Montreal airport cracking down on illegal taxis and ride sharing scams

The airport is responding to reports of illegal taxis and unauthorized drivers infiltrating Uber pick-up zones.

Warning signs were recently posted at Trudeau airport alerting passengers to take precautions before they get into any taxi or Uber.

Anne-Sophie Hamel, spokesperson for Aeroports de Montreal, said it’s part of an ongoing effort to deal with reports of illegal taxis and unauthorized drivers infiltrating Uber pick-up zones.

“More often than not, it’s real drivers, real taxis, but they don’t have the authorization to operate here,” she said.

In 2025, the airport’s patrol team responded to 2,922 reports of illegal taxis, issued 504 citations and conducted 157 inspections of vehicles and drivers. These figures do not include interventions carried out by provincial police (SQ), which is now the service provider at YUL.

The ADM said while they are concerned, the numbers of incidents have been declining since 2024.

In addition to the concerns about Uber driver scams, Hamel said they have also received complaints about illegal drivers soliciting passengers within the terminal, at the arrivals area.

“If a passenger is being solicited by a driver that means it’s not an authorized driver, because none of the authorized drivers are going to come in the terminal building and try to get you to get in their car,” she said.

In June the airport introduced a new policy in how passengers access Ubers. When a passenger orders an Uber, they must first get a six-digit PIN number to match with their driver’s, and then go outside to line up at a designated pick-up zone.

For U.S. track cyclist Gene Way, who arrived in Montreal Thursday for some pre-Olympics training, it’s an extra layer of protection.

“It gives me another sense of safety you know I get in the car, I know the car is for me, the driver is for me,” he said.

But for Lindsay Myers, the new measures don’t go far enough.

“I don’t even want to bother with Uber anymore,” she said.

Last June, she said a “fake” Uber driver picked her up from the airport. She said it was very late and while she had her PIN number, the driver hurried her in the vehicle and explained his app wasn’t working.

She only realized it was a scam when she ended up with a hefty bill, and it took her weeks to get her money back. She said now when she needs transportation from the airport, she only uses authorized airport taxis with the Bonjour branding.

“I don’t want to take the chance, and my own family says I don’t want you to take a chance, especially if you’re going to be taking a cab late at night,” she said.