You may think you have three options: bus, drive, or rideshare. These are all varying levels of terrible.
Ever wondered how university students afford going to Ottawa Senators games? Wonder no more. I’m here to reveal the secrets behind going to games on a budget this season.
Firstly, and most importantly, join the Sens Student Army using your U of O email address. The Student Army is a partnership between financial services company Desjardins and the Senators, which offers $27 dollar tickets for the 300-level to select Sens games throughout the season.
Typically, games against more popular opponents like the Montreal Canadiens or Toronto Maple Leafs are not included in the promotion. However, sometimes a limited number of tickets are released for these games closer to game days.
Now that we have the tickets themselves figured out, we must get all the way out to Kanata, and into the confines of the Canadian Tire Centre (CTC). You may think you have three options: bus, drive, or rideshare. These are all varying levels of terrible.
If OC Transpo was a movie, it would be certified rotten on Rotten Tomatoes. Same with driving. No one wants to leave the house at 5 p.m. for a 7 p.m. start because the traffic on Highway 417 West during rush hour is more crowded than a Father and Sons karaoke night.
That leaves us with ridesharing. Considering the CTC is 27 kilometres from Sandy Hill, and surge pricing exists, expect to spend upwards of $50 each way – if you can somehow afford that.
Lucky for us, lots of fans have this issue. So thankfully, a few local bars offer a shuttle service to the games. Lieutenants Pump offers tickets for as little as $14 and can be purchased online. I’ve taken the bus from Pump (on Elgin Street), and everything ran very smoothly. The bus departs at 6 p.m. sharp.
Senate Tavern also offers a shuttle from each of their three locations for $10. You can save a spot by calling the bar in advance. I can’t speak on their busses, but I do have a lot to say about their $11 triples.
So sign up for the Student Army. Buy shuttle tickets from Senate or Pumps. And attend Ottawa Senators games on a budget this season.
