A Quebec City taxi charges the rates set for the whole province by the Commission des transports du Quebec (CTQ): C$4.10 to start, then C$2.05 per kilometre or C$0.77 per minute when the car is slow, plus a small provincial fee. From the airport to downtown there is a fixed fare instead, C$41.40 by day. Uber and Lyft work in the city too, and Quebec law makes the app show you a maximum price before a driver is assigned.
So which one should you use? It depends on the trip more than the city. For a short daytime hop inside the old town, a taxi or your own feet usually win. For a late arrival with bags, a family with car seats, a group, or an evening when the whole city is heading the same way, a car booked in advance at a fixed price is often the calmer choice. This guide from the Elly8.net desk takes the common Quebec City trips one by one and says plainly which option fits each.
How much is a taxi in Quebec City?
Quebec City taxis use the CTQ's province-wide meter: by day (trips starting 5:00 a.m. to 10:59 p.m.) C$4.10 to start, C$2.05 per km and C$0.77 per minute when slow; by night C$4.70, C$2.35 and C$0.89. A C$0.90 fee plus tax (C$1.05) is added to every trip. Taxes are included in the rates.
Those figures come from the CTQ's official rates page, in force since September 12, 2022. The meter never charges distance and time at once: below about 22.5 km/h (14 mph) it counts minutes, above that it counts kilometres. As arithmetic only, a 4 km daytime ride that keeps moving comes to about C$4.10 + (4 x C$2.05) + C$1.05 = C$13.35 before a tip, and every minute stuck behind a delivery truck on a narrow street adds C$0.77.
Elly8.net does not run on a meter. Rides in Quebec City 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. Prices are per vehicle, in US dollars, and include the chauffeur, taxes and standard gratuity; every fare is listed on the Quebec City car service page, with the Quebec City airport and hourly prices in one table.
See Quebec City prices and reserve
The airport run: fixed taxi fare, bus or a booked car
The one trip with a published taxi price is the airport. Jean Lesage International Airport (YQB) lists a fixed fare of C$41.40 by day and C$46.60 at night (11 p.m. to 5 a.m.) to downtown Quebec City, and C$18.15 by day to the Sainte-Foy area, each plus the C$0.90 fee and tax, on its taxi page. Other trips from the airport go on the meter. You request a cab at the counter on level 1, between international arrivals and the currency exchange, and the taxis wait outside the door.
On public transit, the airport's public transportation page lists RTC route 80 to downtown via the Les Saules terminus and route 76 to the Sainte-Foy bus and train stations in under 30 minutes, both connecting to the high-frequency 800 and 801 lines. A single RTC fare is C$3.85 on a ticket or C$4.00 in cash, and a one-day pass is C$10.50, according to the RTC fare schedule.
Uber and Lyft also serve YQB; the airport says you book through the app, which tells you where to meet the driver.
| Option, YQB to Old Quebec | What you pay | Who it suits |
|---|---|---|
| RTC bus (route 80, or 76 plus a connection) | C$3.85 ticket or C$4.00 cash, per person | One traveller, light bag, no rush |
| Airport taxi, fixed fare | C$41.40 day / C$46.60 night, per car, plus fee | One or two people in daylight |
| Uber or Lyft | Maximum price shown in the app before you accept | Flexible plans, light luggage |
| Elly8.net business sedan | from US$115, fixed and all-in, per vehicle | Late flights, winter arrivals, meetings |
| Elly8.net business SUV | from US$150 per vehicle | Families with car seats, ski bags |
| Elly8.net Executive Sprinter | from US$300 per vehicle | Groups of up to 12 with bags |
The fair verdict: for a couple landing at lunchtime with two suitcases, the fixed taxi fare is good value and there is no reason to pay more. The booked car earns its price when the flight lands at midnight in a snowstorm, when four colleagues would otherwise split into two cabs, or when someone needs the chauffeur waiting inside arrivals with a name board. The same fixed fare applies on the way back to the airport. More detail on the airport side is in our YQB airport transfer service page.
How app rides are priced in Quebec
Under Quebec's law on paid passenger transportation, a trip can be priced differently from the CTQ's meter only when it is requested through an app with no human dispatcher. The CTQ states that the app must let the rider see the maximum price in writing, and agree to it, before the driver is told about the request.
That gives you two useful facts. First, there are no surprise totals: you see the ceiling before you accept. Second, the ceiling moves with demand, so it can be high when many people ask at once, for example when a hockey game or a concert lets out, during a storm, or late at night when the buses thin out. Rideshare prices are not published in advance, so we do not quote them here. The sensible habit is to compare the app's maximum with what the meter would roughly charge for your distance, and with a fixed price when the trip matters.
Old Quebec changes the maths
Inside the walls, the cheapest option is often your own legs. The old town is compact, and the Petit-Champlain district and Place Royale in the Lower Town are best explored on foot. The problem is the hill between the Upper Town and the Lower Town, the narrow one-way streets, and the shortage of curb space. A taxi or an app car can only stop where it is legal, which is sometimes a block or a staircase away from where you want to be.
For one person in walking shoes on a summer afternoon, that does not matter. It matters for an older traveller, for anyone in dress shoes on an icy February slope, and for a dinner in the Lower Town that ends at 11 p.m. when you need to get back up to the Chateau Frontenac. A booked chauffeur can be told in advance to collect you at the bottom of the hill at a set time, which is the part a street hail cannot promise.
