Western University airport limo.
Toronto Pearson to the Richmond Gates on one published rate, driven by the same family since 1976. Book it from anywhere in the world; the student pays the driver at the residence door.
Pearson to Western, flat
The published out-of-town rate for London, HST included, the same to 1151 Richmond St, London, ON N6A 3K7 as to any address in the city, and the same in both directions. 175 km · about 105 to 135 minutes. Never surges.
Western sits at the top of Richmond Street in London, about 175 kilometres and a little under two hours of Highway 401 from Pearson. For a first-year student landing from overseas, that is the last leg of a very long day, and it is the one leg nobody should have to improvise. A chauffeur is waiting when the flight lands, the fare was fixed when the trip was booked, and the car goes to the residence door, not to a bus terminal downtown with the suitcases still to solve.
Parents book this trip more often than students do, usually from another time zone. The booking page takes an international mobile number, and ticking the box for a passenger who is not you sends the driver's on-the-day text to the student while the confirmation comes to you. The fare is one published rate for the whole of London, HST included, so what you see before you confirm is what your son or daughter settles with the driver at Saugeen-Maitland or Ontario Hall, by card or cash in the car. No deposit, no card on file, nothing paid in advance.
The same trip runs the other way at the end of term, and again for the December and April flights home. The sedan takes three passengers and three checked bags; a student arriving for a full academic year with two large cases and a carry-on each is the reason we suggest the SUV, which takes six passengers and five bags without anyone holding a suitcase on their lap for two hours.
Your first landing at Pearson, in order
- Your flight is tracked automatically from the moment you book, so a late departure or a slow taxi to the gate moves your driver's timing without a call from anyone.
- Included waiting starts from wheels-down: 60 minutes on international arrivals, 30 on domestic. That is enough for immigration, a study permit interview, and baggage for almost everyone.
- When you reach arrivals with your bags, look at your phone. Your chauffeur has texted the exact spot they are standing, curbside at your terminal, with the car's licence plate.
- Walk out, find the plate, and the driver loads everything. Nothing to sign and nothing to pay yet.
- At the campus door you pay the driver, by card or cash in the car, exactly the flat fare you saw when the trip was booked. HST is already in it.
Where the car goes on campus
- First-year residences are all on the main campus and every one is a door we can pull up to: Saugeen-Maitland Hall and Delaware Hall off Western Road, Medway-Sydenham, Perth, Essex, Elgin and Ontario Hall on the north side, and London Hall and Alumni House further in. Put the residence name in the booking notes and the driver goes to that entrance rather than the Richmond Gates.
- Ivey Business School on Western Road, University Hospital at the north edge of campus and the Richmond Row hotels are regular drop-offs for visiting faculty, families and conference travellers, on the same published rate as the residences.
- Huron University College on Western Road and King's University College on Epworth Avenue are separate addresses a few minutes from the main gates; enter the college's own address on the booking page and the fare is the same London rate.
- Move-in falls in the days before Labour Day, and the Pearson to London corridor is busy with families that week. Book the pickup as soon as the flight is ticketed; the driver's name and licence plate are texted before pickup whichever week it is.
- London has its own airport, but many international routes connect through Pearson and a direct car is often quicker than a connection plus the wait. Off-peak the drive is about 105 minutes; a weekday afternoon through Milton and the 401 construction zones can push it toward 135.
Every trip includes
- GTAA-tariff flat rate. HST included.
- Meet & greet at arrivals: coming soon.
- Flight tracking automatically. If you land early, the driver knows; if you're delayed, the pickup shifts.
- Complimentary airport wait from wheels-down: 60 minutes international, 30 domestic.
- Free cancellation up to 2 hours before pickup.
Western questions, answered.
How much is a limo from Pearson to Western University?
London is a single published out-of-town rate, HST included, and it is the same to Saugeen-Maitland Hall, to Ivey, or to an apartment on Richmond Row. The sedan and SUV fares are shown above and are identical in both directions. Nothing is added for the time of day, the weekend, the weather, or a delayed flight.
Can I book this from outside Canada for my child?
Yes, and most Western bookings arrive that way. Use your own mobile number with its country code on the booking page, tick that you are booking for someone else, and enter the student's number. You get the confirmation and any changes; the student gets the driver's text on landing saying exactly where the car is. Payment is settled with the driver at the campus door, so nothing is charged to you in advance.
What if the flight is late or the immigration line is long?
The flight is tracked automatically, so the driver's timing follows the aircraft, not the schedule. From wheels-down there are 60 minutes of included waiting on an international arrival, which covers immigration and a study permit interview for almost everyone. Beyond that, waiting is billed at the posted per-10-minute rate, and the driver stays.
How long is the drive from Pearson to Western?
About 105 minutes off-peak, almost all of it on Highway 401 west, coming off at Wonderland or Highbury and up to Richmond Street. A weekday afternoon can stretch it toward 135 minutes through the Milton stretch and the 401 widening works. For a departing flight we set the pickup time from live traffic, and dispatch answers 24/7 if the flight moves.
Where at Pearson does the driver meet a student who has never been here?
Curbside at the arrivals level of their terminal, and they do not have to find it: the driver texts the student's phone with the exact spot and the car's licence plate before they clear baggage. If the student's phone will not work in Canada yet, put a parent's number on the booking as well, and the driver's text goes to whoever can read it.
Sedan or SUV for a student arriving for the year?
The sedan carries up to three passengers and three checked bags, which suits a student travelling light or a parent visiting for a weekend. Two large suitcases, a carry-on and a backpack each is already at the sedan's limit for two people, so for a move-in trip we recommend the SUV: six passengers, five bags, and room for the things bought at the airport.
Do you drop at Huron, King's or the downtown hotels as well?
Yes. Huron on Western Road and King's on Epworth Avenue are each a few minutes from the main gates; enter the college's address and the fare is the same London rate. Richmond Row and the downtown hotels, University Hospital and the Ivey building are all routine stops on the same published rate.
How does the trip home at the end of term work?
In reverse and on the same flat rate. Book the pickup from the residence with the flight number; we suggest a departure time that allows the two-hour drive plus the check-in window your airline wants. If the flight moves, tell us once and the pickup moves. Cancellation is free up to 2 hours before pickup.
Can a group of students share one car?
Up to six in the SUV, with five checked bags between them, which makes a shared ride from the same residence cheaper per person than most alternatives. For seven or more, or for a group with a full year's luggage each, we dispatch two vehicles together under one booking, arriving at the same time.