Aug 22, 2013, 11:24 pm
Last edit by: beltway
Operated by Montréal's transit agency (Société de transport de Montréal, or STM), the 747 Express Bus runs between Trudeau Airport (YUL) and two alternative destinations:
Fares/Passes
The least expensive fare option is a $11 pass (fares starting July 1, 2023). After you exit the bus, keep your pass; it is valid in zone A (Montreal) on any STM bus or métro line for 24 hours from the time it is first swiped.
Holders of the following STM passes may ride the 747 bus free of charge:
There is an additional option that applies only to travel to the airport. See the next section.
How/Where to Purchase Passes
Passes may be purchased
Service Schedules
The 747 bus operates 24 hours/day, 7 days/week. Depending on traffic conditions, the long route takes from 45 to 60 minutes end to end.
Buses run every 5-16 minutes from 7:30am to midnight, with reduced service overnight and on holidays. Arrival schedules for individual stops may be found on the STM website:
Tips for a Successful Trip
The 747 bus departs YUL from door 28 directly in front of the international arrivals area. From the STM vending machines mentioned above, walk straight outside to the curb.
The westbound departure point is platform 15 in Gare d'Autocars.
Drivers do not always announce approaching stops, and do not stop absent a request. Travelers unfamiliar with the city should watch closely to avoid missing their stop. Signal your request by pulling the overhead cord or pressing a button on one of the vertical poles.
Note that the east- and westbound routes are not symmetrical. Some stops exist in only one direction, so your pickup location for returning to the airport will not necessarily be across the street from where you exited the bus from the airport.
All buses and stops are accessible.
Further Information
For additional details, see the 747 bus homepage on the STM website.
- Long route: to Gare d'Autocars. This route serves downtown, Chinatown, and the Latin Quarter, with numerous stops along Boulevard René-Lévesque between Rue Guy and Rue Berri. In addition, Vieux Montréal lies a short walk to the south of several stops.
- Short route: a single stop at Lionel-Groulx métro station.
Fares/Passes
The least expensive fare option is a $11 pass (fares starting July 1, 2023). After you exit the bus, keep your pass; it is valid in zone A (Montreal) on any STM bus or métro line for 24 hours from the time it is first swiped.
Holders of the following STM passes may ride the 747 bus free of charge:
- 24 hours zone A (i.e., the $11 option noted above)*
- 3-day zone A*
- weekly zone A
- monthly zone A*
- 4-month zone A
- 24-hr, 3-day, or monthly bus-only
- unlimited weekend
There is an additional option that applies only to travel to the airport. See the next section.
How/Where to Purchase Passes
Passes may be purchased
- on board the bus. Note: Exact change (coins only) is required.
- from vending machines in the YUL international arrivals area (outside of security). Machines accept debit cards, VISA, MasterCard, and cash. There is an ATM nearby.
- in all métro stations.
- at the Gare d'Autocars de Montréal ticket counter.
- A ticket purchased through a parking pay station is valid only going to the airport, and only for a two-hour period after purchase.
- The pay stations accept payment (including Canadian-issued credit cards) for 747 bus tickets 24/7.
Service Schedules
The 747 bus operates 24 hours/day, 7 days/week. Depending on traffic conditions, the long route takes from 45 to 60 minutes end to end.
Buses run every 5-16 minutes from 7:30am to midnight, with reduced service overnight and on holidays. Arrival schedules for individual stops may be found on the STM website:
- From the airport to downtown (eastbound)
- From downtown to the airport (westbound)
Tips for a Successful Trip
The 747 bus departs YUL from door 28 directly in front of the international arrivals area. From the STM vending machines mentioned above, walk straight outside to the curb.
The westbound departure point is platform 15 in Gare d'Autocars.
Drivers do not always announce approaching stops, and do not stop absent a request. Travelers unfamiliar with the city should watch closely to avoid missing their stop. Signal your request by pulling the overhead cord or pressing a button on one of the vertical poles.
Note that the east- and westbound routes are not symmetrical. Some stops exist in only one direction, so your pickup location for returning to the airport will not necessarily be across the street from where you exited the bus from the airport.
All buses and stops are accessible.
Further Information
For additional details, see the 747 bus homepage on the STM website.
YUL-747 express bus
Sep 24, 2011, 9:43 pm
#46
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: On strike
Posts: 8,135
I don't live in MTL -- just happened to go for a very pleasant vacation this summer -- and I don't think STM's current arrangement is especially punitive. Locals with monthly/weekly/3-day passes ride for free, and we visitors get a 24-hour bus/subway pass out of it. Instead of extorting money from passengers, STM seems to me to be rewarding them for using public transit regularly.
Sep 25, 2011, 5:20 pm
#47
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Biloxi, MS (GPT)
Programs: AA Gold, DL FO, HH Diamond
Posts: 1,278
I don't live in MTL -- just happened to go for a very pleasant vacation this summer -- and I don't think STM's current arrangement is especially punitive. Locals with monthly/weekly/3-day passes ride for free, and we visitors get a 24-hour bus/subway pass out of it. Instead of extorting money from passengers, STM seems to me to be rewarding them for using public transit regularly.
