Uber in Montreal works the way it does in most North American cities, with one Quebec difference: the law requires the app to show you a maximum price in writing, and get your consent, before a driver is told about your request. Taxis charge the province's fixed meter rates, and a pre-booked private car charges a price agreed days before the trip. Each of the three is the right answer for some trips and the wrong one for others.
Rather than repeat the fare tables, this guide from the Elly8.net reservations desk walks through eight trips our callers ask about, and gives a straight verdict for each. Where the app or a taxi is the sensible choice, we say so. For the detailed meter rates, see our guide to Montreal taxi or rideshare fares.
Uber, taxi or private car: how do you decide in Montreal?
Use a taxi or Uber for short, flexible trips with one or two people and light bags, and the metro when travelling light. Book a private car when the group outgrows one taxi, the trip ends at a busy venue, the time is fixed, you need child seats or an invoice, or you are leaving the city.
Three questions settle most cases. How many people and bags? Does the time matter more than the price? And will many other people want a ride at the same moment you do? If the answers are "few", "no" and "no", tap the app or hail a cab. If any answer is the other way, a fixed booking starts to make sense.
See Montreal prices and reserve
The three options in one table
| Uber or Lyft | Montreal taxi | Elly8.net private car | |
|---|---|---|---|
| How the price is set | App shows a maximum before you accept; varies with demand | CTQ meter: start, per km or per minute, plus C$1.05 fee; YUL to downtown fixed at C$49.45 day / C$56.70 night | Fixed per vehicle before you pay, all-in |
| How you get one | Request in the app; at YUL, at signed pickup areas | Hail, a stand, by phone; at YUL, Door 23 | Booked ahead, chauffeur waiting |
| Group size | Standard car, larger app categories cost more | Standard car | Sedan 3, SUV 6, Executive Sprinter 12 |
| Child seats | Not guaranteed | Not guaranteed | On request, fitted before pickup |
| Best at | Short flexible trips at quiet times | Short trips, street hails, airport walk-ups | Groups, timed trips, events, out-of-town |
The taxi rates come from the Commission des transports du Quebec, which also sets out the rule that app prices must be shown as a maximum before the rider agrees. The airport fares come from YUL's taxi page.
Trip 1: one traveller lands at YUL at 2 p.m.
Verdict: taxi, the 747 bus, or an app ride. A solo traveller with a carry-on in daylight has every option. The STM 747 bus costs C$11.25 and works as a 24-hour transit pass; the taxi at Door 23 is a fixed C$49.45 to downtown; the app quote may be higher or lower depending on demand. A pre-booked car at US$120 is only worth it if you are going straight into a meeting or simply want the certainty. Our post on Uber at Montreal airport explains where app rides pick up.
Trip 2: a family of five lands at midnight
Verdict: private car. Five people with seven cases will not fit in one taxi, two children need seats, and everyone is tired. An Elly8.net Business SUV, from US$160 to downtown, seats six with six bags, with child seats fitted before you land and the chauffeur waiting in arrivals with a name board. The overnight taxi fare is C$56.70 per car, and you would likely need two. See our YUL limo guide for the arrival walkthrough.
Trip 3: two people, dinner in Old Montreal
Verdict: taxi or app ride. A short evening trip for two is exactly what taxis and apps do well. Old Montreal has narrow lanes and little curb space, so walk to a corner on a wider street for the ride home. If the evening has several stops, a 3-hour booking at US$110 per hour in a Business Sedan keeps one car with you, but for a simple dinner there and back, a pre-booked car is a luxury rather than a need.
Trip 4: six friends to a Canadiens game
Verdict: private car, or accept splitting up. Six people means two taxis or two app rides each way. Getting there is easy; getting home is the problem, because the whole Bell Centre crowd requests rides at the same moment, and dynamic pricing is designed to respond to exactly that. A Business SUV evening out package at US$700, or a Business Sedan at US$550 for smaller groups, includes dinner, the drop-off and a pickup from an agreed corner after the final horn. As arithmetic only, the SUV package is about US$117 each for six. See sports event transportation.
Trip 5: a day of meetings
Verdict: private car. Four meetings between the towers on McGill College, an office in Saint-Laurent and a lunch near the Lachine Canal means six or more separate rides, each with its own wait and receipt. A corporate roadshow day, from US$990 in a Business Sedan, keeps one chauffeur and one car with you all day, and a corporate account puts it on a monthly invoice. If the day is lighter, hourly service from US$110 with a 3-hour minimum works. See corporate car service.
Trip 6: a congress at the Palais des congres
Verdict: taxi or metro by day, a booked car at closing time. Getting to the Palais des congres in the morning is easy, on the edge of Old Montreal and Chinatown. The pressure point is when sessions end and thousands of delegates look for rides together. A car booked for a named entrance at a set time avoids that queue; for teams, a Sprinter at US$220 per hour moves up to 12 together. See conference transportation.
Trip 7: Grand Prix Sunday
Verdict: metro to the island, booked car for the evening. The organiser of the Canadian Grand Prix steers spectators to the metro and publishes official taxi and rideshare drop-off points away from the circuit each year, because cars cannot reach the gates. Taxis and apps both face the same restrictions and the same crowd. A pre-booked car to the official drop-off for your gate, with an agreed evening pickup, or a full-day chauffeur from US$810, keeps the group together for dinner downtown afterwards. See event transportation.
