YYZ · Arrivals Guide
Toronto Pearson Terminal 1 and Terminal 3 Pickup Guide
You have landed at Canada's busiest airport and you want one thing, the door where your car is waiting. This guide walks the arrival in order, from the jet bridge to the curb, with the airport's own pages behind every door letter we print.
Door Apre-arranged desk, T1 and T3Doors P to Sride share at Terminal 1Checked 20 Sep 2026and again before your pickup
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Door AT1 & T3 pre-arranged desk
Checked Sep 2026Against torontopearson.com
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Terminal 1 and 3 Pickup Guide
The short answer: Door A, Arrivals level, both terminals
Pearson moved 47.3 million passengers in 2025, and almost every one of them walked out of a door wondering whether it was the right one. The doors are the part nobody explains properly. Most limo and taxi guides copy each other, print a door letter nobody sourced, and never update it when the airport changes something.
Read the full introduction
If you are sorting out a Pearson Airport pickup at Terminal 1 or Terminal 3, the door you want is in here. So here is the arrival in the order it happens, with the airport's own page behind each fact. Where the airport has not published a detail, this page says so rather than guessing. If you want the service rather than the walkthrough, our airport transfer page covers how a booking works.
Step by step
From the jet bridge to your car, step by step
Press play or switch between an international and a domestic arrival. The path is the same at Terminal 1 and Terminal 3; only the doors around Door A differ.
Land & deplane
Customs (CBSA)
Baggage claim
Arrivals level
Door A desk
Your car
- 0 minYou land and walk off the plane
Switch your phone on. We are already tracking the flight, so an early or late landing has moved your pickup automatically.
- International onlyClear customs
Use a Primary Inspection Kiosk or eGate, then see an officer. Pearson says to allow 1 to 3 hours for customs and bags on international arrivals. You can fill in your Advance Declaration up to 72 hours ahead.
- EveryoneCollect your bags
Text us when you are at the carousel. It is the best moment to tell us about extra bags or a stroller.
- Follow the signsHead out to the Arrivals level
Follow the signs for ground transportation. At both terminals the pre-arranged desk is at Door A.
- Pre-arranged pickupCheck in at the Door A desk
Tell the dispatcher you have a pre-arranged pickup with Pearson GTA Limo. Your chauffeur is called up from the waiting area to the curb.
- A few minutesYour chauffeur loads the bags
Waiting at the curb is not allowed, so the car arrives as you do. Meet and greet customers are walked out from inside instead.
Terminal 1 or Terminal 3
Where exactly: Terminal 1 and Terminal 3
Door A is the pre-arranged pickup at both terminals. The walk-up stands and rideshare zones are at different doors, which is where most people get lost.
Pre-arranged pickup (us)
Door A · Arrivals levelThe pre-arranged desk is inside at Door A. Tell the dispatcher your company name and your chauffeur is dispatched to the curb.
Not our pickup, for reference
Doors C, D and P–S- Walk-up limo stand: Door C
- Taxi stand: Door D
- Uber, Lyft and Hopp: Ground level, Doors P–S (from 2 March 2026)
- Uber Black and Lyft Lux: Door A
Airlines at Terminal 1
Air Canada and partners- Air Canada, United, Lufthansa, Emirates and Etihad, among others
- The free Terminal Link train runs 24 hours, 2 to 8 minutes between stations
Pre-arranged pickup (us)
Door A · Arrivals levelSame letter as Terminal 1. The pre-arranged desk is inside at Door A; your chauffeur is called up from the waiting area.
Not our pickup, for reference
Doors E, B and D- Walk-up taxis and limos: Door E
- Uber, Lyft and Hopp: Arrivals level, Doors B and D (from 1 June 2026)
- Uber Black and Lyft Lux: Door A
Airlines at Terminal 3
WestJet, Porter and more- WestJet, Porter, Delta, American, British Airways, KLM, Air France, Air Transat and Flair, among others
- Landed at the wrong terminal? Take the Terminal Link train and text us
Pin shows the terminal arrivals curb. Door letters are posted on the doors themselves; follow the signs to Door A. Airport details from torontopearson.com, checked 20 September 2026.
