If you arrive at Pearson International Airport late at night, there may only be limos and Town Cars available. Stay away from the limos, unless you’re JLo, and make a beeline towards the Town Cars. Some of these black cabs don’t have meters (or cabbies choose not to run them) so make sure you negotiate the fare with your driver before he commences the 25-30 minute journey.
Once we arrived at the Hilton Garden Inn in Toronto’s downtown Entertainment District, our cabbie announced that the fare was $55 CAN. We had assumed he had the meter running the whole time (since this was Canada and not some third world country), but we were wrong. We reluctantly paid the fare, assuming that we had been ripped-off. However, during hotel check-in we asked the guest services agent how much we should have paid for the ride from the airport, and thankfully he said between $50-60.
On the way back to the airport, we ended up saving $10 because there was little downtown traffic, and we luckily found a regular metered taxi. FYI: Similar to other service industries, like food & beverage, a 15-20% gratuity is generally customary in the Toronto area.
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