The Toronto Traveler

While I’m pretty well convinced that Toronto has one of the best subway systems in the world, at the same time I’m also convinced that it can give people some nasty surprises from time to time.  Having lived in the city for over 15 years now and taken the bus to school and work for most of that time, I know that I’ve certainly felt the brunt of a subway surprise every now and then.  I’ve also encountered confused tourists from time to time as well, so hopefully these tips will help you minimize the impact that any unforeseen subway circumstance has on your overall day.

Understand the Schedule:  For the most part, the subway in Toronto runs from 6 am to 1:30 am except on Sunday when it runs from 9:30 am to 1:30 am.  Forgetting this little fact has cost me big in cab fare a few times over the years, so make sure you keep those endpoints in mind when using the subway to travel around the city.

Get a Transfer: Toronto’s subway system costs one fare for your entire travel one way on the system and transferring from bus to streetcar, bus to bus or in some cases subway to bus is done through the use of transfers, which act as proof of payment.  However, if you are travelling around the city, you might change your mind as to what you want to do at some point.  To avoid paying extra fare if you get yourself into one of those situations, get a transfer as soon as you pay your fare.  You can get transfers either by asking your bus or streetcar driver for one or by obtaining one just after you’ve paid your fare at a subway station.

Multiple Fare Passes Can Save You Money: When you are purchasing your fare, consider whether or not a multiple fare pass can save you money.  Day passes, weekly passes and monthly passes are all available on the TTC and in many cases if you are going to be travelling a lot, they can save you a lot of money.  A person that goes to and from work and stops by a gym to exercise on the way home (i.e. uses three fare payments per workday) would save money through the use of a multiple fare pass, which means that most tourists could probably save some money as well.

The Ride Guide is Your Friend: The first thing you want to do when coming to Toronto is pick up a Ride Guide, either from one of the TTC stations or from their website at http://www.ttc.ca.  This is a guide to all of the different routes available from the TTC and you can use that guide to map out your routes to all of the places in the city that you want to visit.

Consider Connections Between the TTC and Other Public Venues: There are five different subway stations in the downtown core that are connected to the PATH underground walkway, which in turn is connected to a large number of accommodations and entertainment venues.  This walkway is great when the weather is bad, so keep it in mind when travelling on the TTC.

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