How do you get from Union Station to Pearson Airport?

The fastest way from Union Station to Pearson

The fastest public route is the UP Express train, about 25 to 30 minutes from Union Station to Toronto Pearson, with a departure every 15 minutes. The fastest door-to-door route is a private car, which drives the roughly 27 kilometres in about 25 to 35 minutes off-peak and carries your bags the whole way.

Union Station sits at 65 Front Street West, and the UP Express platform is part of the same complex. The Fairmont Royal York stands directly across Front Street at 100 Front Street West, so guests there are a two-minute walk from the train or a curbside step from a waiting chauffeur. Both make the same trip; the difference is luggage, timing, and how many people are travelling.

Here is the honest order of the five options most travellers actually use, fastest and cheapest first:

• UP Express train: about 25 to 30 minutes, around $12 one way, every 15 minutes.
• TTC subway plus the 900 Airport Express bus: about 50 to 70 minutes, one transit fare, slower but the lowest cost.
• Driving yourself: about 25 to 35 minutes off-peak, plus Pearson parking from roughly $20 a day and up.
• Uber or a cab: roughly $45 to $90 depending on demand, surge, and tip.
• Private chauffeur: from $95 in a sedan, fixed and quoted before pickup, door to door with luggage help, plus HST (13%) and gratuity.

UP Express: time, fare, and frequency

The UP Express runs Union Station to Pearson in about 25 to 30 minutes, with a train every 15 minutes, seven days a week. A standard adult one-way fare is around $12, or roughly $9.25 with a PRESTO card or contactless tap, and children under 12 ride free.

The line makes four stops: Pearson, Weston, Bloor, and Union. From the Union Station platform you ride straight through to the Pearson station, which connects to Terminal 1 by a covered walkway and to Terminal 3 by the free LINK train inside the airport. Fares and exact times can change, so confirm the current fare and schedule at upexpress.com before you travel.

What time does the UP Express start and stop?

From Union Station, the first trains run roughly 5 a.m. on weekdays and around 6 a.m. on weekends and holidays, with the last departure near 1 a.m. daily. For a very early or very late flight outside those windows, the train is off the table, and a private airport car becomes the only direct option. Treat the exact minutes as a guide and check the live schedule the night before.

Is the UP Express worth it over a cheaper option?

For a solo traveller with a carry-on, yes. At around $12 and 25 to 30 minutes, it beats a $50-plus cab on price and beats the TTC on time. The catch is the two ends: you still have to get to Union with your bags and, at Pearson, walk or LINK to your terminal. A chauffeur removes both of those, which is why families and business groups still book a car even though the train is cheaper.

Is there a shuttle from Union Station to Pearson?

Yes. The UP Express is effectively the dedicated shuttle from Union Station to Pearson, a train built for exactly this trip, running every 15 minutes for about $12. There is no separate hotel-style shuttle bus that beats it on the downtown-to-airport leg.

Some downtown hotels arrange their own car services, and a few tour operators run group coaches, but for the public the UP Express is the purpose-built link. If you want a private shuttle for a group, that is a different product: a Sprinter or coach charter that picks your whole party up at one address and drives non-stop to your terminal, with luggage loaded for you. For one or two people, the train is the shuttle. For eight, a private van is.

Taking the TTC from Union to Pearson airport

The cheapest route is the TTC: ride the subway from Union, then transfer to the 900 Airport Express bus, total trip about 50 to 70 minutes for a single transit fare. It is the lowest-cost way to reach Pearson, and the slowest of the practical options.

The usual path is the Line 1 subway from Union up to Kipling or Lawrence West, then the 900 Airport Express or the 52 bus into the airport. One PRESTO fare covers the whole chain with transfers. The trade-off is time and effort: stairs, platform changes, and a bus that shares the road with traffic. With a single bag and no deadline it works fine. With three suitcases and a stroller, it is a hard morning.

Driving and parking at Pearson

Driving yourself covers the roughly 27 kilometres from downtown to Pearson in about 25 to 35 minutes off-peak, but rush hour on the Gardiner and Highway 427 can push that to 45 to 60 minutes or more, and then you pay to park.

The route from Union runs out the Gardiner Expressway to Highway 427 north, then into the airport. Pearson parking ranges from value lots at the lower end to terminal garages that cost far more per day, so a week-long trip turns parking into a real bill. If someone is dropping you off, the curb works, but the return pickup means a second person fighting airport traffic at an unknown arrival time.

For a single short trip with a free parking spot waiting, driving is fine. For anything over a couple of days, the parking cost plus the hassle of leaving a car at the airport usually makes a one-way chauffeur the cleaner choice, since you pay only for the ride and nothing sits in a lot.

Uber and cab fares from downtown to Pearson

An UberX from downtown to Pearson typically runs roughly $45 to $65 one way, and a metered cab usually lands around $70 to $90 including the airport access fee and tip. Both numbers move with demand, weather, and traffic, so the price you are quoted is not always the price you pay.