Trip 8: a day at Mont-Tremblant or a run to Quebec City
Verdict: private car. These are long trips. A metered taxi or an app ride for a day out with waiting is not how either is designed. The Elly8.net Mont-Tremblant day trip is a fixed 10-hour package from US$1,015 in a Business Sedan to US$2,025 in an Executive Sprinter, with skis inside the vehicle in winter. One-way YUL to the Tremblant pedestrian village starts at US$350; see Mont-Tremblant car service. For Quebec City and Ottawa, the web booker quotes the trip, and city to city car service explains how it works.
Do not forget the metro and the 747
For many trips in Montreal, none of the three is the cheapest answer. The STM bus and metro cover downtown, Old Montreal, the Plateau and Parc Jean-Drapeau, and YUL lists a regular one-way STM fare of C$3.75. From the airport, the 24/7 747 bus costs C$11.25 and works as a 24-hour pass on the whole bus and metro network, with a short route to Lionel-Groulx metro station in about 30 to 35 minutes.
The metro is the right choice for a solo visitor with a day pass and a list of museums, and for big events on the island, where the organisers point everyone to it. It is the wrong choice with a stroller, three suitcases and two tired children at midnight. The same honest test applies to Uber, taxis and a booked car: match the option to the people, the bags and the clock.
A note on Uber's car types
The app lists the categories available when you request a ride, and at YUL the airport's own guidance sends Uber Deluxe riders to a different pickup point from other Uber types. Larger and premium categories cost more than a standard ride and are still priced dynamically. A pre-booked First Class Sedan, US$210 from YUL to downtown, or a First Class SUV at US$195, is the fixed-price equivalent, with a chauffeur who meets you inside. Our Uber Black vs a pre-booked chauffeur comparison covers the general differences.
The scorecard
| Trip | Uber or Lyft | Taxi | Private car |
|---|---|---|---|
| Solo YUL arrival, daytime | Good | Good, fixed C$49.45 | Only for certainty |
| Family of five, midnight, child seats | Two cars, no seats | Two cars, no seats | Best, from US$160 |
| Dinner for two, Old Montreal | Good | Good | Optional |
| Six to a Canadiens game | Two cars, surge after | Two cars, queues after | Best, from US$700 |
| Day of meetings | Many rides | Many rides | Best, from US$990 |
| Congress closing time | Busy | Busy | Best for a set time |
| Grand Prix Sunday | Restricted | Restricted | Best for the evening |
| Tremblant or Quebec City | Not designed for it | Long meter | Best, from US$1,015 |
What the private car price includes
Elly8.net fares are fixed, all-in and per vehicle, never per person: the chauffeur, vehicle, taxes and standard gratuity are included, and at the airport the meet and greet too. Tolls, parking and waiting beyond the booked time are billed at cost. Rides in Montreal are operated by licensed, commercially insured local chauffeur partners vetted through the Limousine Worldwide network; Elly8.net takes the booking, fixes the price and runs the 24/7 desk. Partner vehicles are four model years old or newer.
Booking takes three steps: enter pickup and drop-off with any flight number, choose the vehicle, then press Reserve now on a fixed fare or use the web booker for any other address. Confirmation arrives by email. Cancellation is free more than 72 hours before pickup; 72 hours or less is 10%, 48 hours or less is 50%, and 24 hours or less or a no-show is 100%, refunded to the original card.
The airport rank is covered in our YUL taxi guide, and general comparisons are on chauffeur vs Uber and Lyft and chauffeur vs taxi. All fares are on the Montreal car service page; nearby cities include Ottawa, Quebec City and Boston.
Elly8.net is a member of LimousineWorldwide.Directory, LimousineAssociation.International, HotelsWorldwide.Directory and VacationsWorldwide.Directory. Flights and hotels can be arranged through our travel partner BookingWorldwide.net; Elly8.net books the car.
Frequently asked questions
Is Uber legal in Montreal?
Yes. Quebec's law on paid passenger transportation by automobile allows trips priced by an app, provided the app shows the rider a maximum price in writing and the rider agrees before the driver is informed. At YUL, Uber and Lyft are the two rideshare services the airport lists.
Is Uber cheaper than a taxi in Montreal?
It depends on demand. At quiet times an app ride can cost less than the meter; after games, in storms or late at night it can cost more. From YUL, the taxi's fixed downtown fare of C$49.45 by day and C$56.70 overnight is a useful benchmark against the app's maximum price.
When is a private car worth the extra cost?
When the group is bigger than one taxi, children need seats, the trip ends at a busy venue, you have a meeting or a flight to make, or you are leaving the city. Prices are fixed and per vehicle, so a full SUV or Sprinter often costs less per person than you expect.
Can I pre-book a car from YUL to downtown?
Yes. Elly8.net fares from YUL to downtown are US$120 in a Business Sedan, US$160 in a Business SUV and US$315 in an Executive Sprinter, fixed and all-in, with the chauffeur waiting inside arrivals and your flight tracked. Cancellation is free more than 72 hours before pickup.
What is the best way to get home after a Canadiens game?
For one or two people, walk a few blocks from the arena before requesting a ride, or take the metro. For a group, an evening out package with a pickup at an agreed corner avoids the post-game queue and surge. Agree the corner before the game so you are not searching in the crowd.
