Per-ride fares | Presto, ParaPay, O-Payment* | Cash |
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Adult & Youth | $3.80 | $3.85 |
Senior (ages 65 and up) | $2.90 | $2.95 |
Child (ages 12 and under) | No charge | No charge |
EquiPass What is EquiPass? |
$1.75 | n/a |
Community What is a Community Pass? |
$1.75 | n/a |
Para Transpo Rural | $10.25 | $10.25 |
All rides include a 90 minute minimum transfer window from your first tap or the time you purchase your ticket. Check out additional information about transfer times.
Adding funds to your Presto card or purchasing single-ride fares can be done at a ticket machine using debit, credit, or cash. Riders can also pay exact fare in cash on buses (a paper transfer must be obtained as proof-of-payment).
You may qualify for a reduced fare. Read about reduced fare eligibility.
For children who look older than 12 years of age or regularly travel alone, we recommend getting a Child card.
*O-Payment is now accepted on all buses and O-Train Line 1 fare gates for Adult fare. Simply tap your Interac® Debit card, credit card or Google Pay or Apple Pay mobile wallet on the fare reader on buses and fare gates at O-Train Line 1 stations. Read more about O-Payment and how to register your payment method.
Use the same payment card to transfer between trips on buses and the O-Train. You won’t be charged again if you are within the regular transfer window.
Daily fares are capped at the price of a DayPass ($11.75). Monthly fares are capped at the price of an Adult monthly pass ($128.75). The fare is calculated each night and then charged to your method of payment. When paying with a physical credit card, transactions may take several days to appear on the O-Payment website depending on the card issuer.
Check your trip history or download a receipt at o-payment.octranspo.com. Register after your first transaction appears on your credit card.
We rely on fares to keep our city moving. Your fares help pay for buses, fuel, employee wages, bus shelters, system improvements and much more. You may be asked to show proof of payment by tapping your card on inspection devices, but you will not be charged again. Thank you for supporting the transit system by paying your fare.
Read the 2024 budget at Ottawa.caWhere to load your Presto card
Where to buy your Presto card
In person at an OC Transpo Customer Service Centre or at:
Creating a Prestocard.ca account
As soon as you receive your card, you should register it at prestocard.ca or complete a paper Presto registration form and mail it to the Presto Customer Service Centre. Registration lets you:
Load money into your Presto e-Purse
If you load your card online or by phone, you need to load at least $10.00 at a time. Your e-Purse cannot contain more than $1,000. Card readers on the bus are updated at least three times a day. Be sure to leave enough time for your online purchase to get activated on the buses. Once loaded, you need to tap onto a card reader within 30 days to complete the transaction.
Auto-loading and auto-renewing
Make sure your e-Purse never runs out of money by setting up Autoload:
Make sure you always have a pass loaded to your account by setting up Autorenew. Your payments will go through six days before the start of the month. Simply cancel Autorenew before the 20th day of the month to stop the following month’s pass from loading. At the start of the month, you need to tap your card as part of a regular trip to activate the load onto your PRESTO card. Until you have done so, your monthly pass is not valid and does not count as paid fare.
Set up your card for an aged-base or special access discount
You can purchase a Presto card set with a Youth or Senior discount at an OC Transpo Customer Service Centre or at a participating Shoppers Drug Mart store. Anyone can buy a Presto card with an age-based discount . You can buy it for yourself or on behalf of an eligible person. You must meet eligibility criteria to use the card with a discounted fare. You also need to prove eligibility if requested.
Before you can take advantage of a Community, EquiPass or Access fare discount for which you qualify, you need to bring your card and proof of eligibility to an OC Transpo Customer Service Centre. Once you have bought and setup your card, you’re ready to load it.
Replace a lost or stolen card
If your card is registered, you can transfer your balance to a new card if it gets lost or stolen:
Transfer your information by phone or online
Please note that until your new card is active and the transfer is complete, full fares must be paid using cash.
Presto on Apple Wallet and Google Wallet (not available)
New to Presto? Read Presto card tips and FAQ for more details.
1 day | $11.75 |
3 days | $28.50 |
5 days | $45.75 |
7 days | $54.25 |
2-for-1 DayPass (weekends and holidays only) | $11.75 |
DayPasses are available for purchase at a ticket machine, or from your bus driver (one-day DayPasses only). Validation period begins from the moment of purchase. Get more information on DayPasses.
Adult (ages 20 and up) | $128.75 |
Youth (ages 13-19) | $99.25 |
Senior (ages 65 and up) | $49.00 |
EquiPass | $58.25 |
Community | $43.25 |
Access† | $43.25 |
Monthly passes go on sale 14 days before the start of the month. A monthly pass is only valid during the calendar month for which it is purchased. Discounted monthly passes must be set at a Customer Service Centre or by calling OC Transpo Customer Service. Age-based monthly passes can be set at a participating Shoppers Drug Mart.
*ParaPay cannot be used for trips on OC Transpo buses or the O-Train. Read more information on ParaPay.
†Access pass holders are required to pay a $2.55 top-up charge per ride to use Para Transpo services.
How to get ParaPay
If you want be able to load your account online, you also need to:
Loading your ParaPay account
You can load your ParaPay account with money to pay-per-ride (ParaPurse), a monthly pass (ParaPass) or both.
There are four convenient ways to load your account:
Ways to pay | Additional info | Accepted payment methods |
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*Approved banks: RBC and Scotiabank |
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Online |
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By phone |
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In person |
Visit a Customer Service Centre |
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By mail |
City of Ottawa Please include your name and Para Transpo ID. |
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Pay-per-trip with ParaPurse
ParaPurse lets you deposit money to your account and pay for your Para Transpo trips as you go. A minimum $10.00-load is required when adding funds to ParaPurse.
You can use the funds in your ParaPurse to:
Ride all month with ParaPass
ParaPass is a paperless monthly pass that lets you take unlimited trips on Para Transpo during the month. ParaPasses cost the same as Presto passes.
ParaPass or ParaPay, a card and ticket-free system, cannot be used for trips on OC Transpo buses or the O-Train. Read more information on ParaPay.
OC Transpo offers a mix of free and reserved parking spaces at Park & Ride lots across Ottawa and nearby rural areas, with some lots exclusively for monthly permit holders.
Parking permit | $28.75 |
Gold parking permit | $65.00 |
Here’s what you need to know about using the Park & Ride service, plus a map of Park & Ride locations.
Sheltered bike parking is available at four Bikesecure locations.
Security key fob | $6.00 |
Monthly fee | $10.00 |
One-way trip between a rural zone and the urban area Rural zone map |
$10.25 Children aged 12 and under ride free |
OC Transpo has the largest fleet of buses at your disposal to transport groups of any size for conventions, conferences, sightseeing or entertainment. Read the details on charter rates, features and availability.
You can buy prepaid transit fares in large quantities by using Presto Loads.
Presto Loads are prepaid dollar amounts that can be added to a Presto card. They are a great option for community organizations or employers who wish to bulk purchase transit fares for use in Ottawa.
Find more information at Prestocard.ca.
Looking for other ways to get bulk fares for your business or organization? Get in touch with us to discuss your options: PTO-BVLPB@octranspo.com.