We’re looking for Ottawa’s worst commute on public transit

Ottawa's Worst Commute: Email your worst commute story to [e-mail]

Do you use public transit in Ottawa? How long does it take you to get to your destination?

If you think you have Ottawa’s worst commute on OC Transpo, contact us at [e-mail].

We want to tell your story and maybe set change in motion.

Tell us your worst commute story and feel free to include pictures or short videos of your trip.

Here are some of the stories that have already been shared with us. How does your commute compare?

Amanda D.

First, I just want to say how much I am “enjoying” the Worst Commute segment. I hesitate to use that word, though, because it’s so unfortunate that so many commuters share in the misery that is riding OC Transpo. Truly, thank you for giving commuters a voice.

I thought I’d chime in with my experience. I’m a federal public servant living in Stittsville and commuting to Gatineau. Before the pandemic, I reported to the Sir Charles Tupper Building on Riverside/Heron, where I had the luxury of driving thanks to reasonable parking rates. Unfortunately for me, my team moved to Place du Portage, which made commuting to work both longer and more expensive.

My husband and I are in our early 30s and, like many people, we’re feeling the financial pinch of being first-time homeowners. So, I did what I think most people would do: I tried to cut down on commuting costs and take OC Transpo.

Ha.

Prior to the route changes, my most reliable option was driving about 10–15 minutes to Eagleson Park & Ride to catch a Gatineau bound route (I believe it was the 61). The trip took about an hour, but it was one bus with no transfers. I could tune out, read a book, and mostly expect the same trip home.

Since the route changes, however, I now have to get to Tunney’s Pasture to make a connection (Route 13). Like many of the viewers you’ve interviewed, it’s now a complete game of chance whether I make that connection or not.

To put the difference in perspective: if I leave my house around 6:30 a.m. and drive, I can be at my office in about 35 minutes. To take the bus, I have to leave my house around 5:40 a.m., and the trip takes about 1 hour and 20 minutes on a good day.

Getting home is even more telling. If I leave work around 3 p.m. and drive, the commute has never taken more than an hour, and that was during a snowstorm. On Tuesday, it only took me 40 minutes to drive home! By bus, missing the connection at Tunney’s Pasture — which happens frequently during rush hour — turns the trip home into nearly 1 hour and 50 minutes.

So, I stopped taking OC Transpo.

I recognize that I’m privileged to have that option, though it does have its challenges too. We’re a one-vehicle household, so when he needs the car, my husband will drop me off and pick me up at Eagleson Park & Ride, but most of the time I absorb the extra cost of gas and parking.

Needless to say, the upcoming four-day return-to-office mandate is causing me a lot of stress. I don’t think we can stretch our finances any thinner to absorb the extra commuting costs. On top of that, I recently received notice that my position may be affected by workforce adjustments. To put it plainly: I’m exhausted.

I wrote to my councillor, Glen Gower, specifically highlighting that the transit system is not ready for this increased demand. Unfortunately, the response I received was essentially a canned message stating he disagrees with the mandate, with no indication of how the City plans to address the serious transit issues commuters are facing.

I truly hope this segment continues to put pressure on the city to fix what is clearly a broken system. Speaking as someone who genuinely tried to make transit work, I can honestly say: I’ve had enough.

Cyndi M.

I work from home for myself and am thankful I don’t take the bus daily.  However, I recently took a bus trip home from an appointment near Andrew Hayden Park that took me 2 hours and 15 minutes from getting on my first bus to my home, near the general hospital.  The commute was much longer than OC Transpo predicted.  Taking the 85 to the 5.  I barely made the 5, only because the bus I was on let us turn in front of it onto Elgin right before the Pretoria Bridge.  Otherwise, I would have missed the 5 and had to wait for the next one, 15 to 30 minutes later.

What really bothers me though is the lack of respect of the people riding the bus.  People not moving to the back when there are seats available and making it difficult for others to get on.  Folks not moving for other who appear to need a seat more than them, and sadly, for the behaviors of the teenagers on the bus.  Not only do many teenagers try to board via back doors to avoid paying, but they are then rude and loud.  On my recent trip a teenager landed in my lap due to roughhousing with their friends.  There was also food being eaten and split from the same group. The garbage was left behind when they got off the bus as well.  Some of the teenagers were also speaking far too loudly, rudely, on purpose, saying not so nice things about people on the bus.

It honestly surprises me that we do not teach people how to take the bus in a respectful manner.  I will continue to avoid rush hour trips.

