need advice on moving to Ottawa?
I may be moving to Ottawa for a year I was wondering if any residence can give me an idea of what to expect.
How is the bus system? I won’t have my car up there so I will rely heavily on it. Is it reliable? Is it over crowded or are there lots on the roads? what can I expect to pay for a bus pass?
What do I watch out for in renting an apartment? What can I expect to pay for a one person apartment or sharing an apartment?
Hey,
So for the bus system, as the first poster said we’ve just come out of a six week transit strike and their bringing the buses back in phases, you can read about all the phases on the website she gave you.
It’s $3.00 per bus ride for an adult fare and it’s $10 for ten bus tickets, you need 2 tickets for one adult fare, so you definitely save money that way, BUT if you’re gonna be taking the bus alot I HIGHLY recommend you get a bus pass. An adult pass is about $80 for the month, and you get unlimited bus rides.
To compare for $80 cash..you’d get 8 sheets of bus tickets…(80 tickets in other words) that is 40 rides on the bus. I think that works out to 1.5 rides a day or something like that, or you could spend the same and get unlimited rides for the month.
(I mean 1 ride to work and 1 ride home 5 days a week adds up to 2 sheets of tickets or $20…so 8 sheets would be exactly enough for that in one month…but you’d have nothing left for social things and shopping and things like that….so I’d say a bus pass is totally worth it)
When you pay cash or tickets on the bus you get a transfer, it’s good for unlimited transfers to any number of buses in any direction until you reach the specified time on the transfer..then it expires. (They last about 2 hours).
I find the buses are pretty reliable and on time give or take a few minutes, the routes take awhile to get to know and figure out but you can email me and I’d be happy to help you figure out what bus takes you where and what not. (to get you home and to work and around).
As for apartments well you’ll have to look around but it depends on the area…Typically though look to spend tween $800-$1200 for a one bedroom depend on quality, size and area. The website the first poster gave you was good, but you can also check out the website for these two news papers and check out the classifieds. (The Ottawa Citizen and The Pennysaver).
Ottawa is all in all a beautiful city, I grew up there and I love it. Please feel free to email me with any question you have about it and I’ll do my best to help you.
Good Luck!!
ADD: I just wanted to tell you a few areas to stay away from because they are high crime and aren’t safe…**Vanier** and the Rideau area.
VRTUCAR – CTV News, Friday, Oct.16, 2009
