Getting around London: public transport, passes and taxis

London is a mid-size Ontario city built around a bus grid and a compact downtown. If your trip stays inside the core, you can walk most of it. If you are crossing the city or heading to a suburb, a bus, taxi or app does the job. A car only earns its cost when you leave the city for day trips.

London Transit Commission runs the city bus network. Routes radiate from downtown, so most trips involve either a direct run along a main street or one transfer at the core. Buses are frequent on the main corridors during the day and thin out in the evening and on Sundays.

Pay with exact cash on board or with a reloadable fare card; contactless card readers are being added, so check what works on the day. Transfers are issued when you pay and let you continue in one direction for a set window, which makes a single fare cover a two-bus trip.

For visitors, the useful routes are the ones along Richmond Street and Oxford Street East toward Western University, and the routes linking downtown with the Via Rail station and the hospital district. If you are staying outside the core, check whether your hotel sits on a route before booking.

A single fare is the simplest option for one or two rides. A day pass makes sense from the third ride onward, and a monthly pass beats paying per ride once you are past roughly 25–30 rides in a month, which suits longer stays rather than a weekend.

Students, seniors and children usually pay less, and some passes need photo ID or proof of age. If you are in town for a conference or a university visit, ask whether your host offers a transit card, since campus and event programs sometimes include one.

Downtown London is compact: the area around Dundas Street and Richmond Street holds most of the restaurants, bars and shops, and the Thames River paths and Victoria Park are a short walk from there. Old North and the university area are walkable from the core in about 25–35 minutes.

The Thames Valley Parkway is a paved multi-use trail along the river and is the pleasant way to move between the core, the university and the parks. Bike-share and e-scooter schemes have operated in the city on and off; check whether they are running during your visit, and note that helmets are required for riders under 18 in Ontario.

Taxis and ride-hailing apps both work in London. Apps are usually the easier choice if you do not know a local number, and they show the fare before you ride. Taxis are useful when you want a car waiting at a rank, such as at the train station or outside a hotel.

Expect a short city trip to land in the CAD 12–25 range, more at night or in bad weather. Tipping follows the Canadian norm of about 10–15% on a taxi fare; app trips usually prompt for a tip in the app.

For the airport, book ahead or request a car rather than relying on finding one at the curb, especially for early departures.

You do not need a car inside London, but you do for the region. Stratford, St. Marys, Port Stanley on Lake Erie and the small towns of southwestern Ontario are awkward or slow by bus and straightforward by road. Rental desks sit at the airport and around the city; parking downtown is metered or in lots, and many hotels charge for overnight parking.

If you only want one or two outings, compare a rental against a guided day tour or an intercity bus before committing. For a full week of exploring, a car usually wins on flexibility.

A visitor who stays downtown and walks can spend nothing on transport beyond the airport trip. Add a day pass on the days you range further, and budget for a taxi or app after nights out. A car day changes the maths: rental, fuel and parking usually start around CAD 70–110 for the day (2026 estimate).

Plan around the evening service cut: if you are out late, decide early whether you are walking, calling a car or catching the last useful bus. In winter, add time to every trip and expect sidewalks to be icy after a freeze. Keep small change or a fare card for the bus, and set up a ride-hailing app before you land so you are not doing it at the curb.