Rideshare is convenient and often the right call for a midday solo run with light bags. The weakness is surge pricing. A snowy Friday afternoon or a 6 a.m. departure can double the fare, and you may wait for a driver who has never met you and may cancel. A cab is steadier on price but rarely cheaper than a private car once you add the tip.

This is where a chauffeur changes the trade. A private ride is a fixed quote with a named driver, no surge, no shared-ride detours, and the driver tracks your flight so an early or late arrival does not strand you. For the cost difference, many travellers decide the certainty is worth it, especially on the leg to the airport where being late is not an option.

Airport limo service from Union and the Royal York

A private chauffeur from downtown Toronto to Pearson starts at $95 in a sedan, $100 in an SUV, and $135 in a Cadillac Escalade, one way, plus HST (13%) and gratuity. Your exact flat rate is confirmed on your quote before pickup, so there is no meter and no surge.

For guests at the Fairmont Royal York at 100 Front Street West, the car pulls to the curb on Front Street or the hotel’s east entrance, the driver loads your luggage, and you ride to your terminal door. No valet height limit, no parking fee from about $75 a night, no train platform with bags. That curbside, door-to-terminal service is the clean differentiator over self-driving or the train.

How much is an airport limo in Toronto?

For a downtown-to-Pearson run, expect to start from these per-vehicle floors on a departure, plus HST (13%) and gratuity:

Prices are starting floors, plus HST (13%) and gratuity. Arrival pickups are a pre-arranged airport pickup, where your driver tracks the flight, registers at Pearson’s Pre-Arranged Services Desk, and meets you at the arrivals meeting point with your name; that arrival leg is pre-arranged, so it carries a per-passenger pre-arrangement fee, while a departure drop-off is not, which makes it the simpler leg. Your exact flat rate is confirmed on your quote.

Which airport car service is best in Toronto?

The best service is the one that shows up early, tracks the flight, quotes a fixed price, and answers the phone. Chauffeuropolis is rated 5.0 on Google for exactly that: on-time pickups, clean late-model vehicles, and drivers who handle the bags. Compare the options in our guide to the best airport limo service in Toronto and read more on what a Pearson airport flat rate actually covers before you book.

Pearson to downtown Toronto in reverse

Coming the other way, Pearson to downtown Toronto is the same roughly 27 kilometres, about 25 to 35 minutes off-peak and 45 to 60 minutes in rush hour. The UP Express runs the return leg on the same 15-minute schedule, and a private car meets you at arrivals.

On arrival, the difference between modes is sharpest. Off the plane, the train means finding the platform and hauling bags; a cab means the rank and a metered fare with surge; a private chauffeur means a driver already waiting at arrivals with your name, who has tracked the flight and adjusted for any delay. For tired travellers, families, or anyone arriving late at night, that pre-arranged airport pickup is the whole point. See our breakdown of how long Pearson to downtown takes and the full Pearson to downtown drive time in traffic.

Union Station to Toronto City (Billy Bishop) Airport

Toronto City Airport, Billy Bishop, sits on the waterfront only about 3 kilometres from Union Station, a 10-minute drive or a short ride on the free 509 streetcar shuttle to the ferry and pedestrian tunnel at the foot of Bathurst Street.

Billy Bishop is a different trip from Pearson entirely. It is close enough that many travellers walk part of the way or take a quick streetcar, then cross to the island by the underground tunnel or the 90-second ferry, both free. A short private ride from Union or a downtown hotel to the Bathurst Street terminal entrance handles luggage and the small connection in one step. For Pearson, distance and timing make a car far more useful; for Billy Bishop, the airport is practically downtown.

Which option fits your trip

Pick by your bags, your group size, and your clock. Solo and light: take the UP Express. Group, luggage, odd hour, or a flight you cannot miss: book a private car. The two cheaper options, the train and the TTC, win on price; the car wins on certainty and door-to-door service.

• Solo, carry-on, daytime flight: UP Express, around $12, 25 to 30 minutes. Easy call.
• Budget over speed: TTC subway plus the 900 bus, one fare, 50 to 70 minutes.
• Two or more with checked bags: private sedan or SUV from $95 to $100, fixed, door to door, plus HST (13%) and gratuity.
• Group of six to fourteen: Sprinter from $450, one vehicle, everyone together, plus HST (13%) and gratuity.
• Early morning or late night flight: private car, since the train does not run before 5 a.m. or after 1 a.m.
• Celebrating before a trip: a party bus or larger group ride for a bigger crew heading out together.

Whatever the mode, the goal is the same: get to Pearson with time to spare and no drama. If a fixed quote and a driver who carries your bags sounds better than a platform with suitcases, get a quote and we will confirm the flat rate before you pack.