How crowded is this bus recently? Based on the older posts in this thread it seems like occasionally it's standing room only, which is no fun.
I am considering taking this bus to/from Gare Centrale. Because one trip will be from Gare Centrale (Stop 5?) to YUL on Sunday afternoon, it might be particularly crowded. If so, are there any similarly priced alternatives? Merci~
You should be fine. The Central Station stop is the eastern terminus of the line. Some folks get on there but many also embark at the Lionel-Groulx Metro stop. Departures towards YUL are also more staggered in terms of passenger loads that those from YUL during the afternoon arrivals rush, where I can confirm that busses usually leave full. Do keep in mind that during the day the departures are quite frequent and the STM staff usually have the bus leave pretty much as soon as it's full. There's also always at least two more busses waiting to move up the line.
If baggage storage or a seat are important to you I would suggest that you simply show up 15 minutes earlier than you were originally planning. You could skip a departure easily and be the very first in line for the next one.
The alternative would be to take the regular STM busses towards YUL with all the connections and waiting that those entail.