Also, both buses I took on this trip had broken fare collectors.  So, the big yellow sticker over the payment area.  So not only are the buses full to standing room only, but OC Transpo is not even collecting fares.  No wonder they are always at a loss.

Ryan A.

I don’t have the worst commute but more of an absurd one. Before the ‘new ways to bus’ came into effect last year, I had a bus stop right outside my house (#48) that would go to Hurdman - it would take roughly 15-20 minutes. Now, that same bus does some crazy loop through three neighborhoods that should each have their own dedicated bus route and now takes 40 minutes to get to Hurdman. So instead of taking the #48, I walk up the road about five minutes to catch the #49 which goes to Hurdman pretty directly and takes roughly 15 minutes.

The problem however is that this bus only runs every 30 minutes (in rush hour) and after rush hour only runs every two hours! So, say you get to work and have to go home sick or have to pick your sick kid up from school or whatever, good luck getting home because the bus only runs every two hours from Hurdman to home after rush hour. Also, the bus is regularly cancelled or late. So, it’s totally unreliable. Even when it does work, the commute still takes approximately 50 minutes (5 minute walk to the #49, 15-20 minute bus ride to Hurdman, fight your way onto a crowded Line 1 train which takes another 15-20 minutes to get to Parliament, 5 minute walk to work).

Driving to work from my house takes 25 minutes in rush hour and 15 minutes with no traffic. I know 50 minutes isn’t the worst commute, but it’s just absurd that you would change a bus route (#48) to service three neighborhoods that should have their own individual routes and then make another route (#49) run only every 30 minutes in rush hour and every two hours outside rush hour. This is the capital city of Canada, it is shameful.

Mélaine H.

I am a person with special needs (cognitive impairments). I just simply wanted to take a quick moment to share my transit story with you as someone who takes a mix of both regular buses and Para Transpo.

I participate in many Special Olympics programs and activities, including bright and early at the Nepean Sportsplex Saturday morning with the advanced group swim team, and have therefore Para Transpo booked for 6:00 a.m. with a return home from the Nepean Sportsplex at 12:00 (noon), so I can have and take a shower, and dry my hair before going back home after. And, as I am not exactly fast getting ready, I can usually be found getting up at 3:00 a.m. for a 6:00 a.m. Para from my place (Kilborn and Playfair) to go to Special Olympics swim practice bright and early Saturday morning.

And, in addition to taking Para Transpo to and from swim practice at the Nepean Sportsplex Saturday morning, I would also like to mention that I’ve actually tried taking Para Transpo to get to and from Carleton University after OC Transpo disposed of my bus during the big huge system overhaul a while back, so I am unfortunately no longer able to get myself to Carleton University to enjoy swimming.

Zoe B.

I’m a transit user who lives in Barrhaven and works at Bayshore mall.

When I first got my job, I had one bus basically door to door. Took about 35-40 minutes. Not too bad considering driving takes between 15-20. I didn’t need to worry about transfers. Since they updated their routes in April, it now takes me three buses and about an hour and a half to get to work/ home from work. Bus from home to Fallowfield Station. Wait for transfer onto 74/75 which are typically overcrowded. Go to Lincoln Fields Station — that’s right, go east just to go west again — wait for any of the 60s, get to Bayshore. Home is usually worse as the rush hour/school kids are crowding and affecting the times at stops, very frequently I miss the connecting bus at Fallowfield because there are time delays from overcrowding of passengers and stop times, which means waiting another 20-30 minutes for a bus that even comes close to my home.

Thank you for running this segment. It’s important to show the reality for many people, and the importance of how our community utilizes the transit system as well as the many flaws.

Josée G.

Here is what I deem to be the worst OC Transpo commute in Ottawa:

My commute from the federal public service at 140 Prom du Portage in Gatineau to my home on Montreal Road in Vanier.

I live 7.3 km away from my office at 140 Prom du Portage in Gatineau. Getting to the office in the morning is a breeze and sometimes takes less than 30 minutes. I can take the 12, 15 or 17 to Queen/Metcalfe and then walk 2 minutes to catch any STO bus on Albert.

The problem is the commute back home. I have to catch the 13 Tunney’s Pasture or the 8 Dow’s Lake to Pimisi station and then walk to the 12 Blair bus stop four minutes away on Booth/Wellington. The problem is the cancelled trips. I’ve waited 45 minutes on several occasions to catch the 8 or 13 due to cancelled trips just to get to Pimisi station. Walking to the #12 bus stop instead would take at least 30 minutes and isn’t that great with a heavy packsack on your back or in inclement weather.

