City-to-city transfers
City to city, door to door, one fare
Toronto to Montreal is five and a half hours by car and no airport, no station and no connection. For two or more travellers with luggage, a fixed-fare intercity transfer is faster door to door than the flight and quieter than the train.
Routes
The intercity runs we drive from Toronto
Times are typical daytime drive times in normal conditions. The fare is for the vehicle and does not change with traffic, weather or the border queue.
| Toronto to | Distance | Typical time | Vehicle most booked | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Montreal | 540 km | 5 h 30 | S-Class or Escalade ESV | One planned stop near Kingston; two chauffeurs on same-day returns |
| Ottawa | 450 km | 4 h 30 | S-Class | Parliament Hill drop, or Ottawa airport for onward flights |
| Kingston | 265 km | 2 h 45 | S-Class | Queen's University and the Thousand Islands |
| London, Ontario | 190 km | 2 h | S-Class | Western University, hospitals |
| Windsor | 370 km | 3 h 45 | Escalade | Continues to Detroit across the Ambassador Bridge |
| Detroit | 380 km | 4 h 15 | Escalade | Cross-border; DTW airport and downtown |
| Buffalo | 160 km | 1 h 45 | S-Class or Escalade | Airport, Bills games, Sabres games, the outlet malls |
| Rochester | 270 km | 3 h | S-Class | Via Lewiston-Queenston |
| New York City | 800 km | 8 h 30 | Escalade ESV | Two chauffeurs, overnight positioning; quoted by a coordinator |
| Blue Mountain / Collingwood | 160 km | 2 h | Escalade ESV | Ski luggage, winter tyres, all-wheel drive |
| Muskoka | 220 km | 2 h 30 | Escalade ESV | Cottage runs Friday out, Sunday back |
Montreal
London, Ontario
DetroitWhy the car wins
Door to door, the flight to Montreal takes longer than the drive
Add the trip to Pearson, the hour before departure, the flight, the wait for bags and the ride into the city and a Toronto to Montreal flight is four to five hours of travel with none of it useful. The train is more civilised but starts and ends at a station. The car leaves from your door when you are ready, stops when you want coffee, carries all the luggage, and puts the working hours back into the day with Wi-Fi and a table in the Sprinter.
Every fare is for the vehicle, so three colleagues pay the same as one. Bookings over eight hours of driving are staffed with two chauffeurs who change over at a planned stop.
How it is run
What is planned before the car leaves
Rested chauffeur
Intercity runs are rostered so the chauffeur starts the day with the run, not at the end of a shift.
Planned stops
A comfort stop every two hours or on request, at places with decent coffee rather than the first service centre.
Border paperwork
The vehicle's commercial documents and the chauffeur's credentials are in order; passengers bring passports and any visas or eTAs.
Winter equipment
Winter tyres from November to April, all-wheel drive on the Escalades, and a dispatcher watching the 401 and the 400 for closures.
73 countries our own chauffeurs across the Greater Toronto Area, association affiliates everywhere else
Book
Price an intercity transfer
Enter the two addresses and the booker returns the fixed fare for each vehicle. New York and multi-day trips are quoted by a coordinator.
Weddings, proms, multi-day chauffeur hire and anything with more than one vehicle are quoted by a person: call (877) 860-3388 or send the outline and a coordinator replies with a written quote.
Sources
Border and route references
- Canada Border Services AgencyLive border wait times for the return leg.
- U.S. Customs and Border ProtectionEntry requirements for the outbound leg.
- VIA Rail CanadaThe rail alternative on the Toronto to Montreal and Ottawa corridors.
- 407 ETR rate chartTolls on the 407 are inside every fare that uses it.