TIFF party and afterparty transportation
The Toronto International Film Festival does not end when the credits roll. The parties run late, move between venues, and finish at an hour when finding a car is the hardest thing you will do all night.
TIFF Party and Afterparty Transportation rates
Party work is hourly because the night moves. Rates are the standing figures from our published card and the small hours cost the same as the early evening.
Up to 35 passengers
35-Seat Limousine Bus
Lounge seating for a party circuit
7 to 10 passengers
Jet Sprinter
Conference cabin, captain’s chairs
Up to 6 passengers
Cadillac Escalade
The most booked festival vehicle
All rates are plus HST 13% and gratuity 15 to 20 percent. A 27-Passenger Mini Bus at $250 an hour fills the gap between the Jet Sprinter and the Limousine Bus. If the night starts or ends beyond the GTA, that leg is quoted on the distance it covers.
Why the late run is the one that fails during the Toronto International Film Festival
Every part of a festival night is easy except the end of it. Getting to a party is a normal journey at a normal hour. Leaving one at half past one, with the whole Entertainment District doing the same thing, is not.
Three things stack at once. The venues empty together, so demand spikes in one place. The hour is exactly when the fewest cars are working. And you are making the decision tired, in whatever you have been wearing since six. A vehicle that was booked hours earlier and has been waiting is the only version of that moment which is not a negotiation.
Moving between parties on one booking
Festival parties cluster in and around the Entertainment District, which means the drives are short and the value is entirely in the waiting. A held vehicle turns a night of three venues into one number and one driver.
The car is already holding, so the party starts when the film ends rather than after a detour.
Coats, bags and anything you are carrying stay aboard while you move.
This is the part you are paying for. It does not go home and come back.
You text the driver directly. No app, no queue, and no fare that has doubled because a venue just emptied.
Multi-stop drops mean the group ends the night the way it started it, together.
Keeping a group together at the end of the night
The classic festival-night failure is a group of ten that arrives together and leaves in four directions over ninety minutes. One vehicle solves it and the arithmetic is better than people expect.
Two things worth knowing. Ontario permits passengers in a chartered vehicle to drink, so nobody in the group has to be the one who does not. And the 35-seat vehicle is a limousine bus with lounge seating along the walls, which is a different thing from the rows in a coach.
TIFF party and afterparty transportation: questions buyers ask
Do you run late-night transport during the Toronto International Film Festival?
Yes, and it is the leg most worth booking. The Toronto International Film Festival parties run late and finish when the whole Entertainment District is trying to leave at once, which is the hardest moment of the night to find a car.
Is there a surcharge for the small hours?
No. A one in the morning hour costs the same as a seven in the evening hour. There is no late-night premium and no surge on any booking.
How much does it cost?
A Cadillac Escalade is $175 an hour from $525, the Jet Sprinter is $300 an hour from $1,200 and the 35-Seat Limousine Bus is $250 an hour from $1,400, all within the GTA and plus HST 13% and gratuity 15 to 20 percent.
Can we drink in the vehicle?
Yes. Ontario permits passengers in a chartered vehicle to consume alcohol, so nobody in the group has to be the one who does not. Ice and glassware come on request if you flag it at booking.
Can one booking cover several parties?
Yes, and it should. Festival parties cluster in and around the Entertainment District, so the drives are short and the value is in the vehicle waiting between them.
What is the 35-Seat Limousine Bus?
A 35-passenger vehicle with lounge seating along the walls rather than forward rows, so the group faces each other. It is $250 an hour from $1,400 and is a different thing from a coach with rows of seats.
Can you take us straight from a screening to a party?
Yes, and it is the usual shape. The car is already holding after the screening, so the night continues rather than pausing for a detour home.
How do we reach the driver at the end?
You text them directly on the number you were given. The vehicle is already waiting, so there is no request to send and no fare that has moved while you decided.
Can everyone be dropped at their own address?
Yes. Multi-stop drops are standard and they are the reason a group that arrives together also gets home together rather than splitting into four rides.
How many people fit?
Six in an Escalade, seven to ten in the Jet Sprinter, twenty-seven in a mini bus and thirty-five in the Limousine Bus. Tell us the number and we price the options side by side.
How late can the booking run?
As late as you need. Hours beyond what you booked bill at the same rate, so a night that runs long is simply more hours rather than a problem.
Is gratuity included?
No. Every rate is plus HST 13% and gratuity 15 to 20 percent, stated separately so you are comparing the same kind of number.
How far ahead should I book?
Two to three weeks for festival dates, and earlier for the larger vehicles. The Limousine Bus and the Jet Sprinter clear first for exactly these nights.
Can we start the evening at a gala and finish at a party?
Yes, and holding one vehicle across both is almost always cheaper than finding a second car at midnight. The gala arrival itself is sequenced by the event, which is covered on the red carpet page.
Do you handle production or sponsor parties?
Yes, including invoicing rather than a card at the door and a named driver confirmed in advance. A 27-Passenger Mini Bus at $250 an hour suits most sponsor groups.
Where do the festival parties tend to be?
In and around the Entertainment District, close to the venues themselves. That proximity is why the booking is about waiting rather than driving.
What if the group splits up during the night?
Tell the driver. Within an hourly booking they go where you direct, and a smaller group going on somewhere else is a conversation rather than a new booking.
Can we leave coats and bags in the vehicle?
Yes, and on a night with two or three venues it is one of the better reasons to hold one. Nothing has to go back to a hotel room first.
Do you pick up outside Toronto at the end of the night?
Yes, anywhere in the Greater Golden Horseshoe. Longer runs home are priced on distance rather than the GTA hourly figures here.
Is a booked car really better than an app at 1 AM?
On an ordinary Tuesday, no. On a festival night when several venues empty at the same time into the same few streets, it is the difference between leaving now and negotiating.
Can the same vehicle do the whole festival?
Yes. Multi-day bookings run as a held vehicle rather than separate jobs, which is set out on the industry and press page.
How do I get a firm price?
Send the date, the party size and roughly how late you expect to run. A fixed figure comes back and nothing is charged until you accept it.
Related TIFF services
Book the end of the night, not just the start
Send the date, the party size and roughly how late you expect to run. We hold one vehicle across it and the small hours cost the same as the early evening.