Transit
If Toronto is not talking about the weather, it's likely they're talking about the Transit instead. And if the citizens of the city are to be believed, it's not a great situation. There are definitely issues with the system in terms of customer service, congestion, funding, prices, and overstaffing, but for the most part, the TTC does what it needs to do. It reaches any amazing portion of the city, where you're never more than five minutes walking from a form of transit, even in most suburbs. Notable sections of the system are listed below for those unfamiliar, as well has handy maps.
TTC (Toronto Transit Commission)
The TTC is a public transport agency that operates transit bus, streetcar, and rapid transit services in Toronto. The TTC operates the third most heavily used urban mass transit system in North America. As of 2010, the average daily ridership is 2.487 million passengers.
Streetcars and buses experience the highest number of delays, although subways will as well during repairs that frequently occur during the weekends. Check the TTC's site for updates on delays. Newspapers such as The Star will run a column on Friday outlining any transit delay (including road closures) if you need to know.
The Fare:
Cash: Currently, it is $3.00 cash fare to board the system. If you exit the system at any time without transfering to the nearest vehicle, you'll have to pay once more. This is not a time based system like many, so be aware of that. If
Passes: A day pass will run $10.00, but on the weekend, or holiday the Day Pass can be used for both Saturday/Sunday and up to 2 adults with four children, or 1 adult with 5 children can ride on the same pass. A great value for a family coming into the city. A weekly pass is $36.00. For a heavy transit user, the Monthly Metro Pass will run you a sticker shocking $121.00 per month. If you buy at least three tokens, you pay $2.60 per token, rather than the $3.00 cash fare.
Yonge-University-Spadia Subway Line is the North/South line, forming a horseshoe through downtown Toronto. Major hubs are St. George Station, and Yonge and Bloor for transfering to Bloor-Danforth line. Union is where you'll most likely be arriving if you're coming into the city on GO Transit, or Via Rail. This is the busiest line in the city, and new trains start running on YUS later this year. After these trains arrive, the older models will be moved to..
Bloor-Danforth line, which will move you from Kipling in Etobicoke to downtown Toronto to Kennedy Station (and the connectin Scarborough RT), is a heavily used transit line. If you've chosen to take a bus from the airport to Kipling, this is the line you'll end up on. Transfer stations are the same as the YUS line. Older subway trains tend to run on this line, but the quality of service is equal.
501 Queen Streetcar cuts right through downtown Toronto, from one end of the city in Etobicoke nearly the Scarborough Bluffs at the other end. Although tieups and wait times occasionally happen, the 501 is a dependable piece of transit because it runs 24 hours per day. Because the 501 Queen Streetcar allows passangers with Metropasses, Day Passes, and Valid Transfers to board from the back, you should ALWAYS grab a transfer when boarding. The 501 is a Proof-of-Payment system, and there are random checks.. however infrequent.
Other streetcar lines run in the city as well, mostly on the major East/West street. The 506 College Car runs from High Park to Main Station. The 504 King St Car runs from Roncesvalles over to Broadview. You may occasionally find a 504 further west toward Long Branch however. And once Roncesvalles construction ends, the 504 will likely make its way up to Dundas West Subway Station once more. The 505 Dundas mirrors the College line fairly well, but diverts to Dundas West Station, and Broadview.
Useful TTC Links
http://www3.ttc.ca/ - The Official Website of the TTC, providing route information, fare information, and updates on delays.
http://crazedmonkey.com/toronto-transit-map/ - Very useful Google Maps application allowing you to view every TTC route in the city, be it streetcar, subway, or bus.
http://www.nextbus.com/ - Real Time Updates on the next available streetcar on all routes, with buses coming in the near future.
Visiting Toronto:
By Plane: Toronto is served by two major airports, although there are other options outside of these for those flying in.
Pearson International Airport is by far the busiest in Canada, and one of the most active in the world. It's located about a half hours drive from downtown Toronto, actually being in Mississauga. For those flying in from the U.S., on your trip back, the U.S. Customs screening takes place at Pearson with the pre-clearance facilities. Thus, you'll land as a domestic flight when you touch down in the U.S. There are two terminals: Terminal 1 hosts all Air Canada flights and a few other international (mostly Star Alliance) carriers while Terminal 3 hosts all other airlines.
At present, there is no direct rail transit link from the airport to downtown Toronto. There have been plans over the years to develop one, but there have been frequent road blocks. There are plenty of options though (see transit section for more specifics).
Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport on the Toronto Islands is the second airport available to those from Eastern Canada and the United States that want to visit. Thanks to its location, it's a much nicer airport to reach downtown. Both
Porter Airlines and Air Canada operate from the Island Airport, and have regional service to the likes of Montreal, Halifax, Quebec, Thunder Bay, Boston, Newark, Myrtle Beach, with new routes being added.
There is a free ferry service from the Island to downtown, and a free shuttle bus from the ferry to Union Station which will connect you to the subway.
Other Airports in the area include
Hamilton International, about a hour outside of Toronto. It's mostly regional service, but there seasonal service to the Caribbean and eastern Europe. For those having near heart attacks viewing prices of flying in Canada, flying into
Buffalo-Niagara International is the nearest U.S. airport. Renting a car is a viable option with an hour and a half drive up to Toronto, or taking Megabus (prices vary), or Buffalo Airport Limo ($175 flat rate) are options.
TTC (Toronto Transit Commission) provides public bus services that run to and from Pearson. The best TTC option is the 192 Airport Rocket that runs every 10-30 minutes between Kipling Station on the Bloor-Danforth subway line. Once on the subway line, it's approximately 25 minute ride downtown to Yonge St. Fare for the TTC is $3.00 per person, and is transfer (not timed) based.
GO Transit provides bus service to northern parts of the city. You can board buses to Yorkdale, where you can then board the TTC (paying a second fare), or board a bus from the airport to Richmond Hill if that is your destination. Fare for these GO Transit buses are $4.05.
Taxis are available in enormous numbers, and are very convenient. However, they will cost you a pretty penny. The free approved tariff from the airport to the downtown core is $53.00. This might be a value for those travelling in groups, or people that are intimidated by the transit system that lacks a direct rail link to downtown.
Other options include renting a car from the airport. There are plenty of options to choose from (Budget-Rent-A-Car, Enterprise, etc). Your hotel may have shuttle service to and from the airport as well for much less than a taxi, so make sure to check before you arrive. The last option is the Airport Express that runs from the airport to the bus terminal at Bay and Dundas. Fare is $21.95 one way, and $36.95 round trip.
