Yelp Review 2023 #74:…read more Whenever I'm in Toronto, I rely on trams aka streetcars to get around using my Presto card. I normally stay at hotels along or near Queen Street because they are more accessible. 501 streetcar runs during the day and is the longest tram line. It runs east and west of Toronto. From Neville Park to Dufferin which is over 20km. If I want to go to lululemon, it's a quick streetcar ride. The City Hall is along Queen Street. You can also get to Eaton Center using 501 streetcar. If you're a fan of the show Kim's Convenience, just get off Sherbourne. The times I've used the 501, I've not really experienced any riff raff. Except for when I went to Kim's Convenience. I didn't know it was in a bad neighborhood and people were openly talking about drugs and they're dealing in broad daylight as I was waiting for a streetcar to go back to my hotel and it was 10 minutes delayed and I had to tell myself I'll be fine. And then the streetcar was delayed another 5 minutes. I can see how a visitor's experience might be different from a local's experience because visitors aren't here long enough to know how it really is. I did notice that in the winter, homeless people ride the tram and go up and down, or left to right on trams for hours just to stay warm. If I were homeless, I'd probably do the same thing too. I don't blame them. A problem in Toronto that seems more obvious in the winter than when I went in the summer.

Out of all the TTC routes, the 501 Queen route is closest to my heart. I grew up in the Beaches and…read morelived on Queen Street East. There was a streetcar stop right in front of the apartment building where I grew up, heading eastbound, at Scarborough Beach Boulevard. Recently, I drove by and noticed that this streetcar stop is no longer there. It has moved a block east to Glen Manor Drive. It's a bit sad to see a stop that has been there for decades move. I could start a petition, but will likely not get the results that I want. Going westbound, I had the option of either boarding at Glen Manor or Wineva. I always did the latter because there were a set of traffic lights and it was safer to cross. The 501 route is one of the longest that the TTC offers. I know the eastern part better. The Neville Loop is where the streetcar turns around. The loop is a few steps away from Scarborough and the R.C. Harris Water Treatment Plant. It's actually a beautiful area with a nice park and Lake Ontario as its backdrop. It opens up once a year, so you can do a tour inside. On the other end of this route is Long Branch. i have recently spent some time in this area, as two of my favourite empanada and ice cream places are on that end of the spectrum. I dig it. Tourist or not, I used to enjoy plopping myself on the streetcar and cutting through the city. You go through a series of cool neighbourhoods, such as Leslieville, downtown Toronto (Eaton Centre, Old City Hall, and Nathan Phillips Square are all viewable from the streetcar if you do not have time to drop by), Parkdale, and more. A number of cool parks are also along the way. High Park, Trinity Bellwoods Park, and Humber Bay Park are just a few. I am biased and love seeing Kew Gardens, because I will always be a Beacher at heart. I have been on this route countless times. I used this route to commute to my summer jobs at the Ex and resting my tired feet after standing all day. Heading to Chinese school, both at the Spadina and Broadview Chinatowns, required taking this streetcar and transferring to another streetcar or bus. Going downtown? I'd take this streetcar to Yonge Street and walk around like the teenager that I was. I haven't taken the TTC for several years. It's what happens when I live in the suburbs and use a car to get around. I hope to board one of the newer streetcars as a passenger someday. As of late, I am either admiring them while waiting for the traffic light to turn or I'm trying to drive past one. Service had its hits and misses. When things were running smoothly, it was a treat taking the streetcar along Queen Street East and West. When it was bad, I'd be waiting for the third or fourth streetcar to come along so I could actually board it without feeling like a suffocating sardine. I do like this route and now I'm all nostalgic. It was nice to see the streetcars on this route in action when I was recently in Leslieville and the streetcar tracks along Queen Street East again. (25)

