Passengers who land at Quebec City's Jean-Lesage Airport will now have a more affordable option to get downtown.

As of June 15, public buses will regularly service the airport, linking the main terminal to the Ste-Foy bus and train stations.

The 76 bus line will run every 30 minutes from 5 a.m. to 11 p.m.

Another bus route will also be added in August to bring passengers directly downtown, to the Saint-Roch neighbourhood. The 80 bus line will also run every half-hour.

Ongoing demands for a public transit route from the tourism and business industries pushed the transit authority, the Réseau de Transport de la Capitale (RTC), to offer the service.

President Rémy Normand expects both routes will be in high demand.

"When you add on a new service like this — the impact is pretty much immediate," said Normand.

Competition for taxis

Prior to the change, only a few buses made the trip on weekdays, mainly for airport employees during morning and evening commutes.

This left a large piece of the pie to the taxi industry.

Taxi driver Kader Drareni isn't however too concerned over the competition.

"The bus won't take people straight to their homes or to their hotel," said Drareni.

"There are still customers who will want to take the taxi to get from Point A to Point B."

The standard $3,50 fare for the RTC buses will apply to both bus routes — the flat fee for a taxi ride to downtown costs $34,50.