Ottawa Central Station
Ottawa Central Station is the main inter-city bus station in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It is located 1.5 km south of downtown Ottawa in the Centretown neighbourhood and serves buses from Greyhound Canada, Ontario Northland, Autobus Gatineau and Transcollines.
Location
Ottawa Central Station is located at 265 Catherine Street, between Lyon Street and Kent Street. Catherine Street lies directly north of Ontario Highway 417, which is the main expressway through Ottawa. The station is accessible from highway 417 exits 120 and 119.The station's main entrance faces south towards Catherine Street and the 417. On the north side of the station building, buses call at 14 outdoor bus stands with adjoining indoor gates. The front of the buses are partially covered by a roof overhang.
It is also located one block west of Bank Street, a major north-south commercial street in Ottawa. Continuing north on Bank Street leads to downtown and the main government and business district, while south of highway 417, the street passes through the more residential neighborhood of the Glebe on its way to Landsdowne Park and the Rideau Canal.
Nearby landmarks include the Canadian Museum of Nature on Metcalfe Street and beyond that, the southern end of Elgin Street, a north-south commercial street with many small shops, restaurants and bars.
Services
The station includes free Wi-Fi and a travel lounge with seating, tables, power outlets. The lounge is open at all times to travelers in the station.The station also offers a number of vending machines with coffee and other hot beverages, muffins, sandwiches, soups and salads, ice cream, chips, chocolate bars and cold drinks, as well as earbuds. All vending machines accept Interac Flash, Visa, MasterCard, Apple Pay and Google Pay. In addition, the station offers a baggage storage service for passengers. Proof of travel may be requested.
There is also an ATM and a Mr. Sub restaurant featuring Country Style hot beverages and baked goods. Protect Guard Services operates as the station's main security. Ideal Control Systems and First Student offices are located on the second level of the terminal.
The station's operating hours are daily from 5:00 am to 2:30 am. The parcel department's hours are Monday to Friday 7:00 am to 8:00 pm, Saturday 8:00 am to 5:00 pm and Sunday/holidays 12:00 pm to 5:00 pm.
Main destinations
The majority of buses serving the station are operated by Greyhound Canada. Destinations from Ottawa include Toronto, Montreal, Syracuse, and Sudbury.| Bus Carrier | Cities Served |
| Greyhound Canada | Montreal, Kingston, Cornwall, Gatineau, Toronto, Sudbury, Peterborough, Belleville, Pembroke, North Bay |
| Ontario Northland Motor Coach Services | Sudbury, North Bay, Pembroke, Petawawa, Sault Ste. Marie, White River |
| Autobus Gatineau | Gatineau, Kazabazua, Maniwaki, Grand-Remous |
| Transcollines | Quyon, Shawville, Campbell's Bay, Fort-Coulonge |
Greyhound Departures
Below is a list of some of the destinations Greyhound Canada serves from Ottawa.| Bus | Operator | From | Via | To |
| 5353 | Greyhound Canada | Ottawa | Belleville – Scarborough Town Centre | Toronto |
| 5357 | Greyhound Canada | Ottawa | Terry Fox Drive - Belleville – Trenton – Scarborough Town Centre | Toronto |
| 5807, 5827 | Greyhound Canada | Ottawa | Montreal Kirkland – Montreal Airport | Montreal |
| 5817, 5831 | Greyhound Canada | Ottawa | Montreal Airport | Montreal |
| 5858 | Greyhound Canada | Ottawa | Terry Fox Drive – Carleton Place – Smiths Falls – Portland – Elgin | Kingston |
Local Bus Connections (OC Transpo)
For frequent service to downtown, walk one block east of the station to Bank Street and cross the street. Bank/Catherine Stop 8895 is next to a street light on the southeast corner of the intersection and by the raised berm of an office building parking lot. From there, you can catch the Rockliffe or the St. Laurent bus for downtown and the Rideau Centre.| # | Terminus | Terminus | Notes | Route map |
| Bayshore Hospital | Elmvale | Operates between Elmvale and the General Hospital only on weekday and Saturday evenings, and all day Sundays. | ||
| Greenboro Billings Bridge | Rockcliffe Rideau | Accessible from bus stop on Bank Street. Serves the communities of New Edinburgh, Lowertown, Centretown, The Glebe, Old Ottawa South, Ridgemont, and South Keys. Also serves major tourist attractions including the ByWard Market,the Rideau Centre, TD Place/Lansdowne Park.
| ||
| Carleton | St-LaurentRideau Brittany | Accessible from bus stop on Bank Street.
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Recent History
Ottawa Central Station used to have the same management as Montreal's major bus terminal, Gare d'autocars de Montréal before the latter was purchased by the Quebec government. On February 7, 2011, the terminal operations were sold to Corporate Customer Service Limited, a sub-contractor of Greyhound Canada. Corporate Customer Service formed a new company, Ottawa Central Station Inc., to manage the terminal. On September 1, 2011, Corporate Customer Service Ltd. handed over the head lease to Greyhound, who in turn negotiated and signed a long-term lease with the property's owner. Ottawa Central Station Inc. remains as an agency within a Greyhound terminal. The building and the lot is owned by Crerar Silverside Corporation.On January 21, 2016, Ontario Northland Motor Coach Services began operating between Ottawa Central Station and Sudbury to better serve passengers connecting to and from Northern Ontario communities.
On February 29, 2016, Autobus Gatineau, a subsidiary of Autobus Maheux, began operating between Ottawa Central Station and Grand-Remous after Greyhound reduced service to Fridays and Sundays only. Greyhound later discontinued offering this service altogether.
On December 15, 2008, new security measures by Greyhound came into place. All Greyhound passengers are subject to random screening prior to boarding the bus, which includes the use of wand metal detectors and searching carry-on items. Any passenger refusing to be searched is not permitted to travel.
Proposed relocation
In early 2010, Ottawa Mayor Larry O'Brien announced that he was working with Greyhound to move to bus terminal to a new location next to the Via Rail station on Tremblay Road, effectively creating a transport hub along with the proposed LRT. According to O'Brien, talks had been going on for a while and Greyhound seemed warm to the idea, however the Catherine station's owner, Stewart Robertson, was never consulted and only learned through the media about the proposed move. The move has sparked controversy and mixed opinions with the public and local politicians, stating that the proposed location is inconvenient as it is not central, or more convenient as it is along the Transitway.Robertson, the station's owner, released renderings of a proposed renovation that would see the inside and outside of the terminal's aesthetics improved as well as the terminal's heating and ventilation system, however these improvements would only come if Greyhound were to sign a long-term agreement with Robertson, which in the end would result in Station Centrale being phased out as the terminal's operators.
On March 11, 2011, it was revealed that Stewart Robertson had applied for rezoning of the lot to general mixed-use as a contingency plan if Greyhound were to leave.
In September 2011, Greyhound signed a long-term lease with Crerar Silverside Corporation. As a result, the terminal will not be relocated and extensive renovations are to be done to the station in 2011 and 2012, possibly totalling over one million dollars.