City-to-City Car Service: Long-Distance Private Drives from Toronto and Across Canada

What is a long-distance car service, and when does it beat the train or a flight?

A long-distance car service takes you from one city to another in a single vehicle with a chauffeur, door to door, on a fixed fare agreed before you travel. It is not a taxi on a meter and it is not a coach with fixed stops. You choose the pickup, the drop-off and the time.

Get an instant fare

Onroutz.ca plans these routes as a route planner first. For each trip we show the distance, the typical drive time, what the train or plane would take, and when the private car makes sense. In Toronto and southern Ontario the cars are our own. Elsewhere in Canada a vetted, licensed, commercially insured local partner drives, booked and invoiced by the Toronto desk. This hub links to every intercity route page. For the airport side, see the Canada overview.

Intercity routes at a glance

These are typical road distances and drive times. Each can double on a bad winter day, a holiday Friday or a border backlog, and the individual route pages give the detail.

Ontario day trips and short intercity drives

Most requests start in Toronto. The classic is Toronto to Niagara Falls, the single busiest route we plan, with variants from the airport and the station: Pearson to Niagara Falls and Union Station to Niagara Falls. On arrival, limousine hire in Niagara Falls covers the town itself.

North of the city, Toronto to Casino Rama, Pearson to Barrie and Pearson to Muskoka are the cottage-country drives, with Toronto to Blue Mountain for the ski season. West and east, Pearson to Kitchener-Waterloo, Pearson to London, Pearson to Kingston and Hamilton Airport to Toronto serve business and student traffic. Look at the Toronto and GTA overview for the city end.

The 407 ETR can save time on the Toronto approaches. It is fully electronic, with no cash lane, billed by transponder or licence-plate camera, as explained by 407 ETR. On a booked trip the chauffeur handles it.

Toronto to Ottawa and Toronto to Montreal

The Toronto–Ottawa–Montreal corridor is a major business route. Toronto to Ottawa is roughly 450 km, and Toronto to Montreal roughly 540 km. VIA Rail serves both city centres, and flights take roughly an hour in the air, but the airport time at each end narrows the gap. A private car is a working room for a team that wants to prepare on the way, and it removes the last-mile problem at both ends. On request, we arrange for the chauffeur to collect you from an office or home and drop you at the meeting, not at a station.

For the airports at the other end, see the Ottawa airport page and Montréal-Trudeau. Montreal visitors in June should read the Canadian Grand Prix page.

Crossing the border by car

Several routes cross the Canada–US border, and a private car removes the change of vehicle at the bridge. Toronto to New York City is the long one, about 800 km and a full day. Toronto to Buffalo Airport and Buffalo Airport to Niagara Falls cover the Niagara crossing, and Detroit Airport to Windsor covers the Detroit–Windsor crossing. For New York, the Amtrak Maple Leaf makes a daily run in about 12 hours 30 minutes and crosses the border at Niagara Falls, which shows why many travellers choose a car or a flight.

Rules to remember:

• Carry passports for everyone, including children.
• All persons arriving at a US port of entry are inspected by CBP officers, and ESTA is for Visa Waiver Program travellers, as CBP explains. It does not guarantee entry.
• Canadian customs rules, including the advance declaration through ArriveCAN, are on the CBSA site.
• Border waits are unpredictable. On a busy weekend, a crossing can add an hour or more.

Cross-border trips between Toronto and the United States run from Toronto. Rides that begin inside the US are driven by US-licensed partners. See the USA overview for those.

Mountain routes: Banff, Canmore and Whistler

The Rockies and the coast mountains are where a private car matters most. Calgary Airport to Banff and Calgary Airport to Canmore start at Calgary International, 17 km from downtown. Vancouver Airport to Whistler leaves from Vancouver International. Winter road conditions are the issue: snow, ice, fog and sudden closures can lengthen the drive, and a chauffeur who knows the road keeps a safe pace. Skis, snowboards and golf bags fit a Luxury SUV (up to 6 passengers, 5 to 6 large bags) or an Executive Sprinter (up to 12 passengers and 12 bags).

When the train or flight is the better choice

We say so when it is true. A solo traveller going from downtown Toronto to downtown Ottawa or Montreal, with one bag and a tight budget, may do better on VIA Rail. A flight wins on the longest routes if both ends have easy airport access. The car wins when:

• Three or more people share one vehicle, so the single fare covers everyone.
• You carry ski gear, golf clubs, stroller or large cases.
• Your start or end point is not a station or an airport.
• You want to make stops on the way, such as wineries in Niagara-on-the-Lake or lunch in Kingston.
• The schedule leaves no room for a missed connection.
• Children need car seats and a quiet cabin.

Check your fixed fare

How long-distance trips are planned and priced

Intercity trips are quoted for the whole journey. The booker shows a fixed all-in fare for your exact pickup, drop-off and vehicle before you pay, and an hourly booking is available when you want a car to wait at your destination. Multi-leg itineraries, such as Toronto to Niagara and back via a winery, sit on one booking. Corporate accounts have monthly invoicing and are set up through the travel desk. For point-to-point airport and hotel transfers, see the transfers hub.

Every vehicle is shown "or similar", with the model confirmed at booking: Executive Sedan (up to 3 passengers), First Class Sedan (up to 3), Luxury SUV (up to 6), Executive Sprinter (up to 12) and mini-coaches and coaches of 20 to 56 seats on request. For special occasions or high-profile travel, Maybach, Rolls-Royce, stretch and armoured vehicles are available on request (availability confirmed at booking). Child, toddler and booster seats can be requested at booking, and most vehicles carry water and phone charging. See the fleet page.

Booking and cancellation

Cancellation, counted from the scheduled pickup: more than 72 hours' notice, no charge; 72 hours or less, 10%; 48 hours or less, 50%; 24 hours or less or a no-show, 100%. Event bookings can carry their own deadline, always printed on the confirmation. Payment and changes are covered in the FAQ.

Reserve your car