Toronto Airport Express was a bus service operated by

Pacific Western Transportation Pacific Western Transportation (also d/b/a P.W. Transportation) provides a variety of bus services in the Canadian provinces of British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario and Yukon. Depending on the location, it offers scheduled and charter ...

under a contract with the

Greater Toronto Airports Authority The Greater Toronto Airports Authority (GTAA; french: Autorité aéroportuaire du Grand Toronto) operates Toronto Pearson International Airport in Mississauga, Ontario, west of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Toronto Pearson is Canada's largest airport ...

to operate express bus services between

Toronto Pearson International Airport Lester B. Pearson International Airport , commonly known as Toronto Pearson International Airport, is an international airport located in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. It is the main airport serving Toronto, its metropolitan area, and the sur ...

and

downtown Toronto Downtown Toronto is the main central business district of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Located entirely within the district of Old Toronto, it is approximately 16.6 square kilometres in area, bounded by Bloor Street to the northeast and Dupont St ...

. The service was discontinued in October 2014 for a variety of reasons, including anticipated opening of the

Union Pearson Express The Union Pearson Express (UP Express or UPX) is an airport rail link connecting Union Station (Toronto), Union Station in Downtown Toronto to Toronto Pearson International Airport. The UP Express began operation on 6 June 2015, in time for the ...

, a rail link connecting the airport to downtown Toronto.

History

It was established in 1993, after the demise of the previous service provider, Gray Coach. The service operated 20 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. It ran at 20-minute intervals during peak times and 30-minute intervals off-peak. Airport Express (and Gray Coach before them) formerly operated two additional routes, one connecting the airport to

Islington Islington () is a district in the north of Greater London, England, and part of the London Borough of Islington. It is a mainly residential district of Inner London, extending from Islington's High Street to Highbury Fields, encompassing the ...

subway station and the other to

Yorkdale Yorkdale Shopping Centre, or simply Yorkdale, is a major retail shopping centre in the North York district of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Located at the intersection of Highway 401 and Allen Road, it opened in 1964 as the largest enclosed shoppin ...

and

York Mills York Mills is a neighbourhood in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is centred around Yonge Street and York Mills Road located in the district of North York. In 2010, it encompassed the fourth and seventh most affluent postal codes in Canada. It is ...

stations. These were withdrawn in 2000 after the TTC introduced a competing express bus service from

Kipling Joseph Rudyard Kipling ( ; 30 December 1865 – 18 January 1936)''The Times'', (London) 18 January 1936, p. 12. was an English novelist, short-story writer, poet, and journalist. He was born in British India, which inspired much of his work. ...

station, which charges regular TTC fares but until 2013 used regular TTC buses with no space intended for luggage. In June 2011, Toronto Airport Express began a connecting, on-demand service called Airport Express Connect that extended the regular scheduled service throughout

. Pacific Western was named the IMG Operator of the Year for 2010. Coach 1559 had a new wrap reflecting this honour, replacing the Young Explorers wrap that had been on this bus.

Closure

The service ceased operation on October 31, 2014 due to declining ridership, which had fallen from 400,000 to 190,000 in ten years. The decline was attributed to the popularity of the Billy Bishop airport and delays due to downtown road construction. The closure of the service was in anticipation of the

rail service which began operation in 2015. Staff and buses were re-deployed back into Pacific Western's other operations in Toronto. In response to the closure of Pacific Western's service, the

Toronto Transit Commission The Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) is the public transport agency that operates bus, subway, streetcar, and paratransit services in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, some of which run into the Peel Region and York Region. It is the oldest and largest ...

enhanced its Route 900 Airport Express express bus service between

subway station and the airport by retrofitting buses with luggage racks and increasing the frequency of buses on the route.

Route

There were nine

destinations: #

Westin Harbour Castle Hotel The Westin Harbour Castle Toronto is a large hotel opened in 1975 on the waterfront of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is part of the Westin Hotels chain within Marriott International. History The hotel was built by the Campeau Corporation, after C ...

(Queen's Quay East and Bay Street) #

Fairmont Royal York The Fairmont Royal York, formerly and still commonly known as the Royal York, is a large historic luxury hotel in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Located along Front Street West, the hotel is situated at the southern end of the Financial District, in ...

/ Strathcona Hotel (Front Street West and York Street) # InterContinental Toronto Centre (Simcoe Street and Front Street West) # Holiday Inn on King (King Street West and Peter Street) # Sheraton Centre (Queen Street West and York Street) # Metropolitan Hotel /

Chestnut Residence 89 Chestnut Residence is a university residence operated by the University of Toronto, opposite the downtown Toronto DoubleTree hotel (formerly the Metropolitan Hotel) at 89 Chestnut Street. It was converted from the Colony Hotel in 2004 and turn ...

(U of T) (Dundas Street West and Chestnut Street) # Toronto Bus Terminal (Elizabeth Street and Edward Street) - starting terminal # Chelsea Hotel (Gerrard Street West and Yonge Street) # Bond Place (Dundas Street East and Bond Street) The route took about 1 hour and 10 minutes without accounting traffic delays.

Fleet

The Airport Express used H345

Prevost Car Prevost (, , formally known as Prevost Car) is a Canadian manufacturer of touring coaches and bus shells for high-end motorhomes and specialty conversions. The company is a subsidiary of the Volvo Buses division of the Volvo Group. History ...

45' motor coaches with seating for 56. They were powered by engines that produce 55 per cent less nitrogen oxide and 90 per cent less particulate matter than the previous models. The coaches also come with improved features including such as leather seats, free WiFi internet, laptop plugs and retractable seat belts.CNW Group , PACIFIC WESTERN TRANSPORTATION , Airport Express Service Rolls Out New Green Luxury Option
/ref>

References

{{reflist

External links