TorontoAirportTransfer.services offers non-emergency medical appointment car service across the GTA: a fixed-fare drop-off and pickup, or a chauffeur who waits by the hour from $130–150/h in a sedan (3 h minimum). We also collect patients flying in for treatment at Pearson. For a medical emergency, call 911; we are not an ambulance or a medical transport service.
Medical appointment car service: what it is, and what it is not
A medical appointment car service is a private, pre-booked chauffeured car that takes a patient to a hospital, clinic, specialist or treatment centre, and brings them home. It suits people who cannot or should not drive after a procedure, those who find transit or rideshares stressful when they feel unwell, and families who want a reliable ride for a parent while they are at work.
It is not emergency or medical transport. Our chauffeurs are professional drivers, not paramedics or nurses; they do not carry stretchers, oxygen or medical equipment, and they cannot provide care during the journey. If someone has chest pain, trouble breathing or any other emergency, call 911. For patients who need a stretcher or clinical supervision, your hospital can refer you to a licensed non-urgent patient transfer provider.
Planning fares for medical trips
There are two ways to book. A transfer is a fixed-fare ride to the appointment and a separate fixed-fare ride home at a time you choose. Hourly keeps the chauffeur with you, waiting at the hospital, which is best when the end time is uncertain.
| Trip | Business sedan | Executive SUV / luxury van |
|---|---|---|
| Pearson to downtown hospitals, one way | $130–160 | about +25–30 % |
| Pearson to North York (Sunnybrook area), one way | $105–135 | about +25–30 % |
| Hourly with waiting | $130–150/h (3 h min) | $160–190/h (3 h min) |
| Point-to-point waiting included | 15 minutes | 15 minutes |
All fares include chauffeur, vehicle, fuel and gratuity, with HST shown separately. The reservation engine quotes your exact addresses; the fare calculator gives a quick estimate.
Downtown's hospital district on University Avenue
Several of Toronto's major hospitals sit close together around University Avenue and College Street, including Toronto General and Princess Margaret, part of the University Health Network, Mount Sinai and SickKids. The area is congested on weekday mornings, and each hospital has its own entrances, drop-off loops and parking garages.
Tell dispatch the exact building and entrance on your appointment letter, not just the hospital name. The chauffeur will use the designated patient drop-off where there is one and help the patient to the door. Toronto Western, also part of UHN, is on Bathurst Street, and Unity Health Toronto runs St. Michael's downtown; the same rule about entrances applies.
Sunnybrook, North York and suburban hospitals
Sunnybrook is on Bayview Avenue just south of Highway 401, a large campus with many separate wings, so the entrance matters even more. From the east or west, the 401 is fast outside rush hour and slow inside it; dispatch allows extra time for morning appointments. Holland Bloorview, the children's rehabilitation hospital, is nearby on Kilgour Road.
Suburban hospitals in Mississauga, Brampton, Vaughan, Markham, Oakville and Scarborough each have their own patterns; our city pages, such as North York and Mississauga, cover typical drive times. Wherever the appointment is, give us the address on the letter.
Patients flying in for treatment
Many people travel to Toronto for specialist treatment, consultations or surgery, from elsewhere in Ontario, other provinces or abroad. We collect them at Pearson with flight tracking, curbside at the pre-arranged commercial pickup area, and include 60 minutes of waiting after an international landing and 30 minutes after a Canadian or US one. For a patient who is tired or unsteady, add meet and greet so the chauffeur is waiting inside the arrivals hall; the planning figure is $25–35.
The chauffeur can drive straight to the hospital, to a hotel or to family accommodation near the hospital. International patients should confirm entry requirements, including any eTA or visa, before travelling. The Pearson airport limo page explains the terminals.
Waiting by the hour: how it works at a hospital
Appointments run late. A 10 a.m. imaging slot can become noon, and day surgery discharges can drift through the afternoon. On an hourly booking the chauffeur parks nearby, stays on call and returns to the door when you message him. Hospital parking is not added to your bill; the chauffeur handles it within the hourly rate.
If the end time is truly unknown, for example after a day procedure, many families book a transfer to the hospital and then call dispatch for the ride home when the patient is ready. A car is usually available within the hour in central Toronto, but it cannot be guaranteed at short notice on busy days, so the hourly booking is safer for important discharges.
After a procedure: sedation and discharge rules
Many hospitals and clinics will not discharge a patient who has had sedation unless a responsible adult is there to accompany them home; a taxi or chauffeur alone may not meet that requirement. Check the instructions on your appointment letter or ask the clinic before booking.
Where an adult companion is required, the simplest plan is to book the car for both of you: the companion rides in, waits with the patient and rides home. Our chauffeur can help with the door, the seat belt and the bags, but he cannot be your designated escort.