Which pickup is which
Pre-arranged car, walk-up stand or rideshare?
| Pre-arranged car (us) | Walk-up taxi or limo | Rideshare (Uber, Lyft, Hopp) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Where | Door A desk, Arrivals level, both terminals | T1: Door C (limo), Door D (taxi) · T3: Door E | T1: Ground level, Doors P–S · T3: Arrivals level, Doors B and D |
| Price | Flat rate agreed before you fly | The airport's flat-rate tariff by zone; limos cost about 10% more than taxis | Set in the app, and it can surge |
| Waiting | Flight tracked; car called up when you reach Door A | Queue at the stand for the next car | Driver cannot wait at the curb; match in the app |
| Meet inside | Optional meet and greet with a name sign | No | No |
| Bags and groups | Sedan, SUV or Sprinter matched to your bags | Whichever car is next in line | Depends on the product you order |
| Accessibility | Tell us when you book | Accessible vehicles on request at the stands | Depends on the app and the area |
01 · THE FIRST TEN MINUTES
You have landed. What happens before you reach the doors?
The plane parks and you walk off. From there the arrival splits two ways, and which one you are on decides how long it is before anyone can meet you.
Arriving from another Canadian city, you walk straight through to the baggage hall. Arriving from outside Canada, you clear immigration and customs first, then collect your bags. That is the part that stretches. On a quiet morning it is short. When four wide bodies land together it is not, and nobody can tell you in advance which one you will get.
Keep reading
The other thing worth knowing is which terminal you are standing in, because the two are not next to each other. Terminal 1 is Air Canada and its subsidiaries plus the rest of the Star Alliance carriers. Terminal 3 handles most Oneworld carriers and all the SkyTeam airlines, plus WestJet and Porter. Your boarding pass says which one.
Once you have your bags, you are on the Arrivals level. That is where taxis and limos wait, and where every door letter on this page lives. The airport publishes terminal maps for both buildings as PDFs if you want the layout before you fly.
02 · YOUR BOOKED CAR
Where does a pre-arranged car meet you at Terminal 1 and Terminal 3?
Pearson treats a booked car differently from one you pick up off the rank. You do not have to pre-book a taxi or limo when you arrive, but when you do, the airport's instruction is simple. Go to the designated area on the Arrivals level and tell the dispatcher you are waiting for your pre-arranged ride.
The letter the airport itself names for the pre-arranged desk is Door A, and it is Door A inside Terminal 1 and inside Terminal 3. Same letter, two buildings. The airport names it on its pre-arranged services page in the context of accessible vehicles, which is the one place it commits a letter to print.
Keep reading
The dispatcher is the piece most people do not expect. They are not there to sell you a ride. They hold the list of cars that are booked and waiting, and their job is to match you to yours and call it forward from the holding lot so it reaches the curb roughly when you do. You give them your name or the company name. They do the rest. It is also why your car is not already parked outside when you walk out. Nothing is allowed to sit at that curb.
You can check a car is licensed before you get in. A licensed vehicle at Pearson carries a GTAA number plate on the bumper and a decal on the window. If someone approaches you inside the building offering a ride, speak to the dispatcher instead.
Good to know: The facts on this page were checked on 20 September 2026 against the airport's own pages. Pearson moves these zones, and it moved both ride share pickups this year. We re-check the current door before every airport pickup, and your chauffeur texts you the exact spot once your flight lands.
03 · THE STANDS PEOPLE CONFUSE
The walk-up taxi and limo stands are a different thing entirely
This is where most arrivals go wrong. Pearson has walk-up stands for people who did not book. They are on the Arrivals level, they are signed, and there is usually a queue. If you have a booking, none of that is yours.
The confusion comes from the word limo. At Pearson, an airport limo is not a stretch. It is a premium black car charging roughly ten per cent more than a taxi, on a flat rate with no surge pricing. So a traveller who booked a limo sees a sign saying limo stand, joins that queue, and is now in line for a different car while their own chauffeur waits somewhere else.
Keep reading
The letters are published, and they are not the letter you want. At Terminal 1, on the Arrivals level, taxis wait at Door D and limos at Door C. At Terminal 3, also on the Arrivals level, the taxi stand and the limo stand are both at Door E. Your pre-arranged car is at Door A in either terminal, which is exactly why walking to Door C with a booking in your pocket puts you in somebody else's queue.
