Charter bus transfers at Toronto Pearson (YYZ)

What the group leader says at the curb

With bags collected, the leader goes to the Arrivals Level curb and finds the Groundside Traffic Officer. Give the officer the bus company name and the charter number. The officer dispatches the bus and tells the group where to stand.

Write both details on the trip sheet and give a copy to a second adult. If the only person holding them is stuck in a customs line, forty people wait. Door A at each terminal is for pre-arranged taxis and limousines, not for a bus.

Terminal 1, Terminal 3 and split flights

Pearson has two terminals. A group booked on different airlines can land at both. The free Terminal Link train joins them, so choose one terminal as the gathering point before you travel and send the other half across. The bus is then called to one place only.

Pearson publishes no coach holding location. So send flight numbers: the operator follows them and keeps the bus close.

Where the driver meets you

• Pre-arranged taxis and limousines meet passengers at Door A at both Terminal 1 and Terminal 3. For a chartered bus, the group goes to the Arrivals Level curb and gives the bus company name and charter number to the Groundside Traffic Officer, who dispatches the bus and directs the group to the pick-up point.

Where coaches and buses wait

• Pearson does not publish a coach holding location; chartered buses are called forward to the pick-up point by the Groundside Traffic Officer.

Drive to downtown

• about 28 km by road to Union Station, about 25-30 min in light traffic; much longer at rush hour

Registration and the pick-up fee

Every company doing pre-arranged pick-ups must register the reservation online with the airport before arriving. Pearson also charges a per-pick-up fee by vehicle class, with separate classes for mini-buses of 13 to 25 seats and buses of 26 seats or more. Ask for the quote to say whether that fee is included.

The road into Toronto

Pearson is in Mississauga. Union Station is about 28 km away by road: allow 25 to 30 minutes when traffic is light and much longer at rush hour.

If the route uses Highway 407 ETR, the law requires every bus over 5,000 kg to carry a valid 407 ETR transponder. Downtown, Toronto allows 1 minute of idling in any 60, and the signed motor coach loading areas include York Street at the Sheridan Centre and Victoria Street at the CAA Ed Mirvish Theatre. Send the exact hotel or venue address, not just the district.

Trade shows and airport hotels

The International Centre sits beside Pearson, the Toronto Congress Centre is nearby in Etobicoke, and the airport hotels line Dixon Road and Airport Road. A bus shuttling between a hotel and an exhibition hall for three days is best quoted as one job with a daily timetable.

Questions

Where does the charter bus pick us up at Pearson?

At the Arrivals Level curb. The Groundside Traffic Officer calls it forward once the leader gives the bus company name and charter number, then points the group to the pick-up spot.

One passenger missed a connection. Does the bus wait?

Usually the bus leaves with the group. The UP Express leaves Terminal 1 every 15 minutes and reaches Union Station in about 28 minutes, a simple way for one late traveller to follow.

Can the vehicle carry a wheelchair that does not fold?

Ask before booking. Pearson advises checking with the company whether it can carry a non-folding or non-collapsible mobility aid, and we put that question to the operator with your request.

Cities

• Toronto

Airports

• Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport (YTZ)

Vehicles

• Full-size coach — 49-81 seats
• Midi coach — 29-35 seats
• Minibus — 16-19 seats
• Executive Sprinter van — 17-19 seats
• Executive car (sedan or SUV) — 1-3 seats
• Wheelchair-accessible minibus — Varies by layout; wheelchair positions replace seats

Book a bus for a Pearson arrival

Send the flight numbers, terminals, headcount, bags and drop-off address. Licensed partner operators quote, and you accept or decline.

Request a quote or call +1 438 809 0370