Tip: This station used to be the photo centre for TTC student ID cards. This centre no longer…read moreexists here. Sherbourne station. My family doctor used to be on Elm Street. She moved her clinic to a building near this subway station. My parents and I lived in the Beaches, so we'd take the TTC for all our medical appointments. My best friend lived a block away from this station years ago. When I visited him and was living in Winnipeg, he let me crash at his apartment. It was cool. I took public transit everywhere. He then upgraded to a home, so I don't use this station often these days. My grade 6 graduation was different. After it was over, my mom and I took the subway to this station to get my photo taken for my TTC student ID card. I'm thinking that my mom thought that I looked nice all dressed up that I should get my photo ID taken in my outfit. All through high school, the TTC came over to take our photos for our student ID cards. It was convenient. Sadly, in grade 12, I was mailing some letters and dropped my TTC student ID card with them in the mailbox. Oops! I had to get a new photo and student card. I got to visit this subway station to take care of both issues. While I was in line, I met up with a friend from my elementary school days. We were in grades 1, 2, and 5 together. We were in different high schools, but we had both lost our TTC student ID cards. It was fun catching up with him. And, yes, we are still in touch. Sherbourne station no longer does photos. I believe it's now at Bathurst station. You can catch the Sherbourne 71 bus from Sherbourne station. I used to take it between this station and Queen Street East. I'd take the 501 streetcar to get to and from my childhood home. This station is on the Bloor-Danforth line, which is known as line 2 these days. It's one stop east of Bloor-Yonge station. There's no parking lot for TTC riders. I don't have a need to visit this station these days. It was nice to reminisce. (469)

Presto and the new horrible (always) broken gates…read more Panhandling in and out the station daily. Depressing decor and vibe. But sure beats the rush of Bloor!

If we're talking about commuter experience, GO Transit is miles (or in this case, kilometers)…read morebetter than TTC. Cleaner, less frequent delays, well displayed departure times and more spacious seating. It pretty much operates on an honour system with the occasional fare inspector check here and there in the mornings. It's funny cuz you can usually spot the fare evaders fast walking away from them up and down the train. I do think they could improve it by having more digital signage throughout the trains indicating the stops. At the moment of this review, they STILL only announce train stops via the loudspeaker and depending on the train cabin you're in, the speakers might be muffled or not very clear. As far as payment methods go, I would say using PRESTO card as the preferred method is not so clear cut anymore. The only benefit PRESTO card provides is the ability to set default trips between two GO stops. So if you're a frequent commuter and you always get on and off at the same two stops for work for example, then using PRESTO is convenient. Otherwise, if you're always getting on and off at different stops there's literally no difference between using PRESTO and NFC credit card tapping w/ your phone.

When traveling from Niagara Falls to Toronto, our friend recommended taking the train rather than…read moredriving. He earned traffic would be bad, and parking would be expensive. So at his advice we drove about half way to the Oakville station which has trains coming and going every 30 minutes. It was easy to get to, right off the highway, and plenty of parking. To make things a little sweeter parking was even free!!! We grabbed our bags and made our way over to the station. With user friendly kiosks it was easy to buy a ticket to Toronto, and only $9 each way...a great value, especially when you add in free parking! The train was decently clean for public transportation, plenty of space, and even had wifi. There was apparently a bar car with food and drink available for sale, but we didn't look. I'd absolutely use the Go Transit again, and would recommend to friends. It's hassle free, reasonably priced and free parking.

Highly recommended. April 2026…read more OK, let's acknowledge that I love trams (like subways). We took the tram every day during our week-long visit. Modern, Comfortable. Stops are clearly marked on the streets and clearly announced in the car. Easy to pay with iPhone or Apple Watch. The routes cover the central city very well. The cost is reasonable at $3.30 CAD for 3 hours.

Whenever we are in large urban cities, we try to use public transportation as much as we can…read more The TTC in Toronto is a network of subways, buses and trams that connect the city in many different directions. We used the subway a few times, as well as the buses and a few trams. The easiest thing is that you can pay your fare just by tapping any of your credit cards on the scanner. No need to buy a transit card. It was about US$2.45 per ride and any transfers within two hours of the first tap are free. Easy !!!!

