Taxi Service
A few things to know about taxi services in Toronto:
* Taxi service in Toronto is highly regulated. All taxis must have a working regulated fare meter. If the driver forgets to turn the meter on, your ride is free. The meter is turned on once you get into the car, and starts at a regulated price.
* Taxi drivers are allowed to charge an extra charge for extra bags (typically during airport transfers), but usually don’t.
* You can either hail a cab on the street, or call the taxi dispatch centre and give them your address. Each taxi company has it’s own dispatch centre.
* Diamond taxi (416 366 6868) cabs are everywhere in Toronto. They are typically orange and black. Be careful as some of the cars are quite old and the quality (street knowledge and odor!) of the driver that you get is hit and miss. They’re generally ok to get you where you’re going.* Ambassador taxi (416 322 3800) is one of the better taxi services in Toronto. Drivers have to meet a certain standard in customer service, but this is a small taxi company, so there are not as many of these taxis on the roads.
* It's customary (but not necessary) to provide a tip at the end of the ride, approximately 10% of the fare, but it’s not mandatory. Rounding up to the nearest Canadian dollar is probably a minimum.Getting Around - Public Transit
- the transit system in Toronto is commonly known as the TTC (Toronto Transit Commission) and includes the subway, buses, and streetcars.
- free maps of the transit system are available at all subway stations kiosks. Just ask the kiosk attendant.
- TTC tokens can be purchased at subway kiosks and can be used in all transportation routes and methods
- If you pay for your trip by either cash or token, it's a good idea to always obtain a 'transfer' which is both your proof of payment, and also allows you to transfer from one transporation mode to another
- the system in Toronto allows you to take one uninterrupted trip on a single payment; so, you can transfer from one transportation type to another, just so long as it's in support of a single trip in a single direction
Subway (also known as the TTC): Look for a sign such as the one below:
Streetcar:
Take care when getting off streetcar.
When you step off the streetcar its not the pavement.
You're on the road!
Bus:
Getting to the Airport
Private car services (limousines) to the airport are available for a fixed fare and can only be arranged via phone (ie, can’t hail them on the street). Fares are determined by zones, but will typically be 44$ from downtown Toronto to Pearson International Airport. Please see the GTAA (Greater Toronto Airport Authority) website for additional details:
http://www.gtaa.com/en/travellers/airport_information/ground_transportatio/taxis__limousines/
A map of the zone fares can be found here:
http://gtaa.com/local/files/en/Travellers/Tariffs/TaxiTariffs-East.pdf
