The Ottawa region is served by three airports, rail, light rail, inter-city coaches and major inter-provincial highways. Cargo services are also provided and the region is served by numerous courier companies, many of them operating 24 hours a day.

AIR

Three commercial airports serve the Ottawa region:

• The Ottawa International Airport, a 24-hour airport located 20 minutes from downtown along the Airport Parkway, offers numerous daily scheduled non-stop flights to cities in North America and Europe. As a result of a Canada-U.S. Open Skies agreement, signed in 1995, flight volumes at the airport have increased by more than 20 per cent. The Ottawa Airport is a significant economic player contributing to the economic growth and development of the region. There are 30 direct daily flights from Ottawa to major U.S. centres including New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Detroit, Chicago, Washington, Newark and Atlanta. As the fifth-busiest passenger airport in Canada, it currently serves over 3 million passengers annually. The airport service is complemented by the U.S. Customs and Immigration pre-clearance facility.
• The Carp Airport has evolved into a commuter airport, conveniently located close to many of the high-technology industries in the west part of the region. Commercial and industrial development sites are available both at the airport itself and nearby.
• The Gatineau Airport serves the Outaouais region and other areas of Quebec. Numerous flight charter companies use the Ottawa Airport, and all three airports provide access to, and services for, corporate aircraft. 

• Air Canada
• Canadian North Air
• First Air
• Porter Airlines Inc.
• Westjet

INTER-CITY BUS

PUBLIC TRANSIT

The OC Transpo public transportation system operates a large, modern fleet of 950 standard and articulated buses, providing mass transit service in the Ottawa region.  The annual number of passengers is 87 million. The buses use a combination of dedicated bus-only roads (Transitway) and regular roads to deliver a transit service that has the highest per-capita ridership for a region of its size in North America. It is also integrated with Gatineau’s STO, allowing for efficient transportation throughout the Ottawa-Gatineau region.  The OC Transpo also includes Para-Transpo which provides public transit that is accessible to the handicapped community.

The 31-kilometre Transitway provides a very high level of service to key employment locations outside of the downtown area. Many of the 27 stations on the Transitway are strategically situated at major employment nodes providing prime locations for new office construction. With services on major lines operation 22 hours a day at a frequency of every three minutes in peak periods, it is no wonder that many recent additions to the Ottawa region have chosen to locate on the Transitway. A testimony to the success of the OC Transpo system is the fact that sixty per cent of the labour force entering the downtown core, do so on public transportation. The Transitway is extremely well-developed throughout the region. Bus passes and tickets are available from 350 vendors throughout the Ottawa region.

Greyhound Bus Lines

LIGHT RAIL

In 2001, a light-rail service began operating as a pilot project along the north-south corridor from South Keys, via Confederation Heights and Carleton University to the Ottawa River.
The O-Train pilot project is the first step toward city-wide light rail transit. It has provided an opportunity to measure performance, costs and rider response. The service has been successful and the results of the pilot project will help guide the implementation plan for future light-rail transit in Ottawa.

The service uses an existing Canadian Pacific freight rail line that runs from Greenboro Transitway Station in the south to Lebreton Flats in the north. The O-Train operates along an eight kilometre track with five stations served by Bombardier Talent trains. The stations provide a range of new commuting options while enhancing service to Carling Avenue, Confederation Heights and Carleton University.

The O-Train goes where the Transitway doesn't, providing convenient access to rapid transit services for as many as 8,500 riders each day. The O-Train is fully integrated with bus service for seamless travel between systems and increased commuting options.

Future expansion plans for the O-Train include service to downtown, the Airport and an east-west connection.

RAIL

ROADS

Several major divided highways pass through or near Ottawa. In addition, there are regional arterials that cross municipal boundaries, and a variety of scenic parkways.

The Queensway (Ontario Highway 417) is the Ottawa region's main east-west divided thoroughfare. In the west, it connects to Highway 7, providing access to Kingston and Toronto. It bisects the Ottawa region before connecting in the east to Quebec Route 40 to Montreal.

Highway 416, a new major divided highway connects Ottawa South to Highway 401. The 416 significantly increases Ottawa's accessibility to Toronto, Montreal and northern New York State.
Hunt Club Road is one of the area's newest major roadways located in the southern part of the region. It is a four lane divided arterial providing ready access to Highway 416 to Toronto in the west, and Highway 417 to Montreal in the east.

The region's scenic parkways are used by commuters but are generally closed to commercial vehicles. These include the Ottawa River Parkway in the west and the Aviation Parkway in the east. The Airport Parkway is a limited-access road that connects the Ottawa International Airport to the downtown core within about 15 to 20 minutes.
Bank Street, Baseline Road, Carling Avenue, Montreal Road and Richmond Road are among the region's more important commercial roadways.

Highways 16 and 31 are examples of two- to four-lane undivided highways that run south of Ottawa and provide access to the new Highway 416 and northern New York State.