Mobility, wheelchairs and help at the door
Chauffeurs help patients in and out of the car, carry bags and walk them to the entrance. A folding wheelchair, walker or cane travels in the boot. SUVs sit higher than sedans, which some patients find easier after hip or knee surgery; others find the sedan's lower seat easier. Tell dispatch which suits, and the chauffeur will bring a step stool for an SUV if needed.
Patients who cannot transfer from a wheelchair need a ramp-equipped vehicle. Our wheelchair accessible transfers page explains how we arrange one, and Toronto residents who qualify may also use the TTC's specialised service.
Children's appointments and hospital visits
Families travelling to SickKids or Holland Bloorview often bring car seats, strollers, medical bags and a lot of patience. Infant, convertible and booster seats are available on request; add them at booking. We fit a proper seat for every child who needs one, whatever exemptions exist for vehicles for hire; see child car seat transfers.
For children with complex needs, tell dispatch anything that helps: whether they need quiet, whether they get car sick, and whether a parent needs to sit beside them. The same chauffeur for repeat appointments can be requested and is arranged whenever the schedule allows.
Regular treatment schedules
Some treatments mean a trip every weekday for weeks, or several times a week for months. We can set up a recurring booking with the same pickup time, the same vehicle class and, where the schedule allows, the same chauffeur, so the patient sees a familiar face. Changes are simple: tell dispatch the new appointment times as the clinic gives them to you.
Recurring bookings are billed per trip at the fixed fare for each leg. Ask for an itemised receipt for each ride; whether transport is claimable under an insurance plan or as a medical expense is a question for your insurer or accountant, not something we can promise.
Privacy and discretion
We do not need a diagnosis to book a medical trip, and we do not ask for one. The booking needs a name, pickup address, destination and entrance, and anything that helps the chauffeur, such as "unsteady on stairs" or "needs the front seat". Chauffeurs are briefed to be quiet and discreet and never discuss a passenger's trip with anyone else.
If a family member books for a parent, confirmations can go to the family member while the chauffeur calls the patient on arrival, or the other way round; tell us which.
Winter, weather and early appointments
Early-morning appointments in January and February are where a pre-booked car earns its fare. The chauffeur arrives with the car warm, clears the path to the door if it is short and icy, and allows extra time for the 401 and the DVP in snow. We check Ontario 511 before long drives from outside the city.
For patients coming from Hamilton, Kitchener-Waterloo, Barrie or Peterborough, we plan the pickup so they arrive early rather than rushed; planning figures to Pearson are on the rates page, and similar bands apply to downtown hospitals.
Family members travelling with the patient
Most medical trips carry more than one person: a spouse, an adult child, a parent with a young patient. A sedan seats three passengers comfortably, so a patient with two companions still fits. If a family is staying nearby for a long treatment, for example at a hotel on University Avenue or a family residence near SickKids, the chauffeur can run the daily shuttle between accommodation and hospital.
Companions who need to go home while the patient stays can take a separate transfer; dispatch can book it in the same call. For relatives flying in to be with a patient in hospital, see our family visits and reunions page, which covers airport pickups for elderly and first-time visitors.
What to bring in the car
Pack the appointment letter or referral, the health card, a list of current medications, a phone charger and something to read. After a procedure, a small pillow for a seat belt across a sore abdomen, a blanket and a bottle of water make the ride home easier. The chauffeur will adjust the seat, the temperature and the pace of driving; tell him if bumps or sharp braking are uncomfortable, and he will choose smoother routes, even if they take a few minutes longer.
Choosing between a car service, a taxi and transit
For a routine check-up, the TTC or a taxi may be all you need, and we would rather say so. A pre-booked car earns its fare when the timing matters, when the patient is unsteady or anxious, or when the trip starts outside the city. The fare is fixed before you confirm, so there is no meter running while the car sits in University Avenue traffic, and the same chauffeur who dropped you off can be the one who brings you home.
Rideshare drivers can decline or cancel a trip at the last minute, and hospital taxi stands can have queues at discharge time. With a reservation, the car is assigned the day before and the chauffeur's name and number are already in your phone. Our flat-rate taxi alternative page compares the options for airport trips in more detail.
Booking and cancellation for medical trips
Book in the reservation engine with the hospital name, building and entrance, the appointment time and any mobility notes. Appointments get moved by clinics at short notice, and we understand that; call dispatch as soon as you know. The sitewide cancellation rule is measured from the scheduled pickup: more than 72 hours before, no charge; 72 hours or less, 10 %; 48 hours or less, 50 %; 24 hours or less or a no-show, 100 %. Moving the booking to the new appointment time rather than cancelling is always the better option.
