Is Lyft in Montreal? A Guide to Montreal Rideshares & Taxis (2024)

Ridesharing services have grown in popularity amongst tourists. Sometimes, you just don’t want to be bothered with public transit, but it can be hard to know what’s available where. Is Lyft in Montreal? Does Uber work in Montreal? Are taxis or rideshare services in Montreal more effective?

Ridesharing is indeed very popular in the city of Montreal. Taxis here are quite expensive, and ridesharing emerged about a decade ago as a more affordable, cashless alternative and has been a staple of the Montreal transit circuit ever since.

Lyft, unfortunately, isn’t available in Montreal yet. Photo by Thought Catalog.

Is Lyft in Montreal?

No, as of December 21st, 2023, Lyft does not operate in Montreal. It doesn’t seem like it’ll be here any time soon, either. According to a blog post posted to Lyft’s website on November 28th, Lyft is only available in Ottawa, Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, and most recently in Southwestern Ontario.

Many blog posts on the internet provide incorrect information that Lyft operates in Montreal, but it doesn’t! I’m pretty sure this is a language issue as businesses in Montreal must operate in French. It keeps many companies from setting up shop in Montreal.

Personally, this is a bummer because I like Lyft better. When I was living in Toronto, I found it to be more reliable and the drivers friendlier. I hope it comes to Montreal soon, and I’ll be sure to update this post if it does! I hope that I’ll be able to update this post and say “yes!” to the question “Is Lyft in Montreal?” in 2024!

A Montreal uber driver driving their passenger to their destination.. Photo: Airam Dato-on.

Ridesharing Services in Montreal

Is Uber Available in Montreal?

If you wondered “Is Lyft in Montreal?” your next question was probably “is uber available in Montreal?” and the answer to that question is yes!

Uber is the most popular ridesharing service in Montreal by far. If you’re going to split a rideshare with anyone in the city, assume you’ll be splitting an Uber. Ubers will get to you the fastest as there are the most drivers on the app. There are all kinds of ubers available from Uber X to the deluxe uber.

Last year, Uber rolled out scheduling your ride. This feature is convenient for airport trips, medical appointments, or dinner reservations. If you want to try out Uber, you can 30% off your reservation ride with this code: dqucesrgq98a.

You can also book an Uber Green, which matches you with riders with electric cars. So if you’re an eco-conscious traveller, you will have options with Uber.

In Canada, you can collect Starbucks points and Aeroplan points miles with your Uber and Uber Eats purchases, so please be sure to add those into your app as they can add up quick and help contribute to perks that let you fly or stay somewhere else!

Eva — A Quebec Exclusive

Eva is a Quebec-exclusive ridesharing service within Canada that’s available in Montreal, Sherbrooke, Quebec City, Granby, Saguenay, Mauricie, Gatineau and Mont-Tremblant. I have a few friends that have tried this service and they liked it. The fact that it covers many suburbs of Quebec is a huge plus, because it can get expensive to taxi out to somewhere like Granby Zoo.

How Long Does It Take To Get a Rideshare in Montreal?

Several factors influence how long it will take you to get a rideshare in Montreal:

• Time of day: You can generally find an uber from 7am-midnight pretty easily within the downtown core. Earlier or later and most drivers are sleeping.
• Neighborhood: If you live on the outskirts of the city, there will be less drivers available so prepare for a longer wait. For instance, I live in the Ahuntsic neighborhood, and even though I’m less than a five-minute walk from Boulevard Saint-Laurent, regardless of the time of day, it can be a 10-minute wait.
• Time of year: Ubers get slowed down by snow storms and snow ploughs in the winter. If you’re taking an uber in Montreal in the winter, even if you’re going a short distance, you need to leave yourself an extra 15-20 minutes whenever you’re leaving the house.

If you need to go for speed, you can usually hail a cab quickly in Montreal.

Taxi Services in Montreal

Téo Taxi — Eco-Friendly Taxi in Montreal

I have to shout out Téo Taxi, which is what I take when I need a taxi in Montreal. Easily available through an app in the app store, it allows you to do cashless payments, which is great because many regular cab drivers in the city get annoyed when you try to pay with a card.

But what’s most impressive is the eco-friendliness. Téo Taxi gives you the option to choose an eco-friendly cab. They have a luxe lineup of eco-friendly vars. 90% of my rides from this service are Tesla drivers. I’ve also noticed that if I’m taking cabs a lot to get around the city and the same driver comes and gets me a few times, they remember who I am more than with the other apps and cab companies in the city.

I highly, highly recommend Téo taxi if you aren’t a ridesharing person and you’re more of a traditional cab kind of traveler. Do be warned that you need to be a bit patient though. They have less cabs than other cab companies on the road so you could have to wait up to 20 minutes for your cab. It’s not for people who need a ride quickly.

Bonjour Taxi Montreal Taxi Service

If you’ve ever taken a cab from Pierre Elliot Trudeau airport in Montreal, then you’ve probably been in a Bonjour Taxi. They’ve got a very distinct look. This is a pretty basic cab service. Some of their cars are also used by Téo Taxi as I think drivers can add themselves to the app. I avoid these cabs. I find the drivers often take a longer route they think you aren’t a local when riding from the airport.

Taxi Diamond Montreal Taxi Service

I’m a Taxi Diamond girlie through and through if I need a quick and reliable cab. They’ve never steered me wrong in the 12+ years that I’ve lived on my own in the city. The drivers are always friendly. They do prefer cash, though, so keep that in mind if you aren’t sure of your fare and you’re running low on cash.

Should You Take a Taxi or a Rideshare in Montreal?

It really depends — if you want an eco-friendly and sustainable tourism option in Montreal, then Téo Taxi would be my pick. It’s worth it in my opinion to wait a bit. But if you want the cheapest and most readily available option, then an Uber is probably your best bet. You’ll generally save a few bucks on your fare with a ridesharing service, but it won’t be the huge savings that it was a few years ago.