Detroit to Toronto -- would you take the bus or the train?
June 12, 2023 10:22 AM Subscribe
Research says I can take a Trailways or Flix bus directly from downtown Detroit, including the border crossing, but the bus doesn't get into Toronto 'til ~9pm. Alternatively, I could take the VIA train from Windsor for a 6pm arrival. That timing is ideal, but getting to the train station in Windsor from Detroit is a bit annoying.
It looks like I can take the tunnel bus ($7.50) to public transit in Windsor, adding about an hour extra on the front end to manage any delays. No taxi companies I've called say they'll cross the border; and Uber/Lyft is a big question mark depending on driver. It's only about 4 miles, but with a border crossing in the middle, it's a challenging 4 miles! Also, cost-wise, the bus option is ~$50, the train is $100 + whatever it takes to get to the station, which could be $10 for the tunnel bus and city bus OR whatever a taxi costs if I can find one. And the bus route takes 5.5h all in, whereas the train takes just 4h, but add an hour to get to the Windsor station with all the hullabaloo.
Anyone with experience with either the bus or the train? Positive or negative experiences on either? Getting over the border without your own car? What's the best plan here? What would you do to maximize your ease/comfort/simplicity? Thanks!
It looks like I can take the tunnel bus ($7.50) to public transit in Windsor, adding about an hour extra on the front end to manage any delays. No taxi companies I've called say they'll cross the border; and Uber/Lyft is a big question mark depending on driver. It's only about 4 miles, but with a border crossing in the middle, it's a challenging 4 miles! Also, cost-wise, the bus option is ~$50, the train is $100 + whatever it takes to get to the station, which could be $10 for the tunnel bus and city bus OR whatever a taxi costs if I can find one. And the bus route takes 5.5h all in, whereas the train takes just 4h, but add an hour to get to the Windsor station with all the hullabaloo.
Anyone with experience with either the bus or the train? Positive or negative experiences on either? Getting over the border without your own car? What's the best plan here? What would you do to maximize your ease/comfort/simplicity? Thanks!
Best answer: Train will be nicer trip-wise, but schedule aside, at least with the bus from Detroit-Toronto it's a one-stop shop including crossing the border.
If you want to take the train, you will want to take the tunnel bus to Windsor and taxi/Uber to the VIA station in Windsor.
Windsor is a very car-centric city, and public transit isn't great route/schedule-wise, but the tunnel bus itself was always reliable in my experience when I lived there.
The distance from the tunnel bus terminal in downtown Windsor to the VIA station is only about 3 miles. Windsor public transit will make it seem like 30.
Taxi/Uber/Lyft from the tunnel bus terminal to the train station will be well worth it, and it's a short trip. Veteran Cab is the primary taxi company in Windsor.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 11:08 AM on June 12, 2023 [2 favorites]
If you want to take the train, you will want to take the tunnel bus to Windsor and taxi/Uber to the VIA station in Windsor.
Windsor is a very car-centric city, and public transit isn't great route/schedule-wise, but the tunnel bus itself was always reliable in my experience when I lived there.
The distance from the tunnel bus terminal in downtown Windsor to the VIA station is only about 3 miles. Windsor public transit will make it seem like 30.
Taxi/Uber/Lyft from the tunnel bus terminal to the train station will be well worth it, and it's a short trip. Veteran Cab is the primary taxi company in Windsor.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 11:08 AM on June 12, 2023 [2 favorites]
Checker Cab of Detroit did offer cross-border service as recently as last October, but their URL now resolves to a placeholder which does not inspire confidence. Still, might be worth a call if you didn't try them already.
posted by Johnny Assay at 4:58 PM on June 12, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by Johnny Assay at 4:58 PM on June 12, 2023 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: In case anyone else has this question in the near future -- I wanted to share that I booked the Detroit>Toronto bus in advance, but I ended up not feeling intimidated about the transit to get to the train station once I was there, so I changed my mind on the day of my trip and switched to the train! I took the tunnel bus for $7.50, which was easy to hop on right at the tunnel entrance. They took cash. Once I got to the other side, I walked through immigration, which took about 5 minutes. Then I was on foot in Windsor. I actually saw a person wearing a VIA Rail uniform right near the bus station, and I asked whether he recommended taking a taxi or public transit to the train station. He said Uber was easiest, so I got one. It was about $15, I think, and with waiting for it, took only about 10-15 mins to the station. The VIA RAIL waiting room is clean, nice, well-lit, and has vending machines, but there's not much other food to walk to nearby, only a Tim Horton's. The train was very comfortable (though no outlets, so bring your battery), and I had 5G most of the time (no wifi). We did have a delay en route, which stretched on quite awhile, so we ended up being about an hour and a half late into Toronto. Kind of funny that the train took the same amount of time the bus was predicted to.
I had purchased a refundable ticket for the bus ride, so I just cancelled that and got my refund when I changed my mind to go on the train. And because of the delay, I earned a future credit for VIA rail of 50% of the value of my ticket, which was nice as a compensation for the lateness though I don't know if I'll ever be able to use it. The tunnel bus + Uber were about $25 and added 45 minutes to the front of the trip. (The tunnel was kind of slow.) It doesn't seem clear to me that there's a clear winner between bus or train -- just preference.
Also of note: I asked at my hotel concierge in Detroit whether they knew of a taxi that would take me over the border, and they said no, take the tunnel bus. I also asked two Uber drivers while on short rides in Detroit, both of whom said they have taken people over, but they don't like to do it, and you can't count on getting someone who will. It's a hassle for them and they can get in trouble, so they typically just avoid it altogether.
posted by luzdeluna at 10:39 AM on July 3, 2023
I had purchased a refundable ticket for the bus ride, so I just cancelled that and got my refund when I changed my mind to go on the train. And because of the delay, I earned a future credit for VIA rail of 50% of the value of my ticket, which was nice as a compensation for the lateness though I don't know if I'll ever be able to use it. The tunnel bus + Uber were about $25 and added 45 minutes to the front of the trip. (The tunnel was kind of slow.) It doesn't seem clear to me that there's a clear winner between bus or train -- just preference.
Also of note: I asked at my hotel concierge in Detroit whether they knew of a taxi that would take me over the border, and they said no, take the tunnel bus. I also asked two Uber drivers while on short rides in Detroit, both of whom said they have taken people over, but they don't like to do it, and you can't count on getting someone who will. It's a hassle for them and they can get in trouble, so they typically just avoid it altogether.
posted by luzdeluna at 10:39 AM on July 3, 2023
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I know someone who found a taxi to take them from Detroit to the Windsor VIA station a few weeks ago. It cost them $70.
If you plan to take the public bus across the border to catch the train, the bus station where you will arrive in Windsor is not that close to the train station, you'll have to take a taxi or bus to the train station on the Windsor side.
posted by frau_grubach at 10:58 AM on June 12, 2023 [1 favorite]