Accessibility

Travel planning apps can help you plan your trip. Explore the app gallery to find the app that works for you!

Developed by Transit, the Transit App is your accessible travel companion. When opened, the app displays nearby transport options and departure times. Want to know where your bus is? You can see its location in real‑time on the map!

Navigate the OC Transpo network easily with:

• Simple trip planning
• Step-by-step navigation
• Departure and stop reminders
• Real‑time predictions
• A clear, bold interface

The Canada Video Relay Service (VRS) helps riders who are Deaf, hard of hearing, or speech-impaired connect with us. Using VRS, connect with a sign language interpreter by video. The sign language interpreter facilitates the call and relays the conversation in real time.

VRS allows callers communicate with OC Transpo staff in:

• American Sign Language (ASL)
• Langue des signes québécoise (LSQ)

We provide real‑time alerts about cancelled or delayed trips, bus detours, or route changes. Alert messages outline:

• Affected routes
• Start and end date/time of the change
• Reason for change
• Affected stops
• Service alternatives

Visit OC Transpo’s Alerts page to view current service changes. You can register for email and SMS updates to receive the latest information you want to know, such as:

• Cancelled trips
• Changes to Para Transpo service
• Detours
• Route service changes
• General service change
• OC Transpo news
• Elevator outages

Need help using public transit? OC Transpo allows a support person to ride with you free of charge using an a‑card. Please pay your own fare first, then tap the a‑card to pay your support person’s fare.

Apply for the a‑card at the OC Transpo Customer Service Centre in the Rideau Centre. Bring the following documents:

• Photo ID
• Documentation indicating that you require a support person from an authorized health care professional

The a‑card is a free smart card for clients with:

• A support person
• CNIB card
• Attorney General of Ontario card

Apply for the a‑card at the OC Transpo Customer Service Centre in the Rideau Centre. Bring the following documents:

• Photo ID
• CNIB card or Attorney General of Ontario Guide Dog card or OC Transpo Support Person card
• To request a support person, please bring documentation from an authorized health care professional indicating that you require a support person

The Community pass is available to Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) recipients living in Ottawa. It offers reduced fare for single rides and monthly passes. With the Community pass, the fare per‑ride is about half the cost of a regular fare. The pass is valid as full fare on:

• All OC Transpo bus routes
• All O‑Train lines
• Para Transpo

To apply for the Community Pass, please provide your:

• ODSP number — 9-digit identification number found on ODSP documents or benefit cheque stubs.
• Presto card number — 17-digit registration number found on the back of Presto cards.
• Para Transpo ID number

Boarding the O‑Train with a mobility device is easy with:

• Barrier‑free paths of travel to station entrances for easy access
• Low‑floor, platform‑level train entrances
• Co‑operative Seating section with foldable seats on all vehicles
• Two elevators leading to each station platform
• Slip‑resistant, low‑glare flooring
• Lighting to assist with boarding and exiting
• Power door buttons that are operable at different heights
• Wider accessible fare gates. Each gate has two card readers at different heights so you can choose the reader that works best for you. Visual and audio feedback let you know your fare was successfully read.

• Tactile wayfinding tiles in the floor trace the route:
  • Through fare gates
  • To elevators
  • To platforms and exits
  • To Transecure/Night Stop at each station’s bus loop

The tiles extend to exterior pathways nearby to identify the station entrance as you approach.

• Transecure waiting areas on train platforms with accessible benches and tactile/Braille signs indicating the direction of service
• Accessible exterior benches and rest areas in station plazas and on platforms. Benches have space for a person using a mobility device.
• Dual elevators bring customers to and from each station platform to minimize disruptions caused by elevator malfunctions
• Tactile warning strips and inter‑car barriers
• Black‑and‑white directional signs throughout the station
• Maps and signs with high‑contrast and legible colours and symbols

Ticket machines also allow you to speak to a Customer Services Representative through video and audio. ‘We’re here to help’ signs at the ticket machines and tactile wayfinding tiles will help you locate the ticket machines in each station. The machines have lit‑up buttons and raised text and Braille instruction panels, as well as an audio jack for voice instructions. A Customer Service Representative will help:

• Guide you through your fare purchase
• Get you through the fare gates if you have valid fare that isn’t machine‑readable
• Answer all your fare‑related questions
• Answer any other questions you have about transit

New station designs include upgrades to system wayfinding. To continue providing accessible wayfinding, we are expanding signage design to reflect new transit services. The signage design follows accessibility standards, including font, type size and appropriate colour contrast. Signs at person‑height include tactile text.