Bloor-Yonge subway station. It's a major subway interchange between lines 1 (Yonge-University) and…read more2 (Bloor-Danforth). I grew up knowing these subway routes without numbers. It was the Yonge-University-Spadina and Bloor-Danforth lines. You then had the Scarborough LRT (rest in transit peace) and the Sheppard line. As much as I like numbers, I'm putting myself in the shoes of a visitor. Which would be more meaningful? I'm not sure. What I think is that this subway station may feel overwhelming to a newbie. It's always busy. The craziness is at its peak during rush hour. Everyone needs to walk fast and get somewhere. I feel like it's a stampede to a certain extent. As someone who often dropped by this station growing up, it wasn't confusing. I recently took the TTC to get to this station on line 2. It's a shared platform between the eastbound and westbound trains when you arrive on line 2. I had to exit to get onto Bloor Street East. The exit that I'm used to faces Yonge Street. I used to visit the Toronto Reference Library across the street often when I was in high school and university. I used this exit to reminisce. There are a bunch of ways to get in and out of this station. Going home, I entered from Bloor Street East through the Hudson's Bay Centre. I don't really know if that's the correct name of the underground shopping concourse. Hudson's Bay is gone, which is eerie. We have Eaton's Centre without Eaton's. Hey, why not Hudson's Bay Centre without Hudson's Bay? I spent hours walking around the concourse as a student. There used to be a Felix and Norton. It smelled so good. I loved cookies, especially freshly baked ones. I still do! I can still picture the paper transfer dispensers with the red round button. They are long gone. There are lots of PRESTO kiosks and gates instead. One of the gates did not recognize my PRESTO card. Luckily, I moved to a different one and I was fine. Signage is clear to get to the right subway line. There are also TTC employees ready to help you, which I liked. There are four floors to this station. I took a combination of stairs and escalators while I was here to move between two floors. There are elevators for those who need to use them, but I can't comment on how effective they are. Most major TTC subway stations have washrooms. This station does. I have never had the need to use the women's. I arrived at this station at roughly 11:30 am on a Monday. I left the area roughly 2.5 hours later. Trains were running on time. I managed to get a seat both ways. It was a good time to be a commuter. My cell phone worked fine on the platform. It was cool. It was nice returning to this station. I grew up as a commuter living in the Beaches. It was nice to return to those roots for a brief period before I got to Victoria Park station, hopped in my car, and headed to the suburbs. (40)

My Spanish friend called this subway station with her cute accent that sounded like "blue onion"…read more And that's how i come to think of Bloor-Yonge. Lol It's a vibrant station where people transfer from all directions. It's a station where you will go up and down the stairs to get to the trains. It's a station where you can dance to live music, but you'd have to fight with the ever moving crowd for space. It's a station where you can buy snacks for companionship while traveling. It's a station where millions of stories come and go. Just like "blue-onion".

Man this route has really improved since 2023. It now runs all day, 7 days a week, and also…read moreovernight as well. And now they extended it all the way to Dufferin Gate Loop in the west as well. It's a really good route cause it lets you get from the east end all the way through downtown and even a bit into the west end now. It's pretty much the 501 and 504 combined into one route. Only downside is this route often either gets delayed badly or gets converted to buses when there is construction which sucks. Otherwise it's a great route, definitely one of my favourite streetcars!

i use 503 to go to work, from Coxwell ave to Beech and Kingston, and it is never, ever on time, im…read morealmost late for work everyday because 503 simply doesn't show up on schedule. this is really frustrating and disappointing. I have no other options to commute between home and work and i wish someone from the TTC would read this and fix it. :/

A work in progress but I eagerly anticipate the completion of the new station on the GO & Ontario…read moreline.

It's very convenient to use Go Train and get on/off at Exhibition Go station if you're going to CNE…read moreor BMO Field. The station is wheelchair accessible and has elevators (not escalators), you just need to read the signs and make sure not following the crowd to the stairs and the pedestrian bridge that crosses the tracks.

Union Station is a major railway station and transportation hub on Front Street West, Downtown…read moreToronto. It is close to Toronto landmarks like Scotia Bank Arena, CN Tower, Rogers Centre, and Metro Toronto Convention Centre. All is accessible directly from the Union Station through the SkyWalk. It is also a shopping, dining and cultural destination with many shops, specialty stores, bacafe's and restaurants, and entertainment with a full calendar of free events. There's also a storage services for your luggages if you need one. Check it out!

