Overview
Toronto's public transport is dominated by the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC), which covers the entire city with a subway, bus and streetcar network of roughly 1,200 km (750 mi) of routes. On top of that, GO Transit provides inter-regional commuter rail and coach buses across the Greater Toronto Area and beyond, and the provincially run system connects with other regional providers such as the TTC and Via Rail.
For a visitor, riding end to end is straightforward. Plan your trip, pay your fare by tapping a PRESTO card, a contactless debit or credit card (including a mobile wallet), a PRESTO Ticket or cash, then board and ride. Keep your proof of payment — the card, ticket or device you tapped, or a paper transfer — with you, because it must be shown on request. Children 12 and under ride free, and every rider aged 13 or over must tap their own card, ticket or device.
The network
The TTC's backbone is its subway, with five lines. Line 1 Yonge–University is U-shaped, running north–south from Lake Ontario into northern Toronto, while Line 2 Bloor–Danforth runs east–west across the city. Line 3 Scarborough serves the east, and the newest additions are Line 5 Eglinton and Line 6 Finch West. The rest of the city is served by about 150 bus routes, many forming a grid along main streets and nearly all connecting to one or more subway stations.
- Subway: Line 1 Yonge–University, Line 2 Bloor–Danforth, Line 3 Scarborough, Line 5 Eglinton and Line 6 Finch West.
- Streetcars: Eleven routes, most concentrated in the downtown core and all connecting to the subway — one of the few remaining substantial in-street streetcar systems in North America and the largest in the Americas.
- Buses: About 150 routes, plus the Blue Night Network of night buses (four of its routes are operated with streetcars) and 400-series community routes.
- Commuter rail and buses: GO Transit runs double-decker diesel trains and coach buses linking Toronto with the rest of the Greater Toronto Area; Ontario Northland Motor Coach Services runs buses to northern Ontario.
- Paratransit: Wheel-Trans, the TTC's door-to-door accessible minibus service for people with physical disabilities.
- Ferries: The Toronto Island ferries link the Toronto Islands in Lake Ontario with the mainland from the Jack Layton Ferry Terminal; a ferry and pedestrian tunnel with moving walkways also connects Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport to the foot of Bathurst Street.
- Airport links: the Union Pearson Express (UP Express) rail link and the Terminal Link people mover at Pearson.
Tickets & fares
You can pay with a PRESTO card (physical or in a mobile wallet), a PRESTO Ticket, an Interac Debit card, a credit card (including mobile wallet) or cash. Fares are approximate and change, so check current prices before you travel. As a guide, the adult pay-as-you-go fare is about $3.35 cash or $3.30 by card or PRESTO card; youth (13–19) pay about $2.40 cash or $2.35 with PRESTO, and seniors (65+) about $2.30 cash or $2.25 with PRESTO. Post-secondary students pay the adult rate, and the Fair Pass costs about $2.10 with a PRESTO card. Cash fares do not qualify for the two-hour transfer or monthly fare capping.
- PRESTO Tickets: sold at fare vending machines at all subway stations and at Line 5 Eglinton and Line 6 Finch West stations (including surface platforms), at all Shoppers Drug Mart locations and at participating Customer Service Outlets. They are activated on first use, include a two-hour transfer, and do not count toward fare capping. Prices are about $3.35 for one ride, $6.70 for two rides and $13.50 for a day pass.
- Fare capping: if you tap the same PRESTO card, Interac Debit card or credit card every time, you automatically stop paying after 47 eligible fares in a calendar month and further trips that month are free. The count resets on the first day of each month and does not apply to cash, PRESTO Tickets or paper transfers.
- Passes: most monthly and 12-month passes were discontinued on August 31, 2026, when monthly fare capping took effect. Still available are the Post-Secondary Student Monthly Pass (about $128.15) and the Adult 12-Month Pass (about $143.00), the latter requiring a 12-month contract with PRESTO. Pass holders must still tap for proof of payment.
- Line 5 and Line 6: TTC fares and policies apply, but there is no onboard payment — pay before boarding and carry proof of payment, and keep tapping even after you reach the fare cap so you can show it.
There is no zone system on the TTC: a single fare covers the city. GO Transit is separate and requires its own ticket.
From the airport
From Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ), the main public-transport option into the centre is the Union Pearson Express (UP Express). It runs between Union Station in Downtown Toronto and Pearson along GO Transit's Kitchener line, also stopping at Weston and Bloor GO stations, and takes about 25 minutes to downtown. Within the airport, the Terminal Link people mover connects Terminal 1, Terminal 3 and a long-term parking lot.
From Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport (YTZ), you can be downtown within about ten minutes. A pedestrian tunnel under the channel takes you to the city, and a free ferry also makes the short 121-metre crossing — the world's shortest regularly scheduled ferry route — every 15 minutes. On the mainland, a free shuttle bus connects the terminal with the Fairmont Royal York Hotel, across the street from Union Station, which is the most convenient connection to the subway and GO Transit. TTC streetcars are also a short walk away: Route 509 Harbourfront runs along Queens Quay to Union Station, Route 511 Bathurst runs north to Bathurst subway station, and Route 510 Spadina runs north to Spadina subway station.
Etiquette & customs
- Queuing: wait your turn to board and let passengers off before you get on.
- Escalators: stand to the right so people in a hurry can pass on the left.
- Priority seating: seats near the doors are reserved for seniors, people with disabilities and passengers with small children — give them up when needed.
- Quiet: keep phone calls and music low; many riders treat the car as a quiet space.
- Eating and drinking: keep it minimal and tidy, and take your rubbish with you.
- Rush hour: move right down the platform, step away from the doors once aboard, and keep your bag off the seat beside you.
- Proof of payment: keep your tapped card, ticket or transfer handy — inspectors may ask to see it at any time.
Official links
Survival terms
- subway/metro — “subway” (English); the TTC calls its metro simply the subway
- ticket — “ticket” / “PRESTO Ticket” (English)
- line — “Line” (English), as in Line 1 Yonge–University
- entrance — “entrance” (English)
- exit — “exit” (English)
- transfer — “transfer” (English); a paper transfer or your tapped card serves as proof of payment
- single fare — “fare” (English)
- day pass — “day pass” (English), sold as a PRESTO Ticket
Load a PRESTO card or simply tap your contactless bank card every time you ride, and you will never have to worry about carrying exact change or missing out on the two-hour transfer.