Pearson does move these zones, so we re-check the current door before every pickup rather than trusting what we printed last month.
If you did not book and want a price first, a Ground Transport Services agent on the Arrivals level will quote the rate to your destination, and the airport publishes a fare estimate tool.
One more thing catches people. Under the City of Toronto vehicle for hire bylaw, a limousine trip must be arranged through a licensed limousine service company at least twenty minutes before pickup. So even a walk-up limo goes through a dispatcher and a company, not a handshake at the curb.
04 · MEET AND GREET
What is meet and greet, and is it worth paying for?
Meet and greet means your chauffeur parks, walks into the terminal, and is standing in the arrivals hall holding a sign with your name on it when you come out of the customs exit. They take your bags and walk you to the car. You never have to work out a door.
It does not change where the car is. No licensed vehicle is allowed to collect you inside the terminal building or from the parking garage, so the handover still happens at the Arrivals curb. What changes is that someone walks you there instead of you reading signs with a trolley in front of you.
Keep reading
It earns its cost on some trips and not others. It is worth it on a first visit to Pearson, meeting parents off a long flight, a child travelling alone, a traveller whose English is limited, a group of six landing together, or a client you would rather not leave on a curb.
It is not worth it if you fly through Pearson every month with a carry-on. You know the building and a text from your driver is enough. We quote meet and greet as a separate line before you book, so you decide with the number in front of you rather than find it on an invoice.
05 · UBER, LYFT AND HOPP
Where does rideshare pick up at Pearson now, and how is it different?
This is the part that changed, and the reason most pickup guides are now wrong. Pearson reorganised ride share pickup at both terminals during 2026 and gave each provider numbered zones instead of a loose stretch of curb.
At Terminal 1, from Monday 2 March, Uber, Lyft and Hopp pick up along the curb outside doors P, Q, R and S on the ground level. Lyft and Hopp use Zone 3. Uber uses Zones 4 and 5, and Uber passengers are assigned a specific bay within one of those zones. The airport's instruction is to check the app for your pickup location, because the bay is allocated to your trip rather than fixed.
Keep reading
At Terminal 3, from Monday 1 June, ride share picks up along the curb outside doors B and D on the Arrivals level. Zone 2 is Lyft and Hopp. Zone 3 is shared by Uber, Lyft and Hopp. Zones 4, 5 and 6 are Uber.
Here is how quickly this moves. During roadwork from 19 to 22 May, Terminal 3 ride share pickup was lifted off the Arrivals level and moved up to Departures. Four days, a different level. That is why this page carries a checked date.
The difference between an app car and a booked car is not the vehicle. It is everything around the ride. You request an app car after you land, at whatever the price is at that moment, and walk to a bay the app assigns you. Nobody is tracking your flight, and a driver can cancel while you are still at the belt. A booked car has your flight number on it, a price agreed before you flew, and a dispatcher who already knows you landed.
06 · ACCESSIBILITY
Accessible pickups, and what to tell us when you book
If you need an accessible taxi or limo at Pearson, the airport directs you to the pre-arranged desk inside Terminal 1 or Terminal 3 by Door A. That is the same desk that handles booked cars. The airport also states that accessible vehicles able to carry a non-folding or non-collapsible mobility aid are available on request at the limousine stands at each terminal, which is Door C at Terminal 1 and Door E at Terminal 3. Accessible drop-off is available on each terminal's Departures level.
When you book, the detail matters more than on any other trip, because the right vehicle has to be assigned before your flight lands rather than found afterwards.
Worth telling us at the time of booking
- The type of mobility aid, and whether it folds.
- Whether you transfer to a vehicle seat or stay seated in the chair.
- The approximate weight, if it is a power chair or scooter.
- Whether a companion, attendant or service animal is travelling with you.
- Whether you would like meet and greet, so nobody has to find a door.
Keep reading
A folding manual chair fits in most vehicles and is rarely a problem. A power chair or a scooter that does not fold is a different job. It needs a ramp or a lift, and those are not sitting in the holding lot on the off chance. Booked ahead, it is straightforward. Sprung on us at the curb, it is a wait.
