Toronto Airport Express was a

bus service Public transport bus services are generally based on regular operation of transit buses along a route calling at agreed bus stops according to a published public transport timetable. History of buses Origins While there are indications o ...

operated by

Pacific Western Transportation Pacific Western Transportation (also Trade name, d/b/a P.W. Transportation) provides a variety of bus services in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian provinces of British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario and Yukon. Depending ...

under a contract with the

Greater Toronto Airports Authority The Greater Toronto Airports Authority (GTAA; ) is a Canadian non-profit organization that operates Toronto Pearson International Airport in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. The airport is Canada's largest, that handled 49.5 million passengers in 20 ...

to operate express bus services between

Toronto Pearson International Airport 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 surrounding region known as the Golden Horseshoe. Pearson is the ...

and

downtown Toronto Downtown Toronto is the main city centre 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 Street to the nor ...

. 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 Gray Coach was a Canadian inter-city bus line based in Toronto, Ontario, from 1927 to 1992. It was founded and initially owned by the Toronto Transportation Commission, until sold to Stagecoach in 1990. In 1992 the business was sold to Greyhou ...

. 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 an inner-city area of north London, England, within the wider London Borough of Islington. It is a mainly residential district of Inner London, extending from Islington's #Islington High Street, High Street to Highbury Fields ...

subway station and the other to

Yorkdale Yorkdale Shopping Centre is a shopping mall in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, at the southwest corner of the Highway 401 and Allen Road interchange. It spans of selling space and has sales of per square foot ( per square metre), making it the cou ...

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 re ...

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 journalist, novelist, poet, and short-story writer. 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 primary public transport agency in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, operating the majority of the city's transit bus, bus and rail services. It is the oldest and largest of the urban transit service providers ...

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 (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 (Toronto), Front Street West, the hotel is situated at the southern end of the ...

/ 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 turne ...

(U of T) (Dundas Street West and Chestnut Street) # Toronto Bus Terminal (Elizabeth Street and Edward Street) - starting terminal #

Chelsea Hotel The Hotel Chelsea (also known as the Chelsea Hotel and the Chelsea) is a hotel at 222 West 23rd Street (Manhattan), 23rd Street in the Chelsea, Manhattan, Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. Built between 1883 and 1884, the hot ...

(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 coach (bus), 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. ...

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

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External links