Snowstorm, freezing rain, minus 25 degrees: a Montréal winter does not ask permission. Yet planes take off, appointments happen and you still have to get around. Here are our tips for taking a taxi in Montréal in winter without stress, what we do on our side to drive safely, and how not to miss your flight on a snowy morning.
What Taxi Bonjour does for winter
- Winter tires on all vehicles from December 1st, as Québec law requires, and often from mid-November.
- Reinforced maintenance: batteries, wipers, minus-40 washer fluid, defrosting.
- All-wheel-drive vehicles available on request for hilly neighbourhoods or less-plowed side streets.
- Experienced drivers: driving in Montréal in January is learned; our drivers have done it for years.
- Built-in margin: on storm days we leave earlier and we tell you.
Leaving for the airport on a storm day
Flights are rarely cancelled for snow alone; delays, however, are common. Three rules:
- Check your flight on the airline's website before leaving, not once in the taxi.
- Double the travel time. Downtown–YUL in 25 minutes in good weather becomes 50 minutes to an hour in the snow, more at rush hour.
- Book the day before. On storm days everyone calls a taxi at the same time. A booking guarantees a car at the agreed time; a last-minute call does not.
If your flight is cancelled, cancelling the taxi is free up to 12 hours before; after that, call us and we will find an arrangement, we know what a storm is.
The price in winter
In Québec, taxi fares are regulated and do not change with the weather. No "storm" surcharge, unlike ride-hailing platforms. What can increase is time: the meter counts minutes when the car moves slowly. A metered ride therefore costs a little more on a snowy day, but the flat rate downtown ↔ airport stays at $49.45 whatever the travel time. All the details are in our fare guide.
Practical tips for passengers
- Clear your entrance: if the driver cannot stop in front of your door because of a snowbank, give him a meeting point at the street corner.
- Be ready on time: a car waiting with the engine running in the snow means minutes charged and a driver late for the next client.
- Boots and open coat in the car: the cabin is heated; take off or open the coat, especially for children in a car seat, so the harness fits snugly.
- Luggage: avoid rolling suitcases through 20 cm of snow; the driver will fetch them at the door, just ask.
- Freezing rain: wait until the car is stopped before getting out, and hold the door.
- Flight number in the booking: if the plane is delayed by snow on arrival, the driver will know.
Snow removal and parking: the trap of Montréal streets
After a snowfall, snow-removal operations close entire streets for a few hours, with towing included. A taxi avoids all of that: no car to dig out, no parking to find downtown, no ticket. For a medical appointment, a restaurant outing or a trip to the station, it is often the simplest and cheapest solution once parking is counted.
Winter holidays: book early
Christmas, New Year and spring break are the busiest periods of the year at YUL, and the weather does not help. For those dates, book your taxi a week ahead, especially if you need a minivan or child seats. Our guide to booking in advance explains why.
To the slopes: Tremblant, Saint-Sauveur, Bromont
Skis, boards and boots take up room: book an SUV or a minivan. We do the YUL–Mont-Tremblant trip in 1 h 40 in good weather, a little more in the snow, with a price agreed in advance. See our article on long distance.
In short
- Winter tires, reinforced maintenance, seasoned drivers: we drive in all weather.
- Storm day: check the flight, double the travel time, book the day before.
- No weather surcharge; flat rate downtown ↔ YUL unchanged.
- Be ready on time, give a meeting point if the street is blocked.
For a stress-free winter, book your taxi as soon as your flight is confirmed.
