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City Guide - Montreal - Getting Around | ||
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Getting Around Public Transport Montreal is served by a metro system, extensive bus network and commuter rail services. Public transport services for the whole of the island of Montreal are run by the Société de transport de la Communauté urbaine de Montréal (STCUM) (tel: (514) 288 6287; web site: www.stcum.qc.ca). Commuter rail and off-island bus services are co-ordinated by the Agence métropolitaine de transport (web site: www.amt.qc.ca). The clean and efficient metro has four lines and 65 stations, ten of which are linked to the Underground City. It is integrated with the 150 STCUM bus routes that crisscross the island; each bus stop has a unique telephone number for up-to-date schedule information for the buses at that stop. The metro and buses run 0600-0100, and are supplemented by a limited system of night buses. The metro and bus routes also link to the four commuter rail lines, connecting Montreal with the outer suburbs. One-way adult fares for STCUM services anywhere on the island are C$2; a carnet of six tickets costs C$8.25. It is possible to transfer between the metro and bus at no extra cost, provided a transfer slip is obtained. The same applies to commuter rail within zone one; higher fares apply for outer zones. Off-island buses have separate fare structures. The Carte touristique (Tourist Card) is a pass designed specifically for visitors to Montreal and provides unlimited use of bus and metro systems for one or three days (C$7 or C$14, respectively). Weekly passes (CAM Hebdo) are available for C$12.50. Taxis Taxis are available from taxi ranks at major hotels and at the airports, or they can be easily hailed on the street downtown and in areas where bars and restaurants are clustered. Taxis can also be ordered by phone: Taxi Diamond (tel: (514) 273 6331) and Taxi Co-op (tel: (514) 725 9885) are the best known of the many firms in the city. Fares start at C$2.80 and increase by C$1.13 per kilometre. A tip of 15% is customary. Limousines Air Executive Limo (tel: (514) 946 3424 or (800) 263 2123; web site: www.AirExecutiveLimo.com) offers airport transfers (Dorval: C$52 plus C$20 to be greeted at arrivals), as well as sedan cars and stretch limos for C$50-110 per hour (six-hour minimum) and C$500-800 per 12-hour day. Other operators include Limousine Ville-Marie (tel: (514) 744 2033 or (888) 567 2033; fax: (514) 744 5033; web site: www.limousinevillemarie.com) and Limousine Mont-Royal (tel: (514) 363 6360 or (888) 361 3355; fax: (514) 363 0017; web site: www.montroyal.com). Driving in the City The large autoroutes that cross Montreal are both a blessing and a curse - with light traffic they make it easy to get across the island, but for most of the day they are clogged with traffic. Visitors will also be surprised at how little notice is given of impending exits (which are on the left as well as the right on some motorways), especially on the east-west Autoroute Métropolitaine (Highway 40). Highway 20, the other main east-west route, becomes the Autoroute Ville-Marie when it tunnels under downtown. The worst traffic bottlenecks, though, are the north-south Autoroute Décarie (Highway 15) and the tunnel and bridges to the South Shore. Street numbers increase as one travels north from the St Lawrence River. The ease-west divide is boulevard St-Laurent. Montrealers tend to translate 'Arrêt' signs as 'slow down' rather than 'stop' and can be fairly aggressive drivers. Motorists are required to yield to city buses if they have are signalling that they are moving into the main traffic lane. Both parking lots and metered parking are abundant. Deciphering parking signs can be difficult even for those who speak French fluently - often there are multiple signs restricting parking on various days, times and even months of the year. Car Hire In general, drivers must be at least 21 years old and possess a national driving licence and credit card. An International Driving Permit is not required. Major car hire firms in Montreal include Avis, 1225 rue Metcalfe (tel: (514) 866 7906), who generally charge C$44 per day for a small car, not including insurance (C$22 per day) or taxes. Other firms are Discount, 607 boulevard de Maisonneuve West (tel: (514) 286 1554), Hertz, 1073 rue Drummond (tel: (514) 938 1717), Thrifty, 800 boulevard de Maisonneuve East (tel: (514) 845 5954) and Via Route, 1255 rue Mackay (tel: (514) 871 1166), which charges a bit less than the majors. Bicycle Hire Montreal has an extensive network of cycle routes, notably along the Lachine Canal. Roadside bike lanes can be dangerous where motorists don't have a clear line of vision. Sharing bike paths with pedestrians and/or rollerbladers can also cause problems. The Maison des Cyclistes, 1251 rue Rachel (tel: (514) 521 8356; web site: www.velo.qc.ca), is an excellent resource for cycling information, and also organises tours and hires bicycles (C$8 per hour; C$25 per day). Outside the city, the P'tit Train de Nord is a 200km (124-mile) linear park through the Laurentians on an abandoned rail bed, part of the growing province-wide network, La Route verte. The world's largest bicycle race, the 65km (40 miles) Tour de l'Ile, sees 45,000 participants in early June. Cycle hire is available near the major cycle routes. Typical rates are C$7-9 per hour, C$15-20 for four hours and C$20-30 for 24 hours. Vélo Aventure, on Quai des Convoyeurs in the Old Port (tel: (514) 847 0666), is near the Lachine Canal; they also hire rollerblades and offer group tours. On the Plateau, Bicycletterie JR, 151 rue Rachel East (tel: (514) 843 6989), is nearest the mountain, while Cycle Pop, 1000 rue Rachel East (tel: (514) 526 2525), is at the northwest corner of Parc Lafontaine. |