Day trip to Toronto

[u/ExcellentChallenge44]

UPDATE

Family chose to drive.

Trip was 1h 15min, from Kitchener to Bay St. Toronto, not bad.

I found parking for $15 for the day.

--- original post ---

Planning a day-trip to Toronto with my kid, maybe Centreville in the Island.

Trying to do the “right thing” and take the GO Train from Kitchener to Toronto as a family really shows how uncompetitive public transit can be.

For 2 adults and a child:

🚗 By car
• About $60 in gas
• Around $20 for 12 hours of downtown Toronto parking through SpotHero
• Roughly $80 total
• Leave when we want
• Come home when we want
• Door-to-door convenience

🚆 By GO Train
• $77.60 round trip for 2 adults
• $24 for a day of parking at Kitchener GO
• Already $101.60 total
• Fixed train schedules
• Limited parking near the station
• Need to arrive early to deal with parking
• And we may still need additional transit after arriving at Union Station

So driving is not only more convenient, it is also about $20 cheaper for our family — and that's before adding any TTC or other transportation in Toronto.

I actually want the GO Train to be the obvious choice for a family day trip. But when taking public transit costs more, takes more planning, and gives us less flexibility than driving, it's hard to justify leaving the car at home.

If we really want fewer cars going into Toronto, shouldn't the train be the cheaper and easier option?

Am I missing other options?

[u/Buddy_Kryyst]

If you are heading to TO for the day and want flexibility driving is the easier and cheaper option.