07 · THE RULES AT THE CURB
What the airport does not allow, and where a car can legally wait
Three rules shape every pickup at Pearson, and knowing them explains most of what looks like inconvenience.
First, no licensed vehicle collects you inside the terminal or from the parking garage. Everything happens at the Arrivals curb. A chauffeur can come in on foot, but the car does not follow them in.
Keep reading
Second, vehicles must be under 4.5 metres to access the Arrivals and Departures curbs at Terminal 1 and Terminal 3. That is the published limit, and it is the quiet reason a stretch limousine cannot do an ordinary curbside pickup here. A stretch for a wedding party is a different pickup plan.
Third, the curb is for loading, not for waiting. Which raises the obvious question of where anyone waits, and the airport publishes two answers. The Free Waiting Areas let you sit in a parked car free of charge for up to 45 minutes, a short drive from both terminals. An Express Pass gives up to 20 minutes free in the covered garages at Terminal 1 and Terminal 3 for a pickup or a drop-off.
If a friend is collecting you rather than a booked car, send them those two links before they leave home. Forty five minutes free covers a normal customs queue, and it beats circling the terminal loop.
Good to know: We publish the free waiting options even though they cost us bookings, because a family member collecting one passenger does not need a chauffeur. Where we earn the job is groups, luggage, late arrivals and early departures.
08 · WHEN IT DOES NOT GO TO PLAN
Wrong terminal, long queues and how to reach your driver
Two terminals, one airport, and plenty of people end up at the wrong one. It happens when an airline moves a flight between buildings, when a connection lands in the other terminal, or when a booking was made for T3 and the aircraft parked at T1.
The fix is the Terminal Link train, which connects Terminal 1 and Terminal 3. Follow the signs from the Arrivals level. The important part is not the train, it is telling us before you board it. Call or text the number on your confirmation and your car re-stages to the terminal you are actually in. A car in the wrong holding lot helps nobody, and the dispatcher can move it in a minute if they know.
Keep reading
Delays are simpler than people fear. Your flight number goes on the booking and we track it. If you land 90 minutes late, your pickup moves 90 minutes later and nobody charges you for it. If you land early, we are there early. You do not need to phone ahead, because we already know.
The customs queue is the one nobody can predict, so we build in cover rather than promise a time. International arrivals include 60 minutes of free waiting after you land, which covers the walk, the hall and the belt on a normal day. If you are held longer, call or text and we hold the car. Nobody drives away because a bag was slow.
If your phone has not found a signal yet, walk to the pre-arranged desk on the Arrivals level and ask the dispatcher to call the company for you. That is what they are there for, and it is what the airport's own instructions tell you to do.
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Early or late, your pickup time moves with it.
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Related routes, airports and guides
Insider tips for Toronto PearsonTiming, security and getting through YYZ faster.→Airport transfer servicePearson, Billy Bishop, Hamilton and Oshawa airports.→Billy Bishop Airport (YTZ) limoPickups at the downtown island airport.→Hamilton Airport (YHM) limoFlights in and out of John C. Munro International.→Pearson to Niagara FallsAirport rides to Niagara Falls and Niagara-on-the-Lake.→Toronto to PearsonDowntown, North York and every Toronto district.→
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Where do pre-booked limos pick up at Pearson Terminal 1 and Terminal 3?
On the Arrivals level, at the designated pre-arranged area, where you tell the dispatcher you are waiting for your ride. The door letter the airport names for the pre-arranged desk is Door A, in both Terminal 1 and Terminal 3. Because the airport moves these zones, we confirm the current spot before every pickup and your chauffeur texts you the exact location once you land.
Where do Uber and Lyft pick up at Pearson now?
It changed at both terminals during 2026. At Terminal 1, from Monday 2 March, ride share picks up along the curb outside doors P, Q, R and S on the ground level, with Zone 3 for Lyft and Hopp and Zones 4 and 5 for Uber. At Terminal 3, from Monday 1 June, it is along the curb outside doors B and D on the Arrivals level, with Zone 2 for Lyft and Hopp, Zone 3 shared, and Zones 4, 5 and 6 for Uber. Uber passengers are assigned a specific bay, so check the app.
