There is no scheduled shared shuttle between Regina International Airport (YQR) and downtown hotels. The airport's own ground transportation page lists a city bus, Route 24, four authorised taxi companies, rideshare, car rentals, and a short list of shuttle operators that serve regional towns or private group charters rather than the downtown hotel run. If you were hoping for a shuttle van that loops the hotels every half hour, the closest equivalents are the bus, a taxi, or a pre-booked car.
The good news is that YQR is only about 4 km (3 mi) from downtown, around 7 minutes on a clear road, so every option is short. This guide compares them on the three things that matter on arrival night: what you pay, how long you wait, and how comfortable the handover is in a Saskatchewan winter. A fixed Elly8.net car costs from US$95 in a business sedan to US$250 in an Executive Sprinter, per vehicle, all-in.
Is there a shuttle from Regina airport to downtown?
No scheduled shared shuttle runs between YQR and downtown hotels. The city bus, Route 24, links the airport and downtown on weekdays. Taxis and rideshare are available, and the shuttle operators the airport lists serve regional towns or private group charters. A pre-booked Elly8.net car starts at US$95 per vehicle.
The YQR ground transportation page is the source for all of this. Under shuttle services it names a private group charter company and two regional operators, one of them a shuttle serving Yorkton and the surrounding area. Those are useful if you are heading to a town elsewhere in the province, but they are not a hop to a downtown Regina hotel. The airport does not list a hotel shuttle; if your hotel runs one, it will say so when you book the room.
Route 24: the bus that does the shuttle's job, on weekdays
Regina Transit Route 24 runs between downtown and the airport stop, and it is the cheapest way in: C$3.50 cash with exact coins, or C$3.20 on stored value, according to the City's fares page. The driver cannot make change.
The timetable is the catch. The airport describes the route as a Monday to Friday service. On the City's current weekday timetable, buses leave downtown roughly every 20 minutes from just before 6 a.m. until about 9 a.m., then again from late afternoon until after midnight, with 40-minute gaps in the late afternoon and early evening. There is no service in the middle of the day in that timetable, and none on weekends. Check the live schedule before you fly, because timetables change.
For early departures, look at the first buses closely. On the current timetable the first weekday bus leaves downtown from Albert Street at 12th Avenue at about 5:55 a.m. and reaches the airport stop around 6:10 a.m. That suits a mid-morning flight but may be tight for the first departures of the day, when you want time for bag drop and security. If your flight leaves around 7 a.m., a taxi booked the night before or a pre-booked car is the safer plan.
So the bus works well for a weekday early-morning departure or an evening arrival, if you travel light and do not mind the walk at the downtown end. It does not work for a Saturday arrival, a 1 p.m. landing, or a family with four suitcases.
Taxis and rideshare at YQR
Taxis. The airport's taxi and rideshare page lists four authorised taxi providers. All of them can drop off at the terminal curb. For pickups, one company picks up at the terminal curb, and pre-booked pickups from some of the others happen in the commercial lane of the short-term parking lot across from the main doors. If you land after midnight, the airport strongly recommends booking your taxi in advance.
The meter is capped by the City's Taxi Bylaw. For the roughly 4 km to downtown, the maximum tariff works out at around C$12.50 to C$13 on a clear road, as arithmetic, plus a charge matching the airport's fee and up to C$1 for paying by card. Our Regina taxi guide explains the full tariff and how to recognise a licensed cab.
Rideshare. Uber, Lyft and Women First are listed by the airport. The rideshare pickup is in the short-term parking lot directly outside the terminal; follow the rideshare signs from the arrivals hall doors. Prices are shown in the app before you confirm and change with demand, so there is no fixed figure to quote. When several flights land together, expect the price and the wait to move.
