, anyone attending an event on Parliament Hill is advised to arrive two to three hours before show time in order to proceed through security screening areas.
- You should leave home by 8 p.m. to arrive in time for the 11 p.m. fireworks display.
- Bus detours will be in effect downtown due to road closures.
- Mackenzie King Bridge will be closed to pedestrians after 7 p.m., so customers cannot be picked up or dropped off at that station in the evening.
- After the fireworks downtown, buses will be available on Slater, Albert, and Bank Streets.
- Route 91 will operate service after the fireworks from downtown to Trim Station, providing a fast, direct trip to Orléans.
- The last local buses will depart transit stations at around 12:30 a.m. or 1 a.m.
Free Shuttle between Ottawa and Gatineau
- Buses operate from 9 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. between the National Art Gallery and Jacques-Cartier Park.
Information on July 1
- OC Transpo’s Customer Service Centre in the Rideau Centre will be open from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m.
- An OC Transpo information booth will be located at Mackenzie Avenue and Rideau Street from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m.
July 3 Canada Day statutory holiday
On Monday, July 3 (the Canada Day statutory holiday), a Sunday schedule will operate with extra service provided on Routes 12, 61, 85, 87, 94, 95, 97, and 98.
Visit octranspo.com for holiday schedules, or call 613-741-4390 (open July 1 between 7 a.m. and 9 p.m.).
A complete list of downtown traffic impacts and pedestrian zones in downtown Ottawa between June 27 and July 2 can be found on the Canadian Heritage website, which includes an interactive map. Additional information can be found on the City’s Traffic Report and on ottawa.ca.
For traffic and transit updates on Canada Day, follow @ottawacity or @OC_Transpo on Twitter or @cityofottawa on Facebook.