Transportation in Toronto

GETTING TO TORONTO

From the Airport

Toronto is served by two airports:

1. Toronto Pearson International Airport, managed by the Greater Toronto Airports Authority, is Canada’s principal airport with travel connections to every continent.
2. Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport (formerly Toronto City Centre Airport) is one of the most convenient urban airports in the world as it is located just minutes from the downtown core. Porter Airlines and Air Canada serve this airport.

Take the UP Express (Union-Pearson Express), a dedicated express rail service connecting Union Station and Toronto Pearson airport, departing every 15 minutes. UP gets you downtown in 25 minutes with free on-board WiFi along the way. Go to UP Express to find out more. The fare is up to $12.35 depending on destination and type of pass. Be sure to buy a PRESTO Card (info below) for a deep discount.

From Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport, you can board in the Queens Quay Loop at Lower Spadina one of two streetcars to reach your destination:

• the 510 Streetcar to Spadina Station or
• the 509 Streetcar to Union Station

By train

VIA Rail and AMTRAK bring visitors into Toronto’s Union Station, which is centrally located downtown and connects to the subway by underground tunnel.

WHILE YOU'RE IN TORONTO

Public transit

The city is served by the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC). With easy-to-navigate subways, buses and streetcars, getting around the city is a snap. The fare is $3.25 for an adult and children under 12 ride for free. If you are planning to use public transit, be sure to purchase a PRESTO card, an easy-to-use reloadable payment card that lets you pay your fare on the TTC and UP Express eliminating the need for tickets, tokens, passes and cash. If using PRESTO, you have a two-hour window from first tap for unlimited transfers on the TTC.

As the University of Toronto is centrally located, we strongly recommend the use of public transit to reach the congress.

Driving around town

• Toronto’s streets follow a basic grid pattern and are easy to navigate.
• Speed limit signs are posted on each street.
• Note that the city’s weekday “rush hour” is more than an hour long—count on heavy traffic from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. and again from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Plenty of Toronto’s major streets have bicycle lanes nearest the curb. Please respect cyclists in the city!

Parking

Parking on most downtown streets is limited to specific times of day, and often requires you to purchase and display a ticket from one of the parking machines located along the street. Be sure to check and obey the signs posted along the street to make sure your vehicle doesn’t get ticketed or, worse, towed away. There are also a variety of public parking lots throughout the city. City-owned lots are indicated by the ‘Green P’ logo—a large ‘P’ in a green circle. Plan in advance using Green P’s parking locator to find the nearest lot.

Cycling

Bike Share Toronto offers 24/7 convenient access to 6,850 bikes and 625 stations across 200 km2 of the city. Bike share is a fun, flexible and cost-effective way to navigate Toronto in 30-minute bursts.

Hail a Taxi, Uber or Lyft

There are several different taxi companies in Toronto. Ride sharing services Uber and Lyft are available in the city too.

• Taxi fares are standard, metered and non-negotiable
• The driver should start the meter at the beginning of your ride and stop it when you reach your destination
• If your service was acceptable, a 10% to 15% tip is customary.

GETTING TO NEW COLLEGE

New College is located at 40 Willcocks St. The TTC routes closest to this address are:

• 510 Streetcar: Spadina Avenue at Willcocks stop
• 94 Bus: Harbord Street at Spadina stop
• 306 Bus: College Street at Spadina
• Spadina Subway stop on Line 1 and 2