Cost, wait and comfort, side by side
| YQR to downtown | Price | Typical wait at YQR | Where you meet it | Comfort in winter |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Route 24 bus | C$3.50 cash, C$3.20 stored value | Up to the next scheduled bus, weekdays only | Airport bus stop | Outdoor wait, walk at the downtown end |
| Taxi | Metered, about C$12.50 to C$13 at the bylaw maximum, plus airport and card fees | Short at busy times; pre-book after midnight | Curb stand, or the commercial lane for some pre-booked pickups | Short outdoor walk |
| Rideshare | Shown in the app, varies with demand | Depends on drivers nearby | Short-term parking lot, follow the signs | Walk across to the lot with bags |
| Regional shuttle | Set by the operator | Fixed departure times | Arranged with the operator | For regional towns, not downtown |
| Elly8.net business sedan | US$95 fixed, per vehicle | None after a tracked landing | Inside arrivals, name board | Chauffeur carries bags to a warm car |
| Elly8.net Executive Sprinter | US$250 fixed, per vehicle | None after a tracked landing | Inside arrivals, name board | Up to 12 people and 12 bags together |
What a pre-booked car changes
No waiting game. Your Elly8.net chauffeur tracks the flight number on the booking and is inside the arrivals hall with a name board when you come out of bag claim. Waiting is complimentary after a tracked landing, so a delayed connection through Calgary, Toronto or Winnipeg does not mean an extra charge or a missed pickup. See airport meet and greet.
No walk across the road. Rideshare and some pre-booked taxi pickups happen in the short-term lot across from the doors. That is a minute's walk in July. With two suitcases, a child and a January wind, it is the part of the trip people remember.
A known price before you fly. The fare is fixed and all-in, in US dollars, and includes the chauffeur, taxes, standard gratuity and meet and greet. Parking and waiting beyond the included time are billed at cost. The same fare applies from downtown to YQR for your departure.
One vehicle for the group. An Executive Sprinter seats 12 with room for 12 bags. At US$250 for the vehicle, a group of ten pays US$25 each as arithmetic for comparison, because the price is per vehicle, not per person. The alternative is three taxis arriving at different times.
Child seats ready. Request them when you book, with the children's ages, and they are fitted before pickup.
For the general case, our chauffeur vs airport shuttle and chauffeur vs taxi pages set out the trade-offs.
Four arrivals, four different answers
The right choice at YQR depends less on the distance, which is always short, than on when you land and who is with you. These are the arrivals our desk hears about most often.
Tuesday, 7:40 a.m., one traveller with a carry-on. Route 24 is running at its morning frequency, so the bus is a real option at C$3.50, and a taxi is a short, inexpensive alternative. A private car is hard to justify unless the day continues with meetings and you want the same car for them.
Saturday, 1:15 p.m., a couple with two checked bags. There is no Route 24 on a weekend in the current timetable, so the choice is a taxi from the curb, a rideshare from the lot, or a pre-booked car. For most couples the taxi is the sensible call. If one of you has limited mobility, the chauffeur meeting you inside and bringing the car to the door is worth considering.
Thursday, 11:55 p.m., a delayed connection from Toronto. The bus timetable is ending, the airport recommends pre-booking taxis after midnight, and rideshare depends on who is still driving. This is the arrival a pre-booked, flight-tracked car was designed for: the chauffeur adjusts to the actual landing time and is there when you walk out.
Monday, 4 p.m., a team of eight with sample cases for Agribition week. Two or three taxis, arriving at different times, or one Executive Sprinter with room for everyone and their cases at a fixed US$250. The Sprinter also gives the team a vehicle for the evening if they book an hourly block.
When the bus or a taxi is the right answer
We would rather you booked the right thing. If you are one person with a backpack landing on a weekday evening, Route 24 at C$3.50 is the obvious choice. If you are a couple with carry-ons arriving at 3 p.m. on a Tuesday, a taxi for around C$13 on the meter is excellent value, and a private car at US$95 is not. A rideshare is fine for app users who travel light and do not mind the short walk to the lot.
The pre-booked car makes sense when at least one of these is true: you land late at night or very early, you are travelling as a family or group with real luggage, children need car seats, you are an executive going straight into meetings, your company wants fixed fares invoiced monthly, or you simply want to walk out of bag claim and see your name.
