Car service from Union Station: where the driver meets your train

Union Station is one of Canada's busiest transport hubs and it occupies a full block between Bay and York Streets, so "I'll meet you at Union" is not a plan. Our Union Station car service page covers the transfers we run from there, especially to Pearson. This post is narrower and more practical: where your driver actually waits for each kind of train, what to do between the platform and the curb, and why picking someone up beats parking downtown.

How does a car service from Union Station find you?

By the train, not by the clock. When you book, give the train you are arriving on: a VIA train number, a GO line and departure time, or the UP Express from Pearson. Dispatch follows its live status, so a VIA train from Montreal running 40 minutes late simply moves the pickup. About 15 minutes before arrival the chauffeur texts three things: the car's colour and plate, the street, and which side of the station to walk out of.

That text is the most important part of the booking. Union has entrances on Front Street, Bay Street and York Street, links into the PATH, the bus terminal to the east and the SkyWalk to the west. Because construction, events and police direction change which curbs are usable, we never promise a door in advance; we tell you on the day. The station's own site, torontounion.ca, has concourse maps if you like to picture it first.

Where should you walk after a VIA Rail arrival?

VIA passengers usually carry the most luggage and come up from the platforms into the main station. Read the chauffeur's text while you are still on the platform, before the crowd pushes you toward the nearest exit. Then follow the signs for Front Street unless the text says otherwise. If you have checked bags on a VIA train, collect them first and message the chauffeur; your waiting time is protected because we track the train's real arrival.

Travellers off the Maple Leaf from New York, run by VIA with Amtrak, have already cleared the border on the journey, but the train can arrive late, and tracking handles it. VIA's Union Station information lists services and timetables.

Where should GO Transit riders go?

GO trains on every line terminate at Union, and rush hour sends thousands of people up the stairs at once. GO riders rarely need a car for the commute itself; they book one for the exceptions: a late train after the last connecting bus, a hospital appointment, a family visit with bags, or an evening event. The chauffeur's text usually points GO riders to the York Street or Bay Street side depending on traffic. Metrolinx describes the station's York and Bay concourses on its own site, and timetables are on gotransit.com.

And UP Express passengers from Pearson?

The UP Express platform is at the west end of the station, near the SkyWalk. Passengers coming in from Pearson who need a car for the last leg, to Forest Hill, Rosedale or a hotel with heavy bags, should tell us they are on the UP Express and roughly which departure. The trip from Pearson takes about 28 minutes per UP Express, with stops at Weston, Mount Dennis and Bloor, so dispatch times the car from your departure.

How long will the chauffeur wait at Union Station?

Station pickups include 15 minutes of waiting from the train's actual arrival time. After that, waiting is added in 15-minute blocks, and you are messaged before any extra time begins. Delays before the train arrives never count against you, because the chauffeur is following the train. Fifteen minutes is enough for most people to get from the platform to the street; if you have checked bags, a wheelchair to collect or several children, tell us at booking and we plan for it.

Why not just park at Union and meet them yourself?

Many people try, and it is one of the most stressful ways to collect someone. Short-term stopping on Front Street is tightly controlled, the nearby garages are underground and busy, and on event nights the streets around the station fill with traffic for the Rogers Centre and Scotiabank Arena. You park, walk in, wait at the wrong exit, walk back out with the bags and pay to leave the garage.

A pre-booked pickup removes all of that. The chauffeur waits at a legal stopping spot, you walk out to a car that is already there, and the family member who would have driven downtown stays at home. For an older parent arriving by VIA, add meet & greet, an optional add-on available at booking: the chauffeur parks, comes inside with a name board and walks them out.

What does a typical Union pickup look like, minute by minute?

Here is a VIA arrival from Ottawa due at 6:10 p.m. on a Thursday with a Blue Jays game:

1. 5:50 p.m.: the train is tracked running 8 minutes late. The pickup moves automatically.
2. 6:03 p.m.: the chauffeur texts: black SUV, plate, waiting on a side street east of Bay because Front Street west of York is busy with fans.
3. 6:18 p.m.: the train arrives. You read the text on the platform.
4. 6:27 p.m.: you walk out the Bay Street side and find the car. Fifteen minutes included waiting are counted from 6:18.
5. 6:30 p.m.: bags in, away to Yorkville, about 5 km and 10 to 20 minutes.

The game made the west side slow, so the chauffeur chose the east. That decision is why the text arrives on the day, not in the confirmation.

What are the most common mistakes between the platform and the car?

• Following the crowd instead of the text. The nearest exit is often the wrong side.
• Disappearing into the PATH. The underground walkway is useful but leads away from the street.
• Waiting inside for the driver to find you when you booked a curbside pickup. Walk out to the car; or add meet & greet next time.
• Turning off mobile data. International visitors should make sure the phone can receive a text.
• Booking by the scheduled time, not the train. Always give the train number or line.

Can I book a pickup for someone else arriving by train?

Yes. Put the passenger's name and mobile number in the booking so the chauffeur texts them directly, and your own number in the notes for dispatch. It is common for a grandparent arriving by VIA, a student coming home from Kingston or a client arriving from Montreal. You pay at booking and the passenger is not asked for anything in the car.

What about wheelchairs, walkers and winter evenings?

Union is a long walk for anyone with limited mobility, so plan the meeting rather than hoping for a short one. We have a wheelchair-accessible vehicle, available when booked in advance; for passengers who can transfer to a seat, the chauffeur folds and stows a wheelchair or walker, and with meet & greet comes inside to help. Tell us about the wheelchair or scooter at booking so that vehicle is reserved. In January, the walk from the doors to the car is short but cold and often slushy, so the chauffeur picks the closest legal spot and keeps the car warm. Mention any mobility needs at booking so the text points you to the nearest suitable exit.

Which vehicle should I book from Union?

Most pickups are a business sedan for one or two people with up to two bags. A first-class sedan is the usual choice for a senior executive. Families, or two people with a lot of luggage after a long VIA trip, need an SUV. Teams and wedding parties arriving together fit an executive Sprinter or a Sprinter luxury van. Child seats are available at booking.

Where do people usually go from Union by car?

Planning figures from the station:

Many pickups are short hotel runs; our Financial District hotels page covers that neighbourhood.

When is the hourly chauffeur better than a single pickup?

When the train is the start of a working day. A consultant arrives on the morning VIA from Ottawa, has a meeting on Bay Street, lunch in Yorkville, a site visit in Vaughan and an evening flight from Pearson. Our hourly chauffeur service keeps one car and one chauffeur for a 3-hour minimum, with extra time in 30-minute blocks, and the bags stay in the trunk all day. Our sibling post comparing VIA Rail and a car to Ottawa covers the same corridor from the other side.

How does a station pickup compare with the alternatives?

What does the fare include, and how do I book?

The reservation engine shows a fixed fare before you confirm: chauffeur, vehicle, fuel, airport fees where they apply and gratuity, with HST shown separately. No meter runs while you wait for a late train. Book on any page or at the booking page, with the train details in the pickup field. Cancellation runs from the scheduled pickup: free more than 72 hours before, 10 % at 72 hours or less, 50 % at 48 hours or less, and 100 % at 24 hours or less or on a no-show. Changing the time to follow a rebooked train is a change, not a cancellation.

If the train is one leg of a bigger trip, our travel desk can book the hotel and flights around it.

Book your Union Station pickup