Getting around Toronto: public transport, passes and taxis

Toronto is a transit city with a small, dense core. The subway covers the main axes, streetcars fill in the downtown grid, and buses reach the rest. For most visitors the TTC is the cheapest and fastest way between the places you actually want to see.

Compare the modes before you commit to a pass. A three-day visit that stays downtown rarely earns a weekly pass; a seven-day visit with day trips to Scarborough or Etobicoke usually does.

The TTC runs on a flat fare. Tap a contactless credit or debit card, a phone wallet, or a reloadable PRESTO card at the gate or on the vehicle, and you pay the same adult fare. Fares and pass prices are set each year, so confirm the current amounts on the TTC site before you travel.

One fare is meant to cover a continuous trip, including transfers between subway, streetcar and bus, but the exact transfer window is set by the TTC — check it before you rely on it. Tap the same card each time so the system links your legs. If you tap a different card, you pay again.

Day and weekly passes are loaded onto PRESTO. A day pass covers unlimited travel for the pass period, and on weekends and statutory holidays a group version may cover two adults plus children. A weekly pass starts on the first tap and runs seven days, which suits a full week of sightseeing. Prices — check.

Line 1 Yonge–University is the spine: Union Station at the bottom, then north through downtown, Bloor–Yonge and up to Vaughan. Line 2 Bloor–Danforth runs east–west across the middle of the city. Line 4 Sheppard is a short east–west spur in the north. Line 3 no longer runs; the Scarborough RT closed and buses cover that corridor (check current routes).

Streetcars are the downtown workhorses, running on the surface along Queen, King, College, Dundas, Spadina and Bathurst. They are useful for short hops where the subway is too far away, but they share the road with traffic and slow down at peak times. Buses fill the gaps, including night routes that run when the subway is closed.

The subway opens early and closes around 01:30–02:00, with later service on Fridays and Saturdays; overnight buses take over in the small hours (check current hours). Trains are frequent at peak times and every few minutes off-peak.

Taxis are metered and licensed by the city. Rates and surcharges change — check the City of Toronto page before you travel. Pay by card or cash, and tip about 10–15%.

Uber and Lyft both operate across Toronto, including from Pearson and Billy Bishop (check current availability). Prices move with demand, so a rainy Friday evening can cost more than a taxi. Compare both apps before you book.

Ride-hailing is often the easier choice when you are carrying luggage, travelling in a group of three or four, or heading somewhere off the subway grid. For a straight run along a subway line, transit is usually faster and far cheaper.

A visitor who rides the TTC three or more times a day may do better with a day pass than tapping singles, and over five to seven days a weekly pass can beat daily passes if you ride most days. Pass prices change yearly — check current TTC fares before you buy.

Taxis and ride-hailing are the flexible spend. Rates vary with distance, time and demand, so treat any figure here as a 2026 estimate and check the operator or app before you book.

Tap the same card or phone for every leg of a trip so the transfer applies. If you tap a different card, the system treats it as a new fare.

Avoid Line 1 southbound at weekday peak if you can; the crush at Bloor–Yonge and St George is real (check current crowding). Off-peak travel is calmer and often barely slower.

Keep your PRESTO card or the card you tapped; fare inspectors can ask for proof of payment on the system.

In winter, allow extra time. Streetcars and buses slow in snow, and the subway can hold at stations during storms.

For airport arrivals, the UP Express is usually the fastest fixed link to downtown; see the airport transfer page for the full comparison.