OC Transpo Lost & Found
Please call 613-563-4011 and staff will search for your item. Visits are by appointment only.
404 McArthur Ave,
Ottawa, ON K1K 1G8
613-563-4011
lostandfound@heartwoodhouse.ca
Regular Hours of Operation
Mon - 8:30 am to 6:00 pm
Tues - 8:30 am to 5:00 pm
Wed - 8:30 am to 5:00 pm
Thurs - 8:30 am to 5:00 pm
Fri - 8:30 am to 5:00 pm
2024 Holiday Closures
New Years Day - Jan 1
Family Day - Feb 19
Good Friday - March 29
Easter Monday - April 1
Victoria Day - May 20
Canada Day - July 1
Civic Holiday - Aug 5
Labour Day - Sept 2
Truth & Reconciliation Day – Sept 30
Thanksgiving - Oct 14
Christmas - Dec 25
Boxing Day - Dec 26
2024 Reduced Hours
Dec 23– 8:30 am to 4:00 pm
Dec 24– 8:30 am to 2:00 pm
Dec 27 – 8:30 am to 4:00 pm
Dec 31 – 8:30 am to 2:00 pm
Lost/Found Something?
What to do if you have lost an item
Purse, wallet, instrument, laptop, medication
Call the Information Centre at 613-563-4011 where staff will help you locate the item. All found items must be picked up at the OC Transpo Lost & Found.
Cellphone
Call your phone for one hour after your loss. If someone answers, ask him or her to give your phone to a bus operator. If no one answers your phone, contact your service provider to postpone your service and call the OC Transpo Lost & Found at 11:00 am the next day.
Bus Pass
Call the Lost & Found at 11:00 am the day after your loss. Most bus passes will arrive at the OC Transpo Lost & Found within 3 days. If a Presto Card is alone, it will not be returned to the Lost & Found, even if there is a name on it. It is only returned if it is accompanied by an identifiable object, such as another piece of identification, a wallet, backpack, etc.
Miscellaneous items, ID cards, keys, bikes, sports equipment, winter wear items, umbrellas, clothing, books, backpacks, briefcases, jewelry
Call the OC Transpo Lost & Found at 11:00 am the day after your loss. When you call, please be ready to describe what your item looks like.
What to do if you have found an item
You can give the item to any bus operator or give the item to a staff person at one of the OC Transpo stations, such as the Rideau Centre. Or, you can bring the item directly to the Lost & Found, at Heartwood House.
Other important information
What is the holding period for lost items?
Wallets, purses, laptops, jewelry - 3 months
Cellphones - 2 months
Winter wear items - 14 days
All other items - 31 days
Passports and certain sensitive documents – 3 days
How many times should I call the Lost & Found about my item?
The successful return of your item begins with the kindness of the finder. Sometimes the finder will try to find you on his/her own before turning your item into the Lost & Found. For this reason, we ask that you contact us for a period of 5 business days following the loss of your item. If your item has not come in within that time, either the item was not lost on an OC Transpo bus, or the finder did not turn the item in. We do not take names and numbers to call people who are looking to retrieve lost items, however, if you email the Lost & Found you will receive a reply within 3 business days.
What will happen if my item is found?
When an OC Transpo staff person confirms that your item has arrived at the Lost & Found, she/he will ask you for your name and phone number. Your item will be placed in the pick-up box. When you arrive to claim your item, please inform the staff that your item is in the pick-up box and please have photo ID for your claim. You are expected to pick up your item within one week, unless you make special arrangements for a later date.
Can I arrange for someone else to pick up my item?
Yes, with the exception of passports or other sensitive documents. You must provide the name of the person in advance of the pick up. This person will be required to provide identification when the item is picked up.
Other extraordinary/extenuating circumstances for requests of return of lost items to OCT Customers:
With the permission of the Heartwood Executive Director or Volunteer Coordinator, lost items (with the exception of passports or other sensitive documents) may be delivered to OCT customers by mail or by courier at the customer’s expense when a customer is unable to come to the Lost and Found office.
This procedure will be used for the following reasons only:
a) The customer is a senior citizen or physically or intellectually disabled and he/she has lost a bus pass;
b) The customer is out of town for a period of time and needs the item returned to him/her;
c) OC Transpo has agreed to return the item to the owner and a security staff person has been assigned to pick up an item on behalf of an owner.
Procedures:
Senior citizen or physically or intellectually disabled customer:
A bus pass may be mailed to a senior citizen or physically or intellectually disabled person at the end of the Lost and Found business day. Customers will be advised to expect a minimum of three days for the pass to arrive.
Out of town customer:
A lost item (with the exception of passports or other sensitive documents) may be sent by courier (cash on delivery) to a customer who is out of town. The customer will be asked to make arrangements for a courier. The courier will be asked to sign for the item on behalf of the owner.
Return to customer by OCT staff:
OCT Security staff may pickup an item on behalf of a customer. The security staff person will be asked to sign the card on behalf of the owner.
Customers will be informed that Heartwood House will not accept responsibility for the return of items once the item has left our office.
What happens to unclaimed items?
Some unclaimed items are given to charity. The remaining unclaimed items will be sold and the income generated used to help support the work of the Heartwood community.
'Happy Returns' Labels
HAPPY RETURNS Identification Plan helps customers protect their items in the event of loss on OC Transpo buses. OC Transpo customers can receive free coded labels and cards which can be placed on bus pass photo ID cards, cell phones, purses, wallets, umbrellas, musical instruments, backpacks etc. Happy Returns customers are confidentially registered at the Lost & Found office. When a registered item arrives at the Lost & Found office, the owner will be called immediately. There is no guarantee that an item belonging to a Happy Returns customer will be returned. However over 75% of lost items are returned to the Lost & Found office, so the chances are high that your item will be returned.
The OC Transpo Lost & Found is managed by Heartwood House: au coeur de la vie. The compensation Heartwood House receives from the City of Ottawa is used to offset operating costs. With the support of Heartwood staff, our volunteers who are primarily from Heartwood Member Group programs learn valuable employment skills while delivering the services of the Lost & Found program. Over 30,000 items are received at the Lost & Found each year and approximately 26% of these items are returned to their rightful owners.
For information regarding Lost & Found administration, please contact Maureen Moloughney, Executive Director of Heartwood House, at 613-241-5937 or 613-563-4011.