The worst is the #12. I’ve waited over an hour on EVERY occasion for this bus as they cancel four to five trips in a row on this route. It’s supposed to come every 15 minutes during peak time. I’ve often had to pay twice to get home since the transfer window expires in this time. I finally had it and made an accommodation request at work to change my Fridays in office to Wednesdays to carpool with a neighbour after I spent over an hour in -29 C weather and couldn’t feel my toes and cheeks for hours. There are no heaters in the shelters there, no stores or restaurants or anything to step into to warm up as I wait.

You can forget about their “real time” text feature to see when your bus is coming. It’s NEVER accurate and doesn’t tell you when your trip has been cancelled.

I’m one of the first to get on at this location so I always have a seat, but it only takes four to five stops before it gets to Rideau Center and it’s already full by then as people have been accumulating to get on. It is an absolute sardine can by then and most people can’t get on. It gets so packed that I have to start making my way to the doors two stops before mine to make sure I can fight my way out before the doors close on me and I’m forced to wait till the next stop and walk back.

I can count on more than one hand the times this bus has broken down in the middle of this hellish commute as well.

Another option would be to take an STO bus to Rideau and catch the 12, 15 or 17 there. This would require me to get an STO pass on top of my Presto pass because you first must tap your card in an STO bus to be able to transfer onto an OC Transpo bus afterwards.

So after more than two hours, a time frame I could drive to Montreal in, I am home. I invite you to join me on my commute home to see the reality of it all. Dress very warmly and you might want to bring snacks.

Cole F.

My commute is likely not be the worst commute, but I wanted to put a spotlight on my commute from Kanata Lakes (Kanata North) to Carleton University to show:

1. How badly New Ways to Bus impacted the rush hour commute

2. How much slower the off-peak commute is in comparison to driving

To start with rush hour, before New Ways to Bus, I could catch the 264 from Goldridge to Tunney’s Pasture before taking the Line 1 and Line 2 trains to Carleton. That got me to Carleton in either 1h 10m or under an hour (mostly the latter) depending on traffic and train transfers. If the 264 was canceled or running late, I could walk 10 minutes to the 268 and get to Carleton in about 1h 15m. Now? To get to Carleton in equivalent time, I would have to leave my house 15 minutes early because now it takes almost an hour just to get to Tunney’s via the 265, with 25 minutes of that spent riding through Kanata due to three routes being merged into one. This is one of many inconvenient route consolidations across Kanata. I have since avoided morning classes so I would not have to take this in the morning. I still take it on the way home, but transferring to the 62/168 at Teron and walking 12-15 minutes from the closest stop is faster than riding the 265 if the buses line up.

Off-peak isn’t much better. My commute is to walk 12 to 15 minutes to the 62 at Kanata/Campeau (if I’m early, I catch it from Campeau/Herlihey), and ride the bus for about 40 to 45 minutes to Tunney’s Pasture before taking the trains to Carleton. This takes me about 1h 30m while driving door-to-door is 25 minutes, more than three times longer. Oh, and to add to that, I have to target being at the stop 10 minutes early because the 62 consistently blows past the stop as much as five minutes early.

On the bright side, when they’re not early, the buses I take are on time (most of the time) and almost never cancelled, something that others aren’t as lucky to say.

I have also attached pictures of the route maps of the old 264 and current 265 to show how bad the route consolidation of the 264, 265 and 268 was. Many others in Kanata have similar experiences with the 64 getting consolidated into the 63 and 110 while pretty much every 200 series route in South Kanata got consolidated into either the 256 or local routes that need extra transfers to get to Tunney’s.

Aleks G.

My work commute takes me from Old Barrhaven to Trainyards and takes two hours on average.

Before “New Ways to Bus” in April 2025, I was able to take the 99 from Marketplace to Hurdman in around an hour. Now that the 99 Barrhaven no longer goes to Hurdman, my typical route has forced me to use the LRT to bridge this gap (or take the 88 during rush hour... no thanks!)

1. 19 or 42 from Trainyards to Hurdman.

2. Line 1 from Hurdman to Tunney’s Pasture.

3. 75 Barrhaven Centre or one of the 200-series routes to Marketplace.

4. 20 minute walk home, because with the new 99 Barrhaven Centre, only “Some trips will be extended to Jockvale Road and Weybridge Drive." and this is every other 30 mins. It is faster for me to walk home than to wait for the correct bus that will take me all of six stops.