Am I arriving at Terminal 1 or Terminal 3?
Your airline decides. Terminal 1 handles Air Canada and its subsidiaries plus the other Star Alliance carriers. Terminal 3 handles most Oneworld carriers and all SkyTeam airlines, along with WestJet and Porter. Your boarding pass names it, and it is worth checking again the day you travel, because airlines do move flights between buildings.
Can my chauffeur meet me inside the terminal at Pearson?
The chauffeur can, the car cannot. Ask for meet and greet and your chauffeur will be inside the arrivals hall with a name sign, take your bags and walk you out. No licensed vehicle is permitted to pick you up inside the terminal building or in the parking garage, so the car itself is always at the Arrivals curb.
Is there a free place for someone to wait when picking me up?
Yes, two of them. The Free Waiting Areas let a driver wait in a parked car free for up to 45 minutes, a short drive from Terminal 1 and Terminal 3. An Express Pass gives up to 20 minutes free in the covered garages at both terminals for pickups and drop-offs. The Arrivals curb itself is for loading only, not for waiting.
How do I get from Terminal 1 to Terminal 3 if I come out at the wrong one?
Take the Terminal Link train, which connects the two terminals. Follow the signs from the Arrivals level. Before you board, call or text the number on your booking so your car moves to the terminal you are actually in. The dispatcher can re-stage it quickly, but only if somebody tells them.
What happens if my flight is delayed or customs takes an hour?
Your flight number is on the booking and we track it, so a delay moves your pickup automatically at no charge and an early landing means the car is there early. International arrivals include 60 minutes of free waiting time after you land. If the queue runs longer than that, call or text the number on your confirmation and we hold the car.
Where are the walk-up taxi and limo stands at Pearson?
On the Arrivals level at both terminals. At Terminal 1 the taxi stand is Door D and the limo stand is Door C. At Terminal 3 both stands are at Door E. Those are for passengers who did not book ahead, so if you have a pre-arranged car you want Door A instead. Pearson does move these zones, which is why this page carries a checked date and why we confirm the current door before every pickup.
Sources and fact checks (last checked 20 September 2026)
- Pre-arranged taxi and limo procedure, and the pre-arranged desk by Door A in Terminal 1 and Terminal 3 · torontopearson.com/en/transportation-and-parking/pre-arranged-services
- Walk-up stands on the Arrivals level, taxis Door D and limos Door C at Terminal 1 and both at Door E at Terminal 3, accessible vehicles at the limousine stands, GTAA number plate and window decal, no pickups inside terminals or garages · torontopearson.com/en/transportation-and-parking/taxis-and-limos
- Taxi and limo fare estimate tool · torontopearson.com/en/transportation-and-parking/taxis-and-limos/estimate
- Terminal 1 ride share pickup moved to doors P, Q, R and S on the ground level, with zone allocations · torontopearson.com/en/whats-happening/stories/2026/changes-to-ride-share-pickup-at-terminal-1
- Terminal 3 ride share pickup moved to doors B and D on the Arrivals level, with zone allocations and the May roadwork change · torontopearson.com/en/whats-happening/stories/changes-to-ride-share-pickup-at-terminal-3
- Ride sharing at Toronto Pearson · torontopearson.com/en/transportation-and-parking/ride-sharing
- Curb rules, the 4.5 metre vehicle limit, Express Pass 20 minutes free, accessible drop-off on the Departures level · torontopearson.com/en/transportation-and-parking/picking-up-and-dropping-off
- Free Waiting Areas, free for up to 45 minutes · torontopearson.com/en/transportation-and-parking/parking/cell-phone-waiting-area
- Terminal Link train between Terminal 1 and Terminal 3 · torontopearson.com/en/transportation-and-parking/terminal-link-train
- Official Terminal 1 and Terminal 3 maps · torontopearson.com/en/while-you-are-here/terminal-maps
- City of Toronto Municipal Code Chapter 546, limousine trips pre-arranged at least 20 minutes before pickup · toronto.ca/legdocs/municode/toronto-code-546.pdf
- Terminal airline split and 2025 passenger numbers · en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toronto_Pearson_International_Airport