Departures: getting to YQR on time
Because the drive is so short, a downtown pickup about two hours before a domestic flight is usually comfortable; allow more for an international departure or a holiday weekend. A taxi to the airport works the same way as from it, and Route 24 covers weekday mornings and evenings. An Elly8.net departure collects you at the hotel door at the time you set, at the same fixed price as the arrival. A round trip booked together costs from US$185 in a business sedan, US$240 in a business SUV and US$475 in an Executive Sprinter.
Charter and private aircraft passengers can be met at the operator's building rather than the main terminal; see private jet and FBO transfers.
Busy weeks: Agribition and game days
Some weeks make every option harder. The biggest is Canadian Western Agribition at the REAL District in late November, which brings ranchers, buyers and international delegations to the city at the same time. Hotels fill, taxis are in demand and rideshare prices move. If you are flying in that week, book your airport car and any hourly cars as early as you can; a fixed fare is locked when you reserve. For delegations, conference transportation and group transportation cover Sprinter shuttles from YQR to the hotels.
Roughriders game weekends bring their own rush of arrivals. Our Regina limo bus guide covers getting a group to and from Mosaic Stadium.
Elly8.net fares at YQR
Rides in Regina 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.
| Vehicle | YQR to or from downtown | YQR round trip | By the hour, 3-hour minimum |
|---|---|---|---|
| Business Sedan, up to 3 passengers and 2 bags | US$95 | US$185 | US$110 |
| Business SUV, up to 6 passengers and 6 bags | US$125 | US$240 | US$140 |
| First Class SUV, up to 6 passengers and 6 bags | US$155 | US$295 | US$165 |
| First Class Sedan, up to 3 passengers and 2 bags | US$170 | US$325 | US$180 |
| Executive Sprinter, up to 12 passengers and 12 bags | US$250 | US$475 | US$220 |
Booking takes three steps: enter the pickup and drop-off with your flight number, choose the vehicle, then reserve the fixed fare or use the web booker for any other address, such as a hotel outside downtown or Moose Jaw. Confirmation arrives by email. 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. Hotels that book guests regularly can open a hotel account.
The full Regina price list is on our Regina car service page, and airport transfers explains how pickups work in all 141 cities. Heading north? Our Saskatoon airport taxi guide covers YXE. Elly8.net is a member of LimousineWorldwide.Directory, LimousineAssociation.International, HotelsWorldwide.Directory and VacationsWorldwide.Directory.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a shuttle from Regina airport to hotels?
The airport does not list a scheduled shared shuttle to downtown hotels. Its shuttle listings are regional operators and a private group charter company. Route 24 links the airport and downtown on weekdays, and taxis, rideshare and pre-booked cars cover the rest. Ask your hotel directly whether it runs its own shuttle.
When does the Route 24 bus run?
On weekdays only, according to the airport, with buses in the morning from just before 6 a.m. to about 9 a.m. and again from late afternoon until after midnight on the City's current timetable. There is no midday or weekend service in that timetable. The cash fare is C$3.50, exact coins only.
How much is a taxi from YQR to downtown?
About 4 km on the meter, around C$12.50 to C$13 at the City bylaw's maximum tariff on a clear road, as arithmetic, plus a charge matching the airport fee and up to C$1 for card payment. If you land after midnight, the airport recommends pre-booking your taxi.
Where do Uber and Lyft pick up at Regina airport?
In the short-term parking lot directly outside the terminal. Follow the rideshare signs from the arrivals hall doors. The app shows the fare, including any surge, before you confirm. Prices move with demand, so the same trip can cost more when several flights land together. With heavy bags or small children in winter, remember that the lot is a short walk across from the doors.
How much is an Elly8.net car from YQR?
From US$95 in a business sedan, US$125 in a business SUV and US$250 in an Executive Sprinter, fixed and per vehicle, with the chauffeur waiting inside arrivals. The same price applies to downtown-to-airport departures, and a round trip starts at US$185.
What if my flight into Regina is delayed?
Your chauffeur tracks the flight and adjusts the pickup to the actual landing time, with complimentary waiting after a tracked landing. If the flight is cancelled or diverted, message the 24/7 desk and the booking moves with you. A delayed arrival costs nothing extra, and you do not need to call ahead.
