Did you know that to go from Montreal to Baie-Saint-Paul by bus, you absolutely have to… spend the night in Quebec? This kind of example illustrates how much our intercity public transit system needs to be upgraded if we want people to use it. Our journalist decided to test the route to understand how much.
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When planning my vacation at the beginning of the summer, I thought I had made a mistake when I realized that you couldn’t go by bus to Baie-Saint-Paul from Montreal in a single day. However, this is not an unusual route: we are talking about the metropolis and a city with a strong tourist vocation on the edge of the river! By car, it takes barely four hours.
And yet, it was. Here’s what happens if you want to take that bus ride.
Step 1 – Purchasing tickets
The trip includes a transfer and you have to buy tickets from two different companies (Orléans Express and Intercar). Transactions are done simply, online, and tickets are received by email – all you have to do is print them or present them on your phone when boarding. A few days before my departure, there is still room in the buses that I covet. So far so good!
Step 2 – Bus from Montreal to Quebec
The first part of the journey takes place in an Orléans Express coach, which departs from the Gare d’autocars de Montréal (near the Berri-UQAM station) and takes us to the Gare du palais, a stone’s throw from the Old Quebec.
I chose to take the departure at 4 p.m., to arrive in Quebec at 7:15 p.m., early enough to have time to have dinner there. But if I had wanted to further minimize the total duration of my trip, I could have left later, taking the 8 p.m. trip, and arriving in Quebec at the end of the evening.
The journey went well – we even arrived a little early. The bus was almost full, so I was traveling seated next to another passenger.
Duration: 3h15
Cost: $67.50
Step 3 – Night stopover in Quebec!
Photo Camille Dauphinais-Pelletier
The cheapest accommodation in Quebec: a bed in a hostel dorm!
This is probably the most absurd part of my trip, but I had no choice. The only bus that leaves Quebec to go to Baie-Saint-Paul is at 9:45 in the morning, and no bus leaves Montreal early enough for me to arrive in time to catch it.
Luckily, there are plenty of accommodation options near Gare du Palais. For the experience, I wanted to keep the cost of the trip as low as possible in order to make an honest comparison. So I decided on the Auberge internationale de Québec, where I could have a bed in a dormitory for 10 people for $43.69.
Photo Camille Dauphinais-Pelletier
The International Inn of Quebec
The walk there was fine, took me about 15 minutes. But be careful, it goes up!
At the reception, the attendant asked me why I was visiting Quebec, and he seemed surprised when I explained to him. In my opinion, this is not a very frequent reason to visit the hostel.
Going to dinner, around 8 p.m., I couldn’t help but smile when I realized that if I had left Montreal by car, I would have just arrived in Baie-Saint-Paul.
Accommodation cost: $43.69
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Step 4 – Bus from Quebec to Baie-Saint-Paul
After having slept very well at the hostel (no one was snoring in the dormitory), I arrived at the Gare du Palais shortly before the 9:45 am departure. I was surprised to find that you could eat a full hot breakfast there; surprising, when you know how poor the food supply can be in public transport waiting areas.
Photo Camille Dauphinais-Pelletier
The Gare du Palais, in Quebec
The second part of the trip was provided by the Intercar company. Our bus – in the colors of the Quebec Remparts hockey team – arrived and gave us a nice surprise: a whole portion of “lazy-boy” style benches at the front, and at the back, a whole side was occupied by benches in a single row rather than a double one. I took one right away!
Photo Camille Dauphinais-Pelletier
The Intercar bus had single row seats!
The ride was direct and really enjoyable. We drove along the river, then through the mountains covered with conifers, emblematic of the Charlevoix region. Sitting alone on my bench well away from the window, I don’t think I’ve ever been so comfortable working on a bus!
I thought to myself that this degree of comfort and efficiency would probably help convert many people who take the car to public transit…
Duration: 1h15
Cost: $29.79
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Step 5 – Stop in Baie-Saint-Paul
I only stayed in Baie-Saint-Paul for a few hours, since tourism was not the objective of this report.
Photo Camille Dauphinais-Pelletier
Before taking the bus back, I had time to go to dinner at the Microbrasserie Charlevoix. I asked the waiter if he or people around him sometimes took the bus to go to other cities, and unsurprisingly, he said no.
However, it’s not because everyone is adamant about solo driving: the number of people on the Facebook group Covoiturage Charlevoix has exploded in the last 6 months – because of the rising cost of gas, it seems he –, and requests for lifts for Montreal, Quebec or La Malbaie rain there every day.
Why not take the bus? “Carpooling is cheaper and you can more control the time of departure,” he replies simply.
It can therefore be thought that a more frequent and lower cost system could be popular.
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Step 6 – Return
The return trip was very simple, since in this case, the schedules of the two bus companies are well agreed.
I got on the Intercar bus at 5:25 p.m., and I had to wait about fifty minutes in Quebec City before the Orléans Express left for Montreal, which seemed quite reasonable to me. The only disappointment: no restaurant or convenience store was open at the Gare du Palais even though it was supper time. It would have been appreciated, judging by the fact that the other passengers and I all wandered around the station to find a grocery store or a pizza place for a quick supply!
We arrived in Montreal at 10:45 p.m., without having to lose a night on the way.
Duration: 5h20 (including stopover)
Cost: $97.27
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The comparison
Now comes the time for the car vs bus comparison.
Duration of the journey: 4 hours (both for the outward and the return)
Round trip price: $107.10 of gas*
*Calculated based on an average fuel consumption of 9L/100 km, with gasoline at $1.70 per litre, the average price in Montreal on the day of our experience.
Journey time: 11h (one way) and 5h20 (return)
Round trip price: $238.25 (including accommodation)
*
For the duration, we always expect the car to be faster than the bus, that’s normal. But if we look at the outward journey with a minimum travel time of 11 hours (including a sleepover) for the bus compared to around 4 hours for the car, no comparison holds.
The return, with 5:20, was very reasonable. Perhaps it would be enough for the companies to agree better on their timetables to attract more people to the coaches!
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For the price, one would expect the bus to be cheaper. Oh no.
The bus and accommodation cost us $238.25, much more than the $107.10 for gas for the car. Even counting the wear of the vehicle, we are far from the mark.
Fact not to be overlooked: as soon as you add a second person in the car, you cut the price in half, whereas in the bus scenario, you double it.
In short, unless you have an experience like mine or are well determined, practically no one will do Montreal-Baie-Saint-Paul by bus. That’s a shame!
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