Quick answer
The UP Express train is the cheapest quick option at $12.35 for an adult, and it advertises the trip in 28 minutes. The TTC is cheaper again at around $3.30, and much slower. An airport taxi or limo charges the airport’s flat tariff from the curb. A pre-booked car is $125 in a sedan from downtown, met inside arrivals with your flight tracked.
Toronto Pearson sits about 27 km from Union Station. Google puts the drive at roughly 23 minutes with clear roads, and a good deal longer in rush hour. There are five sensible ways to cover that distance, and the right one depends on your luggage, your group and the hour you land.
The five options, compared
| Option | Price | Where you catch it | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| UP Express | $12.35 | Terminal 1 station | One or two travellers, light bags |
| TTC | About $3.30 | Route 900 to Kipling Station | The lowest fare, if time is free |
| Airport taxi | Flat tariff | Door D (T1), Door E (T3) | Turning up and going |
| Airport limo | About 10% above taxi | Door C (T1), Door E (T3) | A black car from the curb |
| Pre-booked car | $125 sedan | Met inside arrivals | Groups, luggage, late flights |
Prices in CAD. UP Express and TTC fares are per person; taxi, limo and pre-booked fares are per vehicle. Our sedan fare is measured from Union Station and includes the airport fee.
UP Express
The train runs from its own station at Terminal 1 to Union Station, and advertises the trip in 28 minutes. An adult one-way fare is $12.35, seniors 65 and over pay $6.20, and children 12 and under travel free.
If you land at Terminal 3, take the free Terminal Link train to Terminal 1 first, which adds time. At Union you come out into the downtown core, so the question is what happens next: if your hotel is a few blocks away, this is the best value in the city. If it is a streetcar ride away with three suitcases, less so.
The TTC
The city’s transit system reaches the airport on route 900 Airport Express, which runs to Kipling Station on the subway. A single adult fare is about $3.30 with a PRESTO card, and one fare covers the transfer to the subway.
It is the cheapest way into the city by a distance. It is also the slowest, with a bus, a subway ride and probably a walk at the other end. It suits a light traveller who is not in a hurry.
Airport taxi or limo
The licensed taxis and limos at the curb charge flat rates set by the airport, with no surge pricing, and they take major credit cards. The airport describes its limos as premium black cars costing about 10% more than a taxi.
For a downtown address the rate comes from the airport’s zone map rather than a single published figure, so use the fare estimate tool on the airport’s taxis and limos page, or ask for the flat rate before you get in. Our guide to the airport’s published tariffs explains how the system works and lists the out-of-town rates.
Pick-up points are on the Arrivals level: taxis at Door D in Terminal 1 and Door E in Terminal 3, limos at Door C in Terminal 1 and Door E in Terminal 3.
Rideshare
Uber and Lyft operate at Pearson from their own designated pickup area on the Arrivals level, signposted in each terminal. The fare moves with demand, which is the whole trade-off: it can be the cheapest car on a quiet Tuesday and the most expensive on a wet Friday evening, and you find out at the moment you need it.
A pre-booked car
Booking ahead swaps the queue for a fixed arrangement. From downtown Toronto, our flat fare is $125 in a sedan, $161 in an SUV and $202 in the Cadillac Escalade, with the airport fee included and no meter.
- We track your flight, so a delay moves the pickup rather than costing you the booking.
- Your chauffeur meets you inside the arrivals hall with a name sign and carries the bags out.
- You get 60 minutes of free waiting from touchdown on international arrivals, 30 on domestic.
- A sedan takes three passengers and two large cases; the SUV and Escalade take six and four.
Going somewhere other than Union Station? Price your exact address in about ten seconds.
Get my fareWhich one suits your trip
- Travelling alone with a carry-on, staying near Union: UP Express.
- Counting every dollar, with time to spare: the TTC.
- No plan, just want a car now: the taxi or limo queue at the curb.
- Two or more people with luggage: do the arithmetic. Four UP Express fares is $49.40 before anyone gets to the hotel door; one car covers the whole group.
- Landing late, travelling with children, or meeting a client: a pre-booked car, so someone is waiting whatever time the plane lands.
For fares from every part of the GTA, see our Pearson airport limo and taxi page. If you are flying from Billy Bishop instead, our comparison of the two airports covers which is cheaper to reach from where you are.
