Meet 'Team 263,' the Stittsville bus riders who became fast friends

A group of Stittsville commuters have become fast friends after bonding on their morning ride to work.

Every weekday, more than a dozen bus riderssquishtogether in the back of the bus from Stittsville to downtown Ottawa as part of aninformal social club.

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Some members of "Team 263" a reference to theirroute number have been riding the busfor more than a decade.

They talk about current events and update each other on their lives. They've held send-offs, complete with cards and applause, for bus drivers on their last shift. They post about their commute on the group's Twitter page.

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There's even a snack day think homemade cookies,Timbits, even eggnog once a week.

Audrey Moey, the group's unofficial ringleader, said fostering thatcamaraderiebeats staring at her phone in silence.

"It makes the one-hour commute go so much faster," Moey said.

'Genuine'

Naturally chatty,Moeyjust started conversing one day with some of the people she'd see regularly on the bus.

"It started out [with] griping about how long it would take to get downtown," Moey said.

"But as we got to know people better, based on where they were working or what they were interested in, we would talk about everything."

This group of people has really made it worthwhile.- Stittsville commuter Audrey Moey

Michelle O'Keefemoved to Ottawa from Winnipeg almost three years ago, and saidMoey welcomed her into the group.

"In Ottawa, everyone is just very polite," O'Keefe said.

"At first, it seems it's just polite on the surface, but as you get to know groups of people like this, you realize how genuineeverybody is."

Meet Team 263, the Stittsville bus riders who became great buds

6 years ago

Duration 0:56

For the past decade, a small group of bus riders have been sharing good times on Route 263 and off the bus, too.

Friends on and off the bus

The group has expanded their social activities beyond the bus,hosting events like painting nights, fundraisers and parties.

Some members who get off at earlier stops during the morning commute even say it sucks to leave the party early.

"We actually have a few people that are on the bus ... that could take the one sooner, but opt to wait an extra ten minutes just to hang out with us," said Martin Stein, who's been part of the group for the past three years.

"There's a few people on the bus who tend to eavesdrop a little bit on our conversations [and] eventually becomepart of our team!"

Moeysaid that even when she's had the option to work from home, she's decided to take the bus so she doesn't miss her "bus family."

"Personally, Team 263 has been a real help for mental health," Moeysaid.

"I've thought about abandoning the bus and driving to a park-and-ride, or even driving all the way downtown. I've thought about switching jobs and finding something closer to home. But this group of people has really made it worthwhile."

This is part of CBC Ottawa's special seriesNowhere Fast, a look at how and why people commute in the capital region.

We're looking at the people, numbers and stories that are part of your daily tripto and from work. You can read more stories from the series here.