Beautiful old building. Lots of vending machines around for snacks, and super easy to get there and…read moreback from the airport. When I showed up there was a pop-up restaurant and band stage going on that was so much fun I stopped and listened to the band for a while before walking to my hotel.

Very convenient service but needs an extension of hours! I know it may be wishful thinking but 24/7…read moreservice would be amazing. Or at least starting around 4am, as there are many early flights. Coming in late also might limit folks, as they plan to take the UP and come in later than expected. However, fast and efficient!

My wife and I rode the UP Express to Pearson to ride back downtown with our friend flying into…read morethere. It is a convenient and fast way to get to and from Downtown to Pearson with a couple stops on the way. You can pay by credit card easily. Ample room for luggage. Only complaint is it would be nice if it was cheaper.

I was trying to recall when I last took the TTC anywhere. It was likely in 2011 when I took the…read moreBathurst 511 streetcar to and from the Canadian National Exhibition (The Ex). Last Thursday, I drove down to Chinatown at Spadina and Dundas. I parked my car there before meeting my friend and his sister for lunch. We planned to take the 510 Spadina streetcar southbound and then walk to Rogers Centre (I keep wanting to call it SkyDome because it has more character) for the Taylor Swift concert. We headed to the streetcar stop in front of Dragon City and waited. I grew up commuting on the TTC. I suppose that your commuter senses never die. All I saw were buses running along Spadina Avenue. This stop didn't have signs that said that streetcars weren't running. It was clear to me that they weren't. A lack of proper communication irks me. How about a sign that says to board the bus on the northwest corner?! We all walked across Dundas Street West and waited for the bus, which ran frequently. My friend's sister asked me a question about transit. I used to take Cantonese classes on Saturdays, so this area still feels the same. I let her know that this route used to be the Spadina 77 bus. It's kind of funny that I didn't have a chance to ride the streetcar along this route. I felt like nothing had changed, other than the bus number. My guess is that the 510 Spadina notation aligns with the 5xx series for streetcars. With streetcars being temporarily out of service along this route, buses are keeping the same notation. During my brief time commuting along this bus route, it had two buses numbers: 510 C and D. We were on the 510 D bus. Don't ask me what the difference is between the two. I was happy that this bus got us near Rogers Centre. After the concert, my friends took the train home. I walked over to Spadina. Three buses were waiting there. I took one back up to Chinatown. What hasn't changed is a TTC conductor missing a requested stop. A woman requested a stop at Dundas. I heard the ding. The conductor did not. He flew past the stop. The woman was rightfully upset. He called out Sullivan, the next stop. He flew past that stop, too. Dundas was the next stop, which was mine. Since the requested stop was still on, I couldn't request it. Luckily, Dundas had a red light. The bus stopped. I exited from the front. I felt bad for the woman who had to walk down a major street now. I hope that streetcars return to this route. I'd like to ride it and see what it's like. I was pleased that the buses got me to where I needed to be, but I want to ride a streetcar for the first time on Spadina. (456)

Who writes reviews about streetcars? I write reviews about streetcars!…read more After moving to Toronto from Montreal, I had to get used to the idea of streetcars, which haven't been a thing in Montreal for some 40 years or more. The 510 Spadina streetcar was my first exposure to the new Bombardier Flexity Outlook cars, based on the models used in some European cities. And I have to say, I like them a lot more than the older Canadian Light Rail Vehicle (CLRV) units. Having multiple entrances and exits, all with PRESTO card readers, and more comfortable acceleration and braking definitely helped me avoid the motion sickness that I usually get on the older model cars. It took way too long, but Bombardier finally delivered the last of the 204 vehicles on January 24, 2020, just two short weeks ago. Aside from all this talk about the models of streetcars, one of the best things about this line is how it's configured with two dedicated protected lanes in the middle of Spadina, so aside from at intersections, the streetcars don't have to deal with interference from other road vehicles. If only they could do this for all the other lines... Keep an eye out for the various art installations atop the poles on either side of the streetcar tracks as you go down the Spadina line, and enjoy the ride!