Sep 26, 2011, 6:18 am
#48
Join Date: Aug 2000
Location: ZRH / YUL
Programs: UA, TK, Starwood > Marriott, Hilton, Accor
Posts: 7,295
I don't live in MTL -- just happened to go for a very pleasant vacation this summer -- and I don't think STM's current arrangement is especially punitive. Locals with monthly/weekly/3-day passes ride for free, and we visitors get a 24-hour bus/subway pass out of it. Instead of extorting money from passengers, STM seems to me to be rewarding them for using public transit regularly.
My only gripe - for visiting friends - is the thing about no foreign credit cards.
Oct 3, 2011, 11:41 am
#49
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Biloxi, MS (GPT)
Programs: AA Gold, DL FO, HH Diamond
Posts: 1,278
OK, I just arrived in Montreal (at my hotel right now) and I can report the following:
(1) My first use of NEXUS, and it ROCKS! The only problem was that one machine was out of service and the others' touch screens were COMPLETELY WORN such that one didn't respond at all to the "English" prompt, and the one I finally did use required pounding on it in order to get it to respond. But once that was overcome, 45 seconds and you're DONE. AWESOME. Worth getting if you travel through major Canadian ports of entry AT ALL (I only pass thru once every year or two, and still worth it!)
(2) RBC ATM next to the Currency Exchange in the Int'l Arrivals Hall was SO SLOW that it took the 2 guys in front of me in line at least 8 minutes each for a simple withdrawal, and then in my case the PIN entry was so slow that I screwed it up twice and finally gave up. However, the nice gal at the Currency Exchange told me (us) that there is indeed another ATM or two up the escalator in the Ticketing/Departure lobby, which I used and which took 30 seconds. Now I've used the downstairs ATM with no problem on previous visits so I dunno if today was an aberration or not, but in any case this new intel about alternate ATMs right upstairs is important/useful.
(3) The 2 Metro ticket machines are indeed within plain sight in the Int'l Arrivals lobby. I used the intel gathered here and didn't even bother to try my USA-based credit card...I just paid cash to recharge my OPUS card with a 3-day pass for the duration of my visit. I was then on my way to my hotel via its courtesy shuttle.
Hope this is all helpful info.
(1) My first use of NEXUS, and it ROCKS! The only problem was that one machine was out of service and the others' touch screens were COMPLETELY WORN such that one didn't respond at all to the "English" prompt, and the one I finally did use required pounding on it in order to get it to respond. But once that was overcome, 45 seconds and you're DONE. AWESOME. Worth getting if you travel through major Canadian ports of entry AT ALL (I only pass thru once every year or two, and still worth it!)
(2) RBC ATM next to the Currency Exchange in the Int'l Arrivals Hall was SO SLOW that it took the 2 guys in front of me in line at least 8 minutes each for a simple withdrawal, and then in my case the PIN entry was so slow that I screwed it up twice and finally gave up. However, the nice gal at the Currency Exchange told me (us) that there is indeed another ATM or two up the escalator in the Ticketing/Departure lobby, which I used and which took 30 seconds. Now I've used the downstairs ATM with no problem on previous visits so I dunno if today was an aberration or not, but in any case this new intel about alternate ATMs right upstairs is important/useful.
(3) The 2 Metro ticket machines are indeed within plain sight in the Int'l Arrivals lobby. I used the intel gathered here and didn't even bother to try my USA-based credit card...I just paid cash to recharge my OPUS card with a 3-day pass for the duration of my visit. I was then on my way to my hotel via its courtesy shuttle.
Hope this is all helpful info.
Aug 22, 2013, 8:46 pm
#51
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: On strike
Posts: 8,135
An increase from $8 to $9 -- not welcome, but hardly a disaster, assuming that the other policies from before still hold:
If this is still true, the bus remains a good bargain.
If this is still true, the bus remains a good bargain.
Aug 22, 2013, 9:28 pm
#52
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: YXY
Posts: 3,506
It is an increase of almost 30 percent within two years or less.
In Halifax we pay $1 on top of whateverticketyouhave - and single tickets for adults start at 1.80 (10-pack). So if you don't have a monthly pass, you can still ride the airport express for $2.80, including a transfer. No 24 hour ticket, but still a much better deal. The ride is also longer, because the airport is far out.
In Halifax we pay $1 on top of whateverticketyouhave - and single tickets for adults start at 1.80 (10-pack). So if you don't have a monthly pass, you can still ride the airport express for $2.80, including a transfer. No 24 hour ticket, but still a much better deal. The ride is also longer, because the airport is far out.
Aug 23, 2013, 9:42 am
#54
Join Date: Aug 2000
Location: ZRH / YUL
Programs: UA, TK, Starwood > Marriott, Hilton, Accor
Posts: 7,295
Aug 24, 2013, 1:06 pm
#55
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Biloxi, MS (GPT)
Programs: AA Gold, DL FO, HH Diamond
Posts: 1,278
Re the fare increase: I'm sure STM looked at the demand/popularity and adopted the "Because they can!" philosophy.
I'm with other posters/frequent YUL visitors, it's still a good bargain and the best way to get downtown from YUL. However, I do hope they've considered increasing the service frequency during peak hours...standing room only during heavy traffic on the clogged freeways on that bus in no fun at all.
I'm with other posters/frequent YUL visitors, it's still a good bargain and the best way to get downtown from YUL. However, I do hope they've considered increasing the service frequency during peak hours...standing room only during heavy traffic on the clogged freeways on that bus in no fun at all.