Can You Smoke or Vape on a Bus or in a Taxi?

Inside a bus, a taxi or another vehicle that carries the public for a fee, smoking and vaping are banned in the provinces whose laws we could read: Alberta, Manitoba and Saskatchewan. Federal law adds its own rules for work spaces on certain aircraft, trains and ships. This page is current to 27 October 2026.

What do the provinces say about transit and taxis?

Jurisdiction	What the official source says
Alberta	A public vehicle is a bus, taxi or other vehicle used to transport the public for a fee, and smoking and vaping are banned in one. Outdoor bus or taxi shelters count as public places.
Manitoba	A public vehicle is a motor vehicle used for the public transportation of persons or property and includes buses, taxis and limousines. Smoking and e-cigarette use are prohibited in one, and the proprietor must ensure nobody does either.
Saskatchewan	Public transit vehicles are named in the definition of an enclosed public place, where smoking and vaping are prohibited. The page does not name taxis.
British Columbia	The page lists public transit and taxis among places with a six-metre outdoor buffer around doorways, open windows and air intakes. Inside a work vehicle, nobody may smoke or vape, even alone.
Ontario	Bans smoking and vaping in outdoor shelters with more than two walls and a roof that the public is invited to use, such as bus shelters. The page lists no rules for taxis or transit vehicles as such.

A gap on a government page is not permission. Ontario’s page says nothing about taxis, but vehicles with a roof where an employee works or visits, such as a delivery truck, are enclosed workplaces where smoking and vaping are banned, and a car with anyone aged 15 or younger inside is covered. We did not find an official statement for Quebec because its government pages did not load for us.

What do cities and transit agencies add?

Calgary’s Smoking and Vaping Bylaw 23M2018 bans both in a public vehicle, and in, on or within 5 metres of transit property that the public can reach. Its definition of taxi covers taxis, limousines and private-for-hire vehicles licensed under the city’s livery bylaw.

The Toronto Transit Commission’s By-law No. 1, section 3.32, says no person shall smoke in or on TTC property or carry a lighted cigar, cigarette, pipe or other lighted smoking equipment there. The page we read does not mention vaping. A person may be removed from the system, and a contravention is an offence with a fine under the Provincial Offences Act.

What are the fines?

Where	Amount confirmed
Manitoba, individual	$100 to $500 first offence, $200 to $750 second, $300 to $1,000 third or later
Manitoba, proprietor under s. 2(2)	$500 to $3,000 first offence, $750 to $5,000 second, $1,000 to $15,000 third or later
Calgary	$100 specified penalty ($50 minimum) for smoking or vaping where prohibited; $200 for permitting it
Federal Act	Up to $50 first and $100 later for a person; up to $1,000 and $10,000 for an employer

The wider picture is in fines for smoking where it is banned.

What does federal law cover on trains, planes and ships?

The Non-smokers’ Health Act defines smoke to include vaping, and it governs work spaces on federally regulated transport. It applies outside Canada to a Canadian-operated aircraft, train or motor vehicle, or a registered vessel, travelling between Canada and another country. It does not apply to foreign carriers or to passenger trains run by or for a provincial government in commuter service.

Section 5 limits where an employer can designate smoking areas. On a passenger aircraft they are permitted only on segments over two hours, on flights with a segment between Canada and a country other than the United States, or on certain single-payer charters. On a train no more than two thirds of the seating of any class can be designated. Section 6 says other federal laws continue to apply, and we did not open a Transport Canada page on in-flight rules, so check your carrier before relying on the Act alone. For vapes, see our page on vaping on a plane.

If a passenger smokes against the Act, an employee must ask them to stop. If they refuse, the employer must have them leave at the next scheduled stop.

What about children in a taxi or any vehicle?

Saskatchewan says its ban on smoking and vaping in cars with passengers under 16 applies to all classes of vehicles at any time children and youth are present. Alberta bans it in any vehicle with a minor, meaning someone under 18. Nunavut’s age is under 19. Health Canada says all provinces and territories ban smoking in vehicles with minors and that smoke concentrations in vehicles can be much higher than in other enclosed spaces. The age limits are compared in smoking in a car with children, and the federal framework is in federal smoking laws.

This page is general information, not legal advice.