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
Jun 1, 2014, 7:38 am
#61
FlyerTalk Evangelist
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Wow....a 43% increase in 4 years! This is public transit - no? People in Montreal should voice their displeasure to their elected representatives. Still $5 in Edmonton plus $3.20 to transfer and a much greater distance (albeit no day pass included). Halifax is $3.50 and is further yet.
Jun 1, 2014, 10:23 am
#62
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: YUL
Programs: Aeroplan
Posts: 446
Montrealers aren't really affected by the fare increases as monthly STM passes work on the 747 without any surcharge. The 747 attracts a large number of airport employees, but they're paying the same as if they worked anywhere else. The $10 is really aimed at the travelers, most of whom will still find the 24-hour validity a decent deal.
Jun 1, 2014, 6:38 pm
#63
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Wow....a 43% increase in 4 years! This is public transit - no? People in Montreal should voice their displeasure to their elected representatives. Still $5 in Edmonton plus $3.20 to transfer and a much greater distance (albeit no day pass included). Halifax is $3.50 and is further yet.
(not to mention that your bus passes have been more expensive historically and have never been valid on the airport bus. I know this from briefly glancing at the kiosk at YEG that sells transit.)
Last edited by AA_EXP09; Jun 1, 2014 at 6:45 pm
Jun 1, 2014, 6:39 pm
#64
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Montrealers aren't really affected by the fare increases as monthly STM passes work on the 747 without any surcharge. The 747 attracts a large number of airport employees, but they're paying the same as if they worked anywhere else. The $10 is really aimed at the travelers, most of whom will still find the 24-hour validity a decent deal.
Jun 1, 2014, 6:41 pm
#65
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Jun 3, 2014, 10:51 am
#66
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: YUL
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Jun 3, 2014, 10:53 am
#67
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Posts: 446
Jul 18, 2014, 10:02 pm
#68
Join Date: Jul 2008
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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~
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~
Jul 19, 2014, 8:26 am
#69
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: YUL
Programs: Aeroplan
Posts: 446
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~
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~
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.
Jul 22, 2014, 9:34 pm
#71
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: YXY
Posts: 3,506
There is well gouging. If you want to go from downtown to the airport, they charge $10 as well - but the ticket is only valid for two hours.
Jul 23, 2014, 1:28 am
#72
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: YUL
Programs: Aeroplan
Posts: 446
The tickets sold in the machines at YUL and aboard the 747 buses are all valid for 24 hours of access to the entire STM system. What you do with it is your problem.
Jul 23, 2014, 6:15 am
#73
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: On strike
Posts: 8,135
As explained in detail in the wiki above, there are several ways to ride the 747 bus. One of them is to purchase a single-use, two-hour ticket from a Stationnement de Montréal parking payment kiosk. But that's offered as a convenience among other options; nobody is required to buy a two-hour ticket.
All of the following passes are also accepted on the 747:
- 1-day
- 3-day
- unlimited weekend
- weekly CAM hebdo
- 4-month CAM
- monthly TRAM 1 to 8
EDIT: I'll spell this out even more clearly. For $10, a short-term visitor gets a) unlimited in-town STM rides for the last 24 hours of his/her visit, plus b) a ride to the airport. It's what I did on my last visit, and it's just as much a bargain as buying the pass for use coming into the city from the airport.
Last edited by beltway; Jul 23, 2014 at 3:40 pm
Jul 23, 2014, 12:19 pm
#74
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: YXY
Posts: 3,506
This is akin to charging $10 for using the bathroom (except for locals), and then saying "Mais, Monsieur, you can defecate here as often as you want within 24 hours!".
Venice does something like that. I hear they have cheaper rates for the outhouse if booked online well in advance.
Venice does something like that. I hear they have cheaper rates for the outhouse if booked online well in advance.
Jul 23, 2014, 3:15 pm
#75
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: MCN
Posts: 179
The new machines are definitely there, and they charge Opus cards as well as issue regular day / multi-day passes.
It is true that they accept debit and credit cards, there is however a twist: In true STM customer friendliness, these cards must be Canadian-issued. My colleagues' European or US credit cards are routinely rejected, my Canadian cards work well.
The machines also take cash.
It is true that they accept debit and credit cards, there is however a twist: In true STM customer friendliness, these cards must be Canadian-issued. My colleagues' European or US credit cards are routinely rejected, my Canadian cards work well.
The machines also take cash.
I'll see tomorrow if I can buy a 1-day pass back with the same card at a vending machine at Place d'Armes.
Couldn't quite figure out how to get the machine to sell me an OPUS card to save me some hassle next time I visit; maybe the ones at the airport don't do that, or I didn't pick the right one.