I’m off work at 4 p.m. and get home at 6 p.m., so this takes me through the worst of rush hour. At this point, I refuse to bus to work in the mornings, so I fork out a $30 to $40 Uber or Lyft each day. Waking up three hours before my shift just to risk still being late due to unreliable transit is unacceptable to me.

I moved to Barrhaven at the end of 2024 with the assurance that I would be able to transit to work reliably thanks to the 99 Barrhaven being a direct route that covered most of the journey. With this route cut in early 2025, I am stuck navigating this system that turns my eight-hour shifts into a 10 to 12 hour day.

Jon M.

Currently without a license for medical reasons, so I don’t have other travel options except $100 a day Uber rides or a one-way OC Transpo ride ranging from an hour and 40 minutes to two hours.

I’m going from Richmond to Vanier.

1h40m:

283 (bus) -> 2 (O-Train) -> 1 (O-Train) -> 15 (bus)

2h:

283 (bus) -> 2 (O-Train) -> 14 (bus)

Interestingly, cycling the whole way takes 1h50m minutes, without the risk of missing transfers (due to a leg of the journey running late) and offers more flexibility for when I can leave and arrive.

Oh, to make matters worse, my job can be done entirely remotely, but that’s neither here nor there.

Kyle H.

After getting off at 4 p.m., I head to Metcalfe to catch the E1, which is supposed to go right to Blair and run every 15 minutes. Out in -25 C weather, I waited over an hour for the bus to come. From Metcalfe to University of Ottawa it took another 30 minutes.

After arriving at Blair around 6:15, I then saw my next two buses were cancelled and needed to find a way to Place d’Orléans. After a few other buses being cancelled, I finally got to Place. When I arrived, the only bus I could catch was the 36. This was then cancelled for the next two runs.

That night took me four hours to get home from Metcalfe. This is not the only story I have. This has happened many times.

Also, people have lost how they are supposed to behave and have manners and be courteous. Trying to get on the E1 in the morning is absolutely horrible. People pushing and trying to get on the bus. This is a big failure from OC Transpo. I could have driven from Ottawa to Toronto in the time it took me to get home from downtown. Something has to be done about the city dropping the ball on all projects.

Dan A.

I use public transit for my daily commute to work.

I live in Gatineau and I work at The Ottawa Hospital (some days at the Civic and others at the General campus).

I take one or two STO buses to get to downtown Ottawa.

From there, I usually take the LRT Line 1 and then bus #56 to go to Civic or bus route #45 to go to General.

Early in the morning, my biggest challenge is whether my bus is going to be cancelled or late.

Bus #45 is cancelled very often. But because I have no other option, I have to wait for the next bus or walk (25 minutes) from Hurdman to the Hospital.

Bus #56 takes me directly from Tunney’s Pasture to the Civic Hospital, but traffic through Parkdale Avenue is often heavy. A trip that should take 5 minutes, usually takes 20 to 25.

My way back home is not different. My commute usually takes an hour and a half each way.

On Saturdays, I work in a private clinic located on Merivale Avenue.

Saturday is a challenge for me, due to less bus frequency. From Tunney’s Pasture, my only options are routes 53 and 80. Each one of these pass every 30 minutes (in theory). It has happened, when the bus is cancelled, that I have waited for some 45 minutes in the cold. My commute on Saturday take one hour and 45 minutes, if I’m lucky.

My main struggle is with OC Transpo reliability and punctuality.

Vlad G.

Please find below my morning commute to Carleton U from Kanata.

Bus #161 -> Eagleson Park and Ride (Runs every 30 minutes on weekdays, one hour weekends) OR 20-minute walk

Bus #60/61/62/63/67 -> Tunney’s Pasture (run consistently, but sends only 40 ft. busses in the mornings leaving passengers behind)

Line 1 -> Bayview

Line 2 -> Carleton

Total time: ~1:15-1:30 depending on transfer speed between Lines 1 and 2.

The route back is significantly worse because the 61/62/63 -> 161 transfer window at either Eagleson Park and Ride (61) or Teron (62/63) is about two minutes long, and usually the 161 shows up early or the 6X shows up late, so then it’s a 20 to 30 minute walk or 30 minute wait.

In addition, the 6X routes from Tunney’s Pasture are clustered, and depart once every half hour. This would be fine if not for below -20 C weather, and a complete lack of heated bus shelters at Tunney’s Pasture.

Jean-Guy G.

I live downtown Gatineau and I work at the Montfort Hospital. I have to take a Gatineau bus that goes all around and stop at the Mackenzie King Bridge at the Rideau Center. From there, I have to walk across the Rideau Center to take the #12 on Rideau Street. Often, there are two trips canceled in a row. If I leave from my home in Gatineau at 1 o’clock in the afternoon, I have a chance to get in time for work. I start working at 3:30 in the afternoon and sometimes I am late.

