Getting around

It you’re taking a taxi from Pearson airport, it will cost about CAD$50-55 one way. Tips are 15% on top of that. You should arrange for a flat rate at the beginning of the trip – they charge per zone. It doesn’t matter which taxi company you choose if you’re in the official taxi lineup – all those companies have permission to pick up fares at the airport. Be careful about taxi drivers coming up to you out of line – they’re usually legitimate, but are not technically permitted to pick up passengers at Pearson – other taxi drivers may object – and you won’t get a better price. The drive will take between 30-45 minutes, unless you’re caught in traffic, which is why a flat rate is much better than meter.

A slightly more adventurous and less expensive way to get to campus from the airport (Pearson Airport) is to take the #40 GO bus (make sure you take the one with the sign: Richmond Hill, and NOT Hamilton). You would get off at the Highway #407 bus terminal, which is one stop after the airport – about 20-30 minutes. The Highway 407 stop is a transit station, so you can connect directly to the subway (TTC) and go south 2 stops to the York University subway station, which is right in the middle of the York campus.  

You can board the GO bus at Terminal 1, Ground Level, second curb, Column Q2-Q4. They run every hour at night, every 30 minutes during the day. You can check the schedule here: https://www.gotransit.com/ You would search for Pearson Airport Terminal 1 to HWY 407 Bus Terminal. 

You would pay 2 fares – cash fare is $7.55 for the GO bus and $3.25 for the TTC one way. It’s much, much cheaper than getting a taxi, and you don’t have to deal with traffic. It’s also safe to ride at night. 

You might want to consider buying a Presto card – that works for both GO Transit and the city transit TTC (so you don’t have to worry about buying tickets, transfers, etc.). If you use a PRESTO card, there are discounts built in, and it’s very easy to use if you’re also going to go around Toronto.  

You can purchase a Presto card at the Pearson Airport UP Express counter in Terminal 1, using any major credit card (VISA, MasterCard and American Express) or cash in US and Canadian currency, and preload it with the amount you think you will be spending. There will be a one time $6.00 charge for the Presto card. 

You can also use a credit card to RELOAD your Presto Card using Presto kiosks located in the various transportation stations in the Metrolinx system: UP express, GO Transit, TTC, etc. More information about how the Presto card works is here: https://www.prestocard.ca/en/about/using-presto

A map of the subway and street car system can be found here: (Link) . Information about the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) schedules and fares can be found at https://ttc.ca/