Trip-by-trip: which one to use
| Trip | Usually the best choice | When a booked car wins |
|---|---|---|
| Hotel to a restaurant inside the walls | Walk, or a short taxi | Icy slopes, mobility needs, formal dress |
| Old Quebec to the Sainte-Foy train station | Taxi or RTC | Early train, heavy bags, a family |
| Gare du Palais to an Old Quebec hotel | Taxi or app ride | Group, late arrival, hotel on a steep street |
| Evening out with a pickup at 11 p.m. | App ride or taxi, if demand is normal | Event nights, winter, a group of four or more |
| Half-day of sights | RTC routes 1 and 11, or walking | Several stops, little time, older travellers |
| Montmorency Falls and Ile d'Orleans | Your own rental car | No car, no parking stress, a fixed day price |
The RTC itself points visitors to route 11 for the Plains of Abraham, the Musee national des beaux-arts and the Parliament, and route 1 for Place Royale and the Old Port, on its tourist page. For a solo traveller with a day pass, that is a genuinely good way to see the city.
When a pre-booked chauffeur is the better buy
There are five situations where we would tell a friend to book ahead rather than hail.
Late or winter arrivals. A chauffeur who tracks the flight and waits inside arrivals with a name board, with complimentary waiting after a tracked landing, beats a curb queue at 1 a.m. in January.
Groups and luggage. Four adults with skis or suitcases rarely fit one cab. An Executive Sprinter carries up to 12 passengers and 12 bags as one vehicle, from US$300 on the airport run. Divided by 10 travellers, that is US$30 each as arithmetic for comparison only; the price is always per vehicle.
Children. Child seats are fitted on request before pickup, which a hailed cab cannot do.
Event nights. During Carnaval in February, parade routes close streets in the Upper Town. The evening out and event night package, from US$550 in a business sedan to US$1,100 in an Executive Sprinter for five hours, keeps a car waiting at an agreed point outside the closures.
Company travel. A corporate account puts every ride on one monthly invoice in US dollars, with NDAs on request, which suits delegations visiting the provincial capital.
If you want the car for a few hours rather than one transfer, hourly chauffeur service in Quebec City is US$110 an hour in a business sedan and US$220 in a Sprinter, with a 3-hour minimum.
Day trips: where the taxi meter stops making sense
The meter is built for city trips. Once you head out of town, a fixed day price is easier to plan around. The signature package is six hours to Montmorency Falls and Ile d'Orleans, from US$610 in a business sedan to US$1,215 in a Sprinter; our Montmorency Falls guide compares it with a tour shuttle and with driving yourself. For a longer day along the river, see Quebec City to Charlevoix by private car, and for the city itself, our guide to planning a chauffeured Quebec City tour.
Arriving overland from Montreal first? Our post on Montreal to Quebec City by car, train or bus sets out the options, and the Montreal car service page has the prices at the other end.
How booking works
- Enter the pickup and drop-off in the web booker, with your flight number for a YQB pickup.
- Choose the vehicle. The fleet page shows seats and bags for each class.
- Press Reserve now on a priced route, or let the booker price any other address. Confirmation arrives by email, with the chauffeur's details before pickup.
Tolls, parking and waiting beyond the included time are billed at cost. Cancellation is free more than 72 hours before pickup, 10% at 72 hours or less, 50% at 48 hours or less, and 100% at 24 hours or less or for a no-show, refunded to the original card. The longer comparisons are on chauffeur vs taxi and chauffeur vs Uber and Lyft.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a flat taxi fare from Quebec City airport?
Yes. YQB publishes a fixed taxi fare to downtown Quebec City of C$41.40 by day and C$46.60 between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m., plus a C$0.90 fee and tax on every trip, and C$18.15 by day to the Sainte-Foy area. Other destinations go on the meter. The Elly8.net fixed fare to Old Quebec starts at US$115 per vehicle.
Do Uber and Lyft operate in Quebec City?
Yes, including at YQB, where the app tells you where to meet your driver. In Quebec, an app ride may be priced differently from the taxi meter, but the app must show you the maximum price in writing and get your agreement before a driver is assigned. Prices rise with demand, so compare before you accept.
Is the bus a good way to get around Quebec City?
For one traveller with light luggage, yes. A single RTC fare is C$3.85 on a ticket or C$4.00 cash, and a day pass is C$10.50. Route 11 serves the Plains of Abraham, the fine arts museum and the Parliament, and route 80 links the airport to downtown via Les Saules.
When is a private car worth it over a taxi?
When the trip has a deadline, a group, children or a lot of luggage, or when it happens late, in winter or on an event night. A booked chauffeur waits for you, fits child seats in advance, and costs the same however busy the city is, from US$115 per vehicle on the airport run.
Can a chauffeur reach my hotel in Old Quebec?
Yes, to the door or the nearest legal stopping point. The old town's streets are narrow, steep and one-way, with little curb space, so the desk confirms the exact drop-off spot before arrival, and the chauffeur helps with luggage up to the entrance.
What happens if my plans change?
Cancellation is free more than 72 hours before pickup. Within 72 hours the charge is 10%, within 48 hours 50%, and within 24 hours or for a no-show 100%, refunded to the original card. If a flight is delayed, flight tracking moves the pickup automatically.
