http://www.cptdb.ca/index.php?showtopic=9751&st=80&start=80

And instead of that ridiculous half-hourly STM bus service from Dorval train station, why not have those busses that pick people up in the parking lot extend their routes to the train station?

Because that's not their function. That's the parking shuttle, which is provided because it encourages the use of paid parking. There's zero incentive for the airport to extend service of that bus to the train station.

And instead of that ridiculous half-hourly STM bus service from Dorval train station, why not have those busses that pick people up in the parking lot extend their routes to the train station?

All transportation problems to the airport are solved with no added infrastructure, minimal added cost.

Oh, I know, it's been privatized and the bunch of businessmen have to grab as much money as possible by all means possible...

(Remember, some years ago, when some suburban shopping mall - was it in Brossard or St-Bruno? - refused that taxis pick-up customers??? - And some 10 years ago, a Buffalo shopping mall refused transit buses so a girl working there was squished by a truck as she tried to cross the 8 lanes of shimmering traffic to go to work because the bus stop was not on the mall property)

As a former employee of Coach Canada, (the company which ran the airport shuttle before La Quebecoise) I can confirm to you that the only reason why La Quebecoise (or any bus company) wanted the airport shuttle run, was it allowed them to get their "foot in the door " inside Trudeau airport. Once on having being licensed to be allowed inside the airport, you can be allowed to depart there and pick up any groups, charters, etc.. $$$, the sky' the limit. Don't feel too sorry for cabdrivers, it's still cheaper and more convenient for any group of 2 or more to book a cab than it is to take a shuttle. Until a rail connection connects the airport and downtown occurs, cabdrivers can breathe easy.

They've already got signs up for the 747 on Rene-Levesque. Surprisingly though, I noticed that there are actually not one but two new bus routes on the new signs. The 747 and the 427 Express. There doesn't seem to be much information out there regarding this other new route apart from some obscure stuff I found on this discussion board.

http://www.metrodemontreal.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=11683&sid=16fa004f74fe6918e37cf30621259b55

Apparently it's the St-Joseph Express and it'll start at Pie-IX, run along St-Joseph Boulevard, down St-Denis Street and then along Rene-Levesque where it'll end it's route at Guy-Concordia Metro. The link also seems to indicate that both routes will start running on March 29th along with something called the 120 Lachine/LaSalle, which I also haven't heard of. I can't find anything that'll confirm that the date is correct as far as the 427 and 120 are concerned.

I'd love to park my car at Dorval Train Station and take one bus all the way to work. No transfers, no metro, no train.

But even I have to agree with Fagstien "The problem with a stop at the Dorval terminus is that it would probably encourage a lot of locals to take the 747 bus to get to the West Island as an alternative to the 211. That would be annoying for air travellers."

One could only assume that the reverse direction would also be true. Heck, that's what I want to do! :)

I don't mind the $7 dollar fee, as it seems reasonable. However, I would like someone to justify why this bus wouldn't just cost the normal bus fee price. Is it because it is "express"? I mean if I can make it from the east side all the way to the west island on a single ticket from my Carte Opus, why should I have to pay a special price for this bus? It's not the actual spending of the money that bothers me here. It's the logic. It's like the STM is telling us that what should have always been a standard service is something special. I mean at the very least, that station where you used to have to get off (and sometimes walk across the field or take that single bus to the airport) should have been located at or within easy walking to the airport. It's like they are charging us extra for something we have been due for decades.

I'll be interested in seeing how this actually effects taxi traffic.

why would they stop at dorval station? the 204 and 209 already do that job. the 747 is for people going straight downtown, not to dorval or the west island

How about a dedicated bus line down highway 20 at rush hour. This could increase ridership on all westbound routes and ultimately reduce congestion.

As expected, the ones who are really complaining are the cabbies. Just look at the facts: if hundreds of cabbies spend hours each day sleeping, playing backgammon, and chatting while inefficiently waiting in a huge lineup at the edge of the airport for a single fare, that fare must be pretty darn profitable (i.e. overpriced). It's pretty hypocritical for them to be arguing about unfair competition when they have a monopoly on private, paying rides to and from the airport.

Regardless, since I don't get monthly or weekly passes, I guess I'm going to be walking through the airport parking lots for many years to come. (However, I would guess the 204 will continue to the airport, because it has to cross to the north side of the tracks at some point anyway to make it into that part of Dorval, and it provides airport access from Fairview, which is a pretty big transit hub.)

Now that's something I've yet to see: STM drivers patient enough to give information or explain anything whatsoever.