Canada (CA)

Traditional taxis operate in all major Canadian cities and are regulated by municipal licensing authorities. Starting fare: Toronto $4.25 + $1.75/km; Vancouver $3.50 + $1.93/km; Montreal $3.95 + $1.84/km; Calgary $3.60 + $1.85/km. Hailing taxis on the street is common in Toronto and Montreal downtown; in Vancouver and Calgary, taxis must be booked by phone or app. Tip expected: 15–20% of the metered fare. Major taxi apps: Beck Taxi (Toronto), Yellow Cab (Vancouver and other cities), Diamond Taxi.

Uber is available across Canada and is the dominant rideshare platform. Lyft operates in major Canadian cities. Uride serves smaller Canadian markets. Rideshare fares are typically 20–40% lower than taxis during normal periods but can be 2–5× higher during surge pricing (major events, rush hour, bad weather). Rideshare drivers must have a G or class 5 licence and a commercial vehicle inspection in most provinces. Intercity rideshare: Allo Stop (Quebec) connects drivers with passengers for interprovincial routes at $0.10–0.15/km contribution. BlaBlaCar entered Canada but has limited penetration — check carpooling Facebook groups for most routes.

Cycling infrastructure varies dramatically by city. Vancouver: 570+ km of cycling routes, separated greenways, and a functioning Mobi bike-share system (mobibikes.ca). Toronto: 700+ km of cycling infrastructure but often incomplete, lacking winter maintenance, and mixed with car traffic on painted lanes; Bike Share Toronto has 800+ stations (bikesharetoronto.com). Montreal: the best cycling city in Canada — 900+ km of routes including the famous Réseau Express Vélo (REV) separated cycling highways; BIXI has 840+ stations (bixi.com). Ottawa: 600+ km including scenic pathways along the Ottawa River; bikeshare through Bike Share Ottawa. Calgary and Edmonton: growing cycling networks but very car-centric. Helmet laws: mandatory in BC, NS, NB, NL, and PEI for all ages; mandatory for minors only in Ontario, Quebec, Manitoba, and Alberta — adults technically not required in those provinces but strongly recommended. Winter cycling: possible in Montreal, Ottawa, Calgary (with studded tires and appropriate clothing) — Winnipeg and Edmonton have active winter cycling communities.

VIA Rail Canada operates the national passenger rail network. Major routes: Toronto–Montreal (4.5–5 hours, $80–220 CAD depending on class and advance booking); Toronto–Ottawa (4.5 hours); Toronto–Windsor (4 hours); Vancouver–Kamloops (Jasper line, 2 days scenic route); Quebec City–Windsor corridor (most reliable service). VIA Rail is not high-speed — trains share track with freight railways and are frequently delayed. The Toronto–Montreal route is VIA's most reliable, running 5–6 times daily. VIA Rail passes: Canrailpass (30 days, 7 segments, from $600 in economy) for travel planning across Canada. Amtrak cross-border: Toronto–New York (12 hours); Vancouver–Seattle (3.5 hours, 2 trains daily). Rocky Mountaineer: luxury rail through BC Rockies ($1,500–5,000) — tourist product, not commuter rail. Government-funded high-speed rail between Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, and Quebec City is under planning (2035+ target).

Canada drives on the right-hand side. Speed limits: urban 50 km/h (residential areas often 40 km/h); rural highways 80–100 km/h; 400-series highways (Ontario) and most major highways 100–110 km/h. Winter driving: snow tires are mandatory in Quebec (December 1 – March 15) and recommended everywhere in Canada — essential for mountain passes in BC and Alberta. Road conditions app: 511 (Ontario at 511on.ca), DriveBC (BC at drivebc.ca). Blood alcohol limit: 0.08% (criminal offence); "warn" range 0.05–0.079% triggers provincial licence suspension in most provinces. Using a hand-held mobile phone while driving: $200–1,000+ fine in all provinces. Seatbelts: mandatory for all occupants in all provinces. Child seats: mandatory and regulated by provincial standards (rear-facing until 1 year minimum; forward-facing until 4 years; booster until 8 years in most provinces). Highway toll roads: 407 ETR in Toronto (pay by licence plate — bill mailed); some BC ferries and bridges toll. All vehicles must stop for school buses with red lights flashing in all Canadian provinces — violating this is a serious offence ($400–2,000 fine).

Major international airports: Toronto Pearson International (YYZ) — largest in Canada, 50M passengers/year; Vancouver International (YVR) — 26M passengers; Montreal-Trudeau International (YUL) — 20M passengers; Calgary International (YYC) — 17M passengers; Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier (YOW); Edmonton International (YEG); Winnipeg James Armstrong Richardson (YWG); Halifax Stanfield (YHZ). Airport access: YYZ — Union Pearson (UP) Express train from Union Station, Toronto ($12.35 one-way, 25 minutes); taxi/Uber $60–90. YVR — SkyTrain Canada Line from downtown Vancouver ($4–9 depending on zone, 26 minutes); taxi/Uber $35–50. YUL — STM bus (747 route, 24/7, 45 minutes, $10) or taxi/Uber $40–60. YYC — Calgary Transit Route 300 Airport/City Centre bus ($3.75, 45–60 minutes); taxi/Uber $40–60. Air Canada (aircanada.com) and WestJet (westjet.com) are the two major domestic carriers. Flair, Sunwing, and Air Transat offer lower-cost domestic and southern leisure routes. NEXUS card ($50 USD, joint US-Canada trusted traveller program): recommended for frequent Canada-US cross-border travellers — allows use of NEXUS lanes at the border and precheck at airports.