Travel from Jasper to Edmonton
 

We are flying to Vancouver in September and then travelling on to Jasper on the Rocky Mountaineer. We fly back to the UK from Edmonton and we wondering the best way to get from Jasper to Edmonton as nobody seems to offer a one way drop off rental between those two places.

If your timing is right, three days a week, VIA's Canadian train goes from Jasper to Edmonton; coach seats on this should be pretty reasonable. There's also Greyhound buses between the two I think 5 times daily?

Cheers, DAN

Thanks Dan.

We are travelling on the Monday so this works out fine. Is it advisable to book the train in advance?

Greyhound bus is a lot more convenient than the train because it travels more often (4 times per day) and I believe it is just as fast as the train (takes between 4 1/2 and 5 hours)

Their website is:

http://www.greyhound.ca/en/

What Borealis said is correct.

I've just done a hypothetical enquiry about a Monday train trip from Jasper to Edmonton. The train appears to depart from Jasper at 12:20 and arrive in Edmonton at 17:30. I think it's highly unlikely that that will allow enough time for you to get from the train station to the airport and still have enough time for check in.

Besides that, the cheapest train seat I could find was 121.98 CAD (which included 7% GST). For two people that would come to just about 245 CAD. I'd be curious to know what the one-way drop off fee on a rental car was. It might not be any more than the train fare (considering that you'd also have to pay for transportation from the train station to the airport -- even if the timing did work out, which it does not appear to do).

>>>>>>Is it advisable to book the train in advance?<<<<<<

If you choose to use the train, yes, it's advisable to book it.

You can look up the train timetable and fares at www.viarail.ca .

I thought SunDog Tours offered a shuttle bus from Jasper to Edmonton Int'l Airport. I've just phoned their toll free number 1-888-786-3641. At least it's toll free for me. I'm sure you don't have access to it from the UK.

The woman who answered the phone said that SunDog did not have a shuttle bus. However, they offered a "private transfer" service. She said it cost 440 CAD plus tax. That is, it would cost 440 CAD plus tax regardless of the number of passengers.

She reiterated what Dan and Borealis have said, namely, that Greyhound offers a scheduled bus service from Jasper to downtown Edmonton. She also said that Greyhound operated a shuttle bus between their Edmonton bus terminal and the airport.

So my next stop was Greyhound's web site. They are relatively affordable, 54.05 CAD plus tax per person from Jasper to downtown Edmonton.

There appear to be 4 buses a day.

The first bus departs Jasper at 6:15 and gets into Edmonton at 11:25. It appears to do a milk run that stops at several small towns.

The next bus departs at 6:25, and reaches Edmonton at 11:05. It does fewer stops en route.

The next bus leaves Jasper at 1:45 and gets into Edmonton at 18:25, too late for your purposes, I suspect.

The final bus departs from Jasper at 19:00 and gets into Edmonton at 23:30, defintely too late for you I imagine.

The web site did not provide information about the airport shuttle bus, so it was back on the phone to call Greyhound's toll free number 1-800-661-8747.

The woman who answered the phone said that airport shuttle buses leave Greyhound's Edmonton depot every half hour on the half hour. The one-way trip to the airport takes 35 minutes. The fare is 13 CAD per person, and in this case the fare INCLUDES tax.

So, as far as I can see, you have two viable options. One is to pay the one-way drop off fee on a rental car. The other is to catch the Greyhound bus. At a total transfer cost of around 142 CAD for a couple, Greyhound would be relatively affordable. However, in order to get to the airport in time, I imagine you'd need to catch the 6:25 bus from Jasper, which is not my idea of fun.

Oh yes, there's one thing I forgot to mention. The woman at SunDog said that the Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge operates an airport shuttle bus for its guests, just in case you happen to be staying there.

You don't actually mention if you are heading from Jasper straight to the airport as people seem to be assuming. If you are, I would look into a rental car again. You should be able to get a one-way rental, it just might cost you a hefty drop off fee. National, Budget and Avis all have car rental in Jasper and at the Edmonton Airport. Have you tried contacting all 3 of them?

If you really can't get a one-way car, and are heading straight for the airport, I think the bus is your only real option. I have taken the bus from Jasper to Edmonton several times. It isn't much fun. It is long and often quite crowded with students. And then waiting to transfer to the airport in the miserable Edmonton bus terminal, it all sounds quite exausting.

IF you are spending a night in Edmonton before your flight, do consider the train. It is a very pleasant trip, and although pricier than the bus, well worth it, and there are special offers for seniors (buy one get one free), and students.

Thanks you all for your advice! Sockboy is correct, we are actually staying in Edmonton rather than going straight to the Airport, so on that basis will probably opt for the train option (although I'm not sure how it will compare to the Rocky Mountaineer!) However, we do happen to be staying at the Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge so will be looking into the shuttle too which will presumably will be less crowded than the bus. So that piece of information was particularly useful - thanks Judy!