What YUL connects to, and what it does not yet
Montreal-Trudeau sits about 20 kilometres west of downtown Montreal with a single passenger terminal, which keeps the choice of transfer simple: everything leaves from the same arrivals level. The airport code is YUL and the terminal handles domestic, transborder and international arrivals in one building, so you do not have to work out a terminal before you plan a route.
What the airport does not have is a rail link. The REM light rail line was designed to serve the airport directly, and the operator states that construction on the station will continue until 2026, after which "the systems integration and testing period will begin, to allow for the commissioning of the REM on this segment in 2027." Until then, any journey involving the REM starts with a bus. Plan your arrival on the assumption that there is no train, and treat any article promising one as out of date.
The 747 bus and its two routes
The 747 is the airport's dedicated express bus and its main advantage is that it never stops running. Aeroports de Montreal states that the line operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week between YUL and downtown Montreal, which makes it the only option other than a taxi for a 3 a.m. landing.
It runs as two different services under the same number, and knowing which one you have boarded matters.
Short route: YUL to Lionel-Groulx
The short route runs between the airport and Lionel-Groulx metro station, with a journey time the airport gives as approximately 30 to 35 minutes. Lionel-Groulx is an interchange between the green and orange metro lines, so from there you can reach most of central Montreal with one further ride. This is the faster option if your accommodation is anywhere near a metro station rather than specifically near the bus corridor.
Long route: YUL to Berri-UQAM
The long route runs between the airport and the Gare d'autocars de Montreal at Berri-UQAM station, making 11 stops including Lionel-Groulx, with a journey time the airport gives as approximately 45 to 70 minutes. That wide range is honest rather than vague: the difference between 45 and 70 minutes is traffic, and it is worst in the late afternoon. The stops along the way put you within walking distance of much of the downtown core and the bus terminal end serves onward intercity coaches.
The fare you actually have to buy
The 747 does not sell a single one-way ticket, which is the detail most visitors get wrong. The regional fare authority's fare grid marks the 24-hour, 3-day, weekly and monthly All Modes A titles as accepted on board line 747, while the single, two-passage and ten-passage fares carry no such note. In practice that means the entry price for the airport bus is the 24-hour pass, listed at CAD 11.25 for the ordinary fare when checked on 7 September 2026, rather than the CAD 3.75 single fare that applies on ordinary STM buses.
That is less bad than it looks, because the pass keeps working. Aeroports de Montreal states the fare includes unlimited travel for 24 hours on the entire STM bus and metro network, so a landing on your first afternoon effectively covers your transit for the rest of that day and the following morning. If you expect to stay three days and use transit throughout, the 3-day All Modes A title is also accepted on the 747 and may be the better single purchase.
Buy before you board if you can. The airport lists ticket vending machines in the international arrivals area, taking cash, Interac debit or Visa and Mastercard credit cards, an STM information counter in the same area, and the Chrono mobile app. It also states that you may pay directly on the bus, using exact change only, coins only, with no paper bills accepted, which is a difficult condition to satisfy after an international flight.
Taxi: a fixed rate downtown, the meter beyond it
Taxis at Montreal-Trudeau use a fixed rate for the downtown area rather than a meter, which removes the main uncertainty of an airport taxi. The airport states that between YUL and downtown Montreal, taxi fares are fixed and vary depending on the time of travel: CAD 49.45 for journeys between 5:00 a.m. and 11:00 p.m., and CAD 56.70 between 11:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m., as listed on 7 September 2026.
The fixed rate applies only to the defined downtown area. For any other destination, including Plateau addresses outside the downtown boundary, the West Island or the South Shore, the meter applies and the fare depends on distance and time. If your accommodation is near the edge of downtown, ask the dispatcher before you get in whether your address falls inside the fixed-rate zone.
The rank is on the arrivals level at door 23, where a dispatcher assigns vehicles, and the airport says a number of adapted taxis are available on request from the same dispatcher. Confirm before departure whether tolls, tips and the airport surcharge are inside or outside the quoted figure, since the published rate does not itemise them.
Uber and Lyft pick-ups
Ride-hailing at Montreal-Trudeau does not happen at the terminal kerb, so you need to walk to the right place before you request the ride. The airport directs standard Uber passengers to the Leigh-Capreol drop-off area, accessible from door 28 on the arrivals level, and to request the ride from the designated pick-up zone there, while Uber Black uses a separate area through door 25. Lyft operates at the airport under its own instructions, which the airport publishes alongside the Uber ones.
The trade-off against the taxi is predictability. A taxi to downtown is a known number before you leave arrivals; a ride app is a dynamic price that can be lower off-peak and considerably higher when a wave of flights lands at once or in bad weather. With three or more people and luggage, compare the app quote against the fixed taxi rate rather than assuming the app is cheaper.
Compare the three options on what actually differs
The table compares the options on the three things that decide the answer for most arrivals: cost, whether the price is known in advance, and what happens overnight.
| Option | Best for | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|
| 747 bus | Light luggage, late arrivals, onward transit use | Pass-only fare; 30-70 min; coins if paying aboard |
| Fixed-rate taxi | Groups, heavy bags, direct door service | Fixed rate covers downtown only, meter beyond |
| Uber or Lyft | Price comparison, non-downtown addresses | Walk to door 28; price varies with demand |
Late arrivals, heavy luggage and step-free needs
For an arrival after midnight the realistic choice narrows to the 747 or a taxi, because the 747 runs through the night while the Montreal metro does not. If you take the bus late and need the metro afterwards, check whether your connecting line is still running before you commit; if it is not, the long route to Berri-UQAM may leave you closer to a downtown address than Lionel-Groulx would.
With two or more large suitcases, the fixed-rate taxi usually wins on effort even where the bus wins on price, since the 747 involves loading bags yourself and, on the short route, changing to the metro with them. Travellers needing step-free access should request an adapted taxi from the dispatcher at door 23 rather than assuming the metro connection is level: not every Montreal metro station has an elevator, so check your specific destination station before planning a bus-plus-metro route.
Before you leave the arrivals hall
Do three things while you are still inside the terminal. Buy your transit fare at the vending machine or STM counter in international arrivals if you intend to take the 747, because paying on board requires exact coins. Confirm your exact downtown address against the fixed-rate taxi zone if you are taking a cab. And if you plan to use a ride app, request it only after you have walked to the correct door, since drivers cannot collect from the terminal kerb.
One further caution: Aeroports de Montreal also lists a bus line 815 connecting YUL with the REM Des Sources station, described as running seven days a week with a journey time under 20 minutes, but the airport's own pages present this as a temporary arrangement with an end date attached. Confirm its status on the airport's ground transportation pages on the day you travel rather than planning around it in advance.
Coverage here stops at the downtown boundary. This guide does not cover journeys to the South Shore, Laval or Quebec City, private shuttle and limousine bookings, or car rental, and it does not give current timetables: departure frequencies for the 747 vary by hour and are published by the transit operator rather than repeated here.