Getting around Canada: transport and apps

Distances are the whole problem

Toronto to Vancouver is further than London to Cairo. Plan around that and Canada is easy; ignore it and you will spend the trip in transit.

• Fly between regions. Air Canada and WestJet cover the country, with Porter and Flair filling in. Domestic flights are not cheap, but a CAD 250 flight against four days of driving is not really a comparison.
• VIA Rail is a scenic experience, not transport. The Toronto to Vancouver run takes four nights and is frequently late, because freight trains own the track and passenger services give way. Take it because you want to, never because you need to be somewhere.
• The corridor is the exception. Between Quebec City, Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto and Windsor, VIA is genuinely useful and often beats flying once airports are counted.
• Intercity buses have thinned out. Greyhound Canada shut down entirely in 2021. Regional operators such as Rider Express, Ontario Northland and Orleans Express cover much of the gap, but connections that existed a decade ago simply do not any more.

Driving

• Your own licence is fine for a visit, generally up to 90 days depending on the province. An International Driving Permit is worth having if your licence is not in English or French.
• Winter tyres are a legal requirement in Quebec (1 December to 15 March) and on most British Columbia highways (1 October to 30 April). Rental firms charge extra for them and you still need them.
• Highways close in winter. Snowstorms and avalanches shut mountain routes in Alberta and BC for hours or days. Carry water, warm layers and a charged phone, and never treat a closure sign as advisory.
• Wildlife on the road is a real hazard at dawn and dusk. A moose through a windscreen is a fatal accident, not a dented bumper.

What to install

• Uber and Lyft both operate in Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal, Calgary, Ottawa and Edmonton. Coverage outside the big cities is patchy and in much of Atlantic Canada and the north there is nothing.
• Local taxi apps still matter. Montreal's Téo and various city co-op apps are often faster than the ride-hailing giants outside the core.
• Transit apps are municipal. Transit and Google Maps both work nationwide for planning; for fares you want the local system, which means PRESTO in Ontario, Compass in Metro Vancouver and the STM app in Montreal.
• Contactless bank cards work directly on the gates in Toronto, Vancouver and a growing number of systems. In Vancouver that costs you more than stored value; in Toronto it costs the same as PRESTO. Know which city you are in.

The Canadian habit worth knowing

• Interac e-Transfer is how Canadians move money to each other, by email address or phone number, and it is near universal for splitting bills, paying a landlord or settling up with a tour operator. It needs a Canadian bank account, so as a visitor you cannot send one, but you will be asked for one and it helps to know what is being asked.
• Tim Hortons, Starbucks and the supermarket chains all push their own apps with loyalty pricing. For a short trip, ignore them.