How to take Montreal’s 747 airport bus

The STM’s 747 bus connects Montréal–Trudeau Airport (YUL) with Lionel-Groulx métro station and downtown Montreal. It runs 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The airport fare is C$11.25, and daytime service generally runs every 10 to 15 minutes, according to the STM’s 747 guide.

For most visitors, the main choice is simple: transfer to the métro at Lionel-Groulx for a faster, more predictable trip across the city, or remain on a downtown-bound bus if it stops close to your hotel and you would rather avoid a transfer with luggage.

747 essentials

Question	Answer
Fare	C$11.25 per paying passenger
What it includes	The 747 and 24 hours of Zone A bus, métro, REM and train travel
Where to buy at YUL	Fare machines or the STM counter by Door 28 in international arrivals; the Chrono app is another option
Airport machine payments	Cash, Interac debit, Visa or Mastercard
Payment on the bus	Exact fare in coins only; no banknotes
Service	24 hours a day, seven days a week
YUL to Lionel-Groulx	About 30–35 minutes
YUL to downtown	About 45–70 minutes, depending on traffic

The journey estimates come from Aéroports de Montréal’s bus information. The 747 also has a dedicated luggage area.

Which ticket to buy

For one airport journey, buy the 24-hour Zone A pass. It costs C$11.25 and remains valid for 24 hours from first use—not merely until the end of the calendar day. It covers the 747 and unlimited travel by bus, métro, REM and train within Montreal’s Zone A. A regular one-trip fare is not valid on the 747; the STM’s fare list marks airport-valid products with a 747 symbol.

The 747 also accepts Unlimited Weekend, 3-day, weekly, monthly and 4-month passes, as well as the Free 65+ fare for eligible Montréal residents; age alone does not give a visiting senior that fare. A longer pass may be better value if it already fits the rest of your stay. For example:

• The 3-day Zone A pass costs C$21.75 and runs from first use until 11:59 p.m. on the third consecutive day.
• The Unlimited Weekend pass costs C$17 and is valid from 4 p.m. Friday until 5 a.m. Monday in all fare zones.

Up to five children aged 11 or younger ride free when accompanied by someone aged 14 or older with a valid fare. A child travelling alone needs a valid fare, under the STM’s child-fare rules.

How to pay at YUL

The fare machines and STM counter are by Door 28 in the international arrivals area. Airport machines accept cash, Interac debit, Visa and Mastercard. If you pay after boarding, the fare box accepts exact change in coins only—no banknotes. These methods are confirmed by both the STM and YUL’s purchase instructions.

Do not plan to tap a bank card on the bus. Buy from the machine or counter, use Chrono, or carry the exact coin fare.

Paying with the Chrono app

Chrono sells a digital fare named “YUL Aéroport Mtl-Trudeau.” You can buy it in advance, but activate it only when boarding the 747.

There is an important distinction between the app fare and the transfer:

1. The activated digital fare is valid for 120 minutes and can be shown only to board the 747.
2. The driver then gives you a transfer valid for the next 24 hours on Zone A buses, métro, REM and trains.

Keep that paper transfer for later journeys. Chrono explains the arrangement in its digital 747 fare guidance.

One phone can hold fares for several passengers. Activate one fare per person and keep the group together. Chrono says YUL digital fares cannot be refunded, whether used or unused.

Lionel-Groulx or the downtown bus?

The 747 uses two service patterns:

• Short route: YUL to Lionel-Groulx métro, about 30–35 minutes.
• Long route: YUL through Lionel-Groulx and along René-Lévesque Boulevard toward eastern downtown, about 45–70 minutes.

Check the bus destination before boarding: some 747 trips terminate at Lionel-Groulx instead of continuing downtown.

Transfer at Lionel-Groulx when:

• your accommodation is not close to René-Lévesque Boulevard;
• traffic is heavy;
• the green or orange métro line provides a more direct connection; or
• you are travelling toward the Plateau or another neighbourhood outside the downtown 747 corridor.

Lionel-Groulx serves both the green and orange lines. The transfer is generally more predictable than remaining on a bus in downtown traffic, although it adds a change of vehicle and may be less convenient with large bags.

Stay on the downtown bus when:

• your hotel is within a manageable walk of a 747 stop;
• avoiding a transfer matters more than journey-time certainty; or
• carrying luggage through a métro station would be difficult.

Downtown arrival stops

The STM’s eastbound stop list shows these stops after the airport:

1. Station Lionel-Groulx
2. Guy / René-Lévesque
3. René-Lévesque / Bishop
4. René-Lévesque / Drummond
5. René-Lévesque / Stanley
6. René-Lévesque / Mansfield
7. René-Lévesque / Union
8. René-Lévesque / Jeanne-Mance
9. René-Lévesque / Saint-Laurent
10. René-Lévesque / de l’Hôtel-de-Ville
11. René-Lévesque / Berri

As a rough guide, the Bishop-to-Stanley stops serve western downtown; Mansfield and Union are useful for central downtown and the Gare Centrale area; Jeanne-Mance and Saint-Laurent serve the Quartier des spectacles side of the centre; and de l’Hôtel-de-Ville and Berri are toward eastern downtown. Check the walking route to your exact address rather than choosing by neighbourhood name alone.

The airport-bound stops are different

The return route does not simply stop across the street from every arrival stop. The STM’s westbound list to YUL runs from the Berri end through de l’Hôtel-de-Ville, Saint-Laurent, Jeanne-Mance, Place du Frère-André, Mansfield, Peel, de la Montagne and Bishop before Lionel-Groulx and the airport.

Use the westbound “To YUL Montréal-Trudeau Airport” page to choose your return stop.

Temporary downtown terminus

When checked on October 30, 2026, both directional STM pages displayed a temporary terminus notice for René-Lévesque / Berri and directed passengers looking up departures to Saint-Hubert / De la Gauchetière. They also showed relocated or cancelled stops. This is a temporary operating condition, not a permanent route description. Check the appropriate directional page on your travel day rather than relying on an old map or assuming the bus currently reaches Gare d’autocars de Montréal.

Buying a fare downtown for the return trip

Before leaving for YUL, you can buy an eligible pass at a métro fare machine, use Chrono, or buy a one-way airport ticket from a street pay station near a downtown 747 stop.

The street stations have a blue P$ sign marked “747 aéroport.” The STM’s instructions are:

1. Enter 0747.
2. Print the ticket.
3. Use it within two hours of purchase.
4. Give it to the driver, who provides proof of payment for the one-way trip.

If you need a métro or bus before reaching the 747, buy a 24-hour or longer eligible pass instead of relying on the street ticket, which is specifically sold for the one-way airport trip. For the long downtown route, allow more than the stated 45–70-minute bus journey: that estimate does not include waiting time, airport check-in or security.