Enhanced signage will include:

• Soundscape
• Concourse public address (PA) messages
• Platform PA messages
• Onboard train journey messaging

The signage will be used to:

• Emphasize line numbers and their terminus station
• Indicate cardinal direction (north, south, west, and east)
• Identify platform numbers at transfer and terminus stations
• Help navigate new transfer stations

Seamless transfers allow you to easily switch between lines.

The O‑Train provides accessible and stress‑free transfers through:

• Thoughtfully positioned transfer points
• Upgraded station and platform features such as ramps, elevators, and tactile paving
• Easy‑to‑follow signage
• Up-to-date service information
• Well‑designed maps
• Illuminated signs
• Real‑time digital displays
• A dedicated mobile app that offers real‑time updates, trip planning, and notifications about service disruptions

Located downtown, Bayview Station is a central hub for passengers travelling from the east or west heading towards Ottawa South or the airport.

Whether you're travelling from downtown or Ottawa South via Line 2, South Keys Station is your transfer point for Line 4. Line 4 is a direct link to Ottawa International Airport.

Line 4 service ends on the northbound platform. The train then proceeds to a pocket track north of the station to wait before returning to the station and serving the southbound platform. Line 4 trains are shorter than Line 2 trains. A specific platform boarding area will be designated for Line 4 service to the airport.

Lincoln Fields Station is the final transfer point between Line 1 and Line 3. The station provides seamless connectivity for riders heading to Algonquin or Moodie Station.

Cutting edge Stadler FLIRT trains will serve Ottawa South on Line 2, running from Bayview to Limebank Station. The FLIRT has many accessibility features. Each spacious 81.1 metre vehicle has 200 seats and 16 doors.

New train accessibility features

Each new O‑Train vehicle has:

• 8 spacious Co‑operative Seating areas. These seats are meant for customers who have a hard time standing in a moving vehicle or those who need to sit close to the entrance. Each area can accommodate at least two people with mobility devices, side by side.
• 16 doors (8 on each side) for quick level‑boarding at all stations
• Spacious interior for easy circulation
• Level boarding meeting accessibility standards

We believe in providing inclusive transit. The O‑Train has the following features for riders with visual or hearing impairments:

• Synchronized bilingual audio and visual announcements of:
  • Next stops
  • Service-related messages
• Audible tones/messages and visual indicators that the train doors are opening and closing
• Colours chosen for high visibility. For example, sharp-contrast yellow is used for:
  • Easy‑to‑reach grab bars
  • Handholds
  • Stanchions
• Improved LED passenger info screens

OC Transpo offers travel aids and tools that assist riders and ensure a safe trip. Riders with disabilities can obtain the following tools for free:

• Bus connection kit
• Destination cards

Service animals accompanying persons with disabilities are welcome aboard all OC Transpo vehicles. When on board, please ensure that your service animal does not block the aisle.

Identify your service animal using:

• A vest, harness or other visual indicator that clearly identifies your animal as a service animal
• An Attorney‑General of Ontario guide dog photo ID card
• A previously‑issued OC Service Animal card. Although no longer offered, existing cards remain a valid way to identify a service animal
• A letter from a regulated health professional confirming you require the animal for reasons relating to a disability

Looking for an accessible version of a City of Ottawa document? Fill in the Accessible formats document request form to receive an accessible copy. Provide:

• Your contact details
• Title of the City of Ottawa document you need
• When you need it
• Your preferred language (English or French)

We are committed to providing public transit services that are:

• Customer‑focused
• Safe
• Reliable
• Accessible to everyone

These policies outline delivery guidelines of accessible customer service to people with:

• Assistive devices
• Service animals
• Support persons
• Other needs using transit or our programs