OC Transpo’s new fall schedule includes direct bus route to Ottawa Airport, scrapping Youth passes

OC Transpo bus leaving Marketplace Station in Barrhaven. (Peter Szperling/CTV News Ottawa)

OC Transpo rolls out its new fall service schedule on Sunday, which includes a new 24-hour direct bus route connecting the Ottawa International Airport to St-Laurent, Hurdman and Tremblay O-Train stations.

The City of Ottawa implements fall service changes every year, which includes new routes, service adjustments for construction and seasonal service changes to reflect demand. The fall service changes come as tens of thousands of high school, college and university students return to OC Transpo for school this fall.

• OC Transpo launching new bus route from east end LRT stations to Ottawa Airport

The new fall service includes the introduction of Route 105, a 24-hours a day, seven days a week bus route operating approximately every 30 minutes from St-Laurent and Hurdman stations to the airport. When the O-Train Line 1 is not in operation overnight, buses will connect to the airport from Rideau and Hurdman stations.

OC Transpo acting general manager Troy Charter said the new route will “offer more options for east-end residents accessing the airport.”

“Route 105 will provide direct connections to the Airport from O-Train Line 1 at Hurdman Station and from intercity buses and trains at St-Laurent and Tremblay stations,” Charter said in a memo to council.

While the O-Train runs to the Ottawa Airport, some councillors say a direct bus from the east end is needed.

“Having a route to the airport is critical,” Coun. Tim Tierney said Sunday.

“It’s actually taking the people that actually do the work that are actually on the ground, that get in front of those desks and do the cleaning and janitorial services. These are the people that actually need the service the most, so that route is necessary. At the same time, we look at local routes and we are seeing the failures are pinch points that are low-hanging fruit that could be addressed.”

Tierney says the bus route is not a replacement for the O-Train.

“One satisfies the people who actually do the work on the ground, the blue-collar workers that we desperately need up there,” Tierney said.

“The other is certainly working with Ottawa Tourism, all the conventions that come to town, finding opportunities to encourage people to use it.”

The Route 105 was selected to honour the Avro Canada CF-105 Arrow, “a supersonic aircraft and symbol of Canadian innovation,” according to Charter.

Travellers can use the O-Train to travel to the Ottawa International Airport. You can use O-Train Line 2 to travel to South Keys Station, then travel to Line 4 to ride to the Ottawa Airport Station.

According to the OC Transpo travel planner, transit riders would have needed to travel on two buses from St. Laurent Station to the airport before the new Route 105 was introduced.

Youth pass

The OC Transpo Youth pass will hit the end of the road next weekend, as OC Transpo scraps the Youth pass in a bid to boost revenue.

As of September 1, the discounted Youth monthly pass will be discontinued, and customers with a youth pass will be charged the regular adult monthly fare of $135 a month. The plan to scrap the Youth monthly pass was approved by council as part of the 2025 City of Ottawa budget.

OC Transpo tells CTV News Ottawa that between January and June 2025, approximately 1,700 customers a monthly purchased the Youth transit pass. Another 19,100 Youth passes were provided through the Ottawa Student Transportation Authority.

Customers between the ages of 11 and 12 pay a reduced fare of $2 per ride.

Children under the age of 10 ride OC Transpo for free.

• OC Transpo scrapping youth fares on Sept. 1: Here’s how transit fares for youth compare across Canada

Fall OC Transpo changes

Here is a look at the other changes to OC Transpo service this fall”

• Frequency will increase on Routes 7 and 25 as higher ridership returns at Carleton University and La Cité
• 600-series school routes, and school trips on regular routes will resume for the new school year
• Most trips on Route 58 will be extended to run to and from Tunney’s Pasture Station to provide a connection to O-Train Line 1, replacing select trips on Route 57
• Trip times will be slightly adjusted on Routes 25, 30, 32, 33, 35, 39, and 221 departing from Blair Station

For more information, visit OC Transpo’s website.

With files from CTV News Ottawa’s Josh Marano