Peter S.

From Lansdowne Park to Nepean, 1.5 hours. It would take 20 minutes to drive.

The #6 from Lansdowne to the O-Train, off at Tunney’s Pasture Station, wait for the 82, 81, then a one-hour bus ride. The worst public transit system in Canada.

Zoe R.

By car, my work commute from the ByWard Market to the St. Laurent area is a 15-minute drive (20 if there’s extra traffic). I don’t own a car so public transit is my option. I have to start with a bus, then transfer to the train, then transfer to another bus, with the route taking anywhere from one to two hours (one way). I am exhausted by the time I get to work, and the commute home eats away my evening time.

Dong N.

I commute into Gatineau from Hunt Club for work which requires at minimum three transfers and if the timing is slightly off it adds between 15 to 30 minutes to my commute.

First, I try to catch the 90 or 116 on Hunt Club (If I miss either, it’s usually another 10–15-minute wait). Then, at South Keys, I can either catch the 98 to Hurdman (98 is sadly either late or packed) or I can take Line 2 to Bayview. From either Bayview or Hurdman, I take Line 1 to Parliament, where I then switch to an STO bus to head to Gatineau, as none of the OC Gatineau routes reach my office.

All in all, if everything lines up, it’s three connections I have to make and I’m to the office in an hour. If one part is off, then I’m looking at a 90-minute commute.

Lucy A.

Just to get to St. Francis of Assisi School in Orléans from Donald/St. Laurent area. Four transfers in this trip:

Start trip.

1. Bus #7, #14, or #20 to St. Laurent mall.
2. Train from St. Laurent mall to Blair Station.
3. Bus #33 or #39 from Blair station to Place d’Orléans mall.
4. Bus #36 from Place d’Orléans mall to St. Francis of Assisi School.

End trip.

Anne L.

I think my daughter has the worst bus route. We used to have a bus from home, Findlay Creek, that went to Hurdman directly. We no longer have that, which makes it difficult to get to the east end. She now has to take three buses and two trains just to get from Findlay Creek to her school at Aviation. Bus to Leitrim Station then train to Greenboro, then bus to Hurdman, then train to Blair, and bus to school. It’s absolutely ridiculous. What is approximately a 15-minute car ride is one-and-a-half hours on OC Transpo.

Matt R.

Several years ago, I was commuting from Kanata South to Stittsville. It’s approximately 15 minutes by car, but it took close to 2 hours by transit.

Yes, I was going against the bulk of traffic, but it felt like there were further issues making it unnecessarily long.

The first bus only ran every 30 minutes during ‘peak hours’ but dropped to every hour before the end of the typical morning commute window.

The second bus ran every 15 minutes (30 minutes after the ‘peak hours’), but the layover was tight at best, and this was aggravated by the fact that the first bus often was late or sometimes did not arrive at all and the second bus was often a few minutes early.

I got off the second bus at a stop with no bus shelter.

Finally, because the last bus was an express route, there was a top up fare required even though I was only using the neighbourhood part of the route.

Christina T.

Just to get to the government offices for the Department of National Defence in Gatineau from Kanata, 3 different busses and 1 train. It also takes 1.5 hours in this trip on what would be a 25 min car ride.

• Start trip.
• Bus #165 to Terry Fox Station.
• Bus #60 to Tunney’s Pasture.
• Train to Pimisi Station.
• Bus #13 to Government Gatineau buses.
• End trip.

To top it off, I can’t get to the office for a 6:30 a.m. start time because it’s impossible. The bus schedule can’t plan a trip that will arrive by that time since it takes 1.5 bloody hours to get to my destination on what is a 25 min car ride.

David L.

Not the worst, but comparable. It’s a 17-minute drive, or a 105-minute bus ride.

1. #48 to Hurdman.
2. Train to Tunney’s Pasture Station.
3. #66 to work.

The Best part? When fare inspectors get on the 66 (or 48 for the trip home), I have to pay a second fare as it’s been longer than 90 minutes since I paid.

According to the OC Transpo travel planner it’s “only” supposed to be about 70 minutes, but I have to catch the early #48 otherwise I cannot guarantee I’ll catch the #66, as the #48 is often late, the train doesn’t show up for a timely transfer, or the #66 leaves early.

If you think you have Ottawa’s worst commute on OC Transpo, contact us at [e-mail].