An Ottawa Senators game night starts long before puck drop for anyone driving to Kanata. Highway 417 slows west of the city, Palladium Drive backs up, and a $40 parking spot still leaves a long walk to the gates. An ottawa senators shuttle removes the whole ordeal: one vehicle, one pickup plan, and the entire group walks in together.
Traffic: The Part Nobody Budgets Time For
Canadian Tire Centre sits in Kanata, west of downtown Ottawa, and on game nights more than 18,000 fans converge on the same few roads at the same hour. Highway 417 westbound thickens from mid-afternoon. Palladium Drive and Terry Fox Drive absorb the rest. The Senators know the exodus is the worst part of the night: the team recently reworked the post-game traffic flow so Lot 1 can exit directly onto the eastbound 417, and Lots 2, 6, and 7 now get three lanes onto Cyclone Taylor Boulevard. When the venue redesigns its exits, the congestion is real and documented.
For groups, traffic multiplies. Three cars leaving from Barrhaven, Orléans, and downtown do not arrive at the same time. Someone hits the slowdown. Someone misses the exit. The group chat fills with "where are you" messages while the anthem plays. One shuttle means one route, one arrival, and the night starts together.
Parking at Canadian Tire Centre: $21 to $40 a Car
The team's official parking rates set the math. Lots 5 and 9 cost $21. Lot 4 costs $35. Lot 1, closest to the gates, costs $40. Those are per car, per game. Four cars at $35 each is $140 before anyone buys a ticket, a drink, or gas for the drive out to Kanata.
The cheaper lots sit farther from the gates, which trades money for a long walk in cold October air. The closer lots fill first on rivalry nights. Pre-purchasing a spot helps, but it does not shorten the walk or the post-game line of brake lights. A shuttle drops the group at the doors and the driver handles the lot. Parking stops being the group's problem entirely.
Planning a Senators night with a group? Send Odyssey Shuttles the game date, the headcount, and the pickup point through the quote form, and a firm all-in quote comes back within 24 business hours.
Why Groups Book an Ottawa Senators Shuttle
The strongest reason is the simplest: everyone arrives together and leaves together. No convoy, no stragglers, no parking-lot rendezvous. The night belongs to the group instead of the logistics.
The second reason is the designated driver. Somebody always draws that straw, and that person spends the game nursing one drink while everyone else celebrates. A private shuttle ends the debate. The whole group can enjoy the night, and a professional driver handles the dark drive home along the 417.
The third reason is the price structure. Odyssey Shuttles prices per vehicle, not per seat, so the quoted number is the number paid. Twelve people in one van split one vehicle price instead of paying for four parking spots, four tanks of gas, and four designated-driver negotiations. The Odyssey Shuttles fleet page shows the Sprinter-style van for 10 to 14 passengers, the minibus for 24 to 28, and the full-size coach for up to 54.
Shared options exist, and they solve a different problem. Per-seat rally buses and bar shuttles sell individual seats on a fixed timetable: one pickup point, one departure time, strangers in the other seats. A private charter flips that. The vehicle is booked for one group, so the pickup points, the departure time, and the return after the final horn all follow the group's plan. For ten or more people heading to the same game, private usually wins on both flexibility and per-person cost.
October Home Games Worth Booking Around
The Senators open the home schedule with seven games in October, and the Saturday nights sell out first. The current home slate at Canadian Tire Centre:
- Thursday, October 8 vs Philadelphia Flyers, 7:00 PM
- Saturday, October 10 vs Nashville Predators, 7:00 PM
- Tuesday, October 13 vs St. Louis Blues, 7:30 PM
- Thursday, October 15 vs New York Islanders, 7:00 PM
- Wednesday, October 21 vs Florida Panthers, 7:30 PM
- Thursday, October 22 vs San Jose Sharks, 7:00 PM
- Saturday, October 24 vs New York Rangers, 7:00 PM
Saturday games draw the biggest crowds and the worst traffic, which is exactly when a shuttle pays for itself. Booking early in the week locks the vehicle before the weekend rush.
Booking a Senators Shuttle With Odyssey Shuttles
Booking a shuttle to Canadian Tire Centre takes three details: the game date, the group size, and the pickup point. Odyssey Shuttles collects the group from one Ottawa pickup, or coordinates a couple of close stops for larger parties across Kanata, Barrhaven, Orléans, Nepean, or downtown. The driver drops everyone at Canadian Tire Centre with time to spare, waits through the game, and runs the group straight home after the final horn.
Enquiries get answered Monday to Friday, 9 AM to 5 PM, typically within 24 business hours. Games run late, and that is normal: trips run at any hour as long as the booking happened during business hours, so the 10 PM return from a 7 PM puck drop needs no special arrangement.
The Bottom Line on Senators Game Night
A Senators game should be about the hockey, not the highway. Traffic, parking, and the designated-driver draw take the edge off the night before it starts. Odyssey Shuttles turns a game date and a headcount into one vehicle, one quote, and one plan, and the group spends the night together from the first pickup to the last drop-off.
Call or text Odyssey Shuttles at +1 (613) 415-7079. Odyssey Shuttles replies within 24 business hours (Monday to Friday, 9 AM to 5 PM) and runs trips at any hour, including pre-dawn airport departures and late-night event returns.
Want the actual number for your trip?
Send your date, headcount, and destination. Firm quote, no sales call.
Frequently asked
How much is parking at Canadian Tire Centre for Senators games?
Official rates run $21 in Lots 5 and 9, $35 in Lot 4, and $40 in Lot 1, per car per game. Valet costs $60. Prices come from the Senators' official parking page and vary by lot.
Is there a shuttle from Ottawa to Senators games?
Yes. Odyssey Shuttles runs private group shuttles from Ottawa to Canadian Tire Centre, with pickup at one point and a scheduled return after the game. The fleet covers 10 to 54 passengers.
How many people can a Senators game shuttle carry?
The Sprinter-style van carries 10 to 14, the minibus 24 to 28, and the full-size coach up to 54. Pricing is per vehicle, not per seat, so larger groups bring the per-person cost down.
How do we book a Senators shuttle?
Send the game date, the headcount, and the pickup point through the quote form. Odyssey Shuttles replies with a firm all-in quote within 24 business hours.
Is this a shared shuttle bus or a private charter?
It is a private charter. Every Ottawa Senators shuttle bus Odyssey Shuttles runs is booked for one group: your pickup points, your departure time, your return after the final horn. Per-seat services fill a bus with strangers on a fixed timetable; a private charter keeps the night on the group's plan.
