HamiltonLimo.net provides chauffeured cars for private and charter passengers using the FBOs at Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport (YTZ). Book with the tail number, the FBO and the estimated arrival; the car meets your party on the mainland side as the FBO directs. To downtown Hamilton it is about 70 km and 55–80 minutes; a business sedan is $275–340, all-in plus HST, as a planning range.
Billy Bishop private aviation ground transportation: the island difference
Billy Bishop sits on the Toronto Island, a few hundred metres off the foot of Bathurst Street, and that shapes every private flight there. Airline passengers cross by the pedestrian tunnel or the short ferry and meet cars at the mainland pavilion on Eireann Quay. Private and charter passengers use a fixed-base operator on the island instead of the passenger terminal, and how they get from the FBO to a car depends on the handler's arrangements. Our job is to have the right car at the right spot when your party reaches the mainland, timed to the aircraft rather than a timetable, and then to get you to Hamilton, Burlington, Niagara or a day of meetings in downtown Toronto.
Which FBO: Porter FBO and other handlers
We checked on 30 September 2026. Porter FBO lists its location as Hangar 6 at Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport, open 5:30 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. seven days a week, with a lounge, meeting rooms, crew facilities and a complimentary shuttle for passengers. Other handling arrangements exist on the island, and details change, so tell us which FBO your crew or broker has booked. The FBO decides how passengers move between the hangar and the mainland; we follow its instructions and confirm the meeting point with the desk before the day.
Aircraft at the island airport
The island airport operates under long-standing rules that keep jet aircraft out, with narrow exceptions such as medical flights, so the business aircraft you see there are mostly turboprops. Porter's own airline fleet, charter turboprops and medevac flights share the field. For you, that usually means a smaller cabin, a shorter flight and fewer bags, and it means a jet charter to Toronto will normally use Pearson instead; see our Pearson FBO page. Check the aircraft type with your operator if you are unsure which airport your charter can use. The airport's own information is on billybishopairport.com.
Planning fares from Billy Bishop
Planning ranges, one way, all-in (chauffeur, vehicle, fuel, 407 tolls if used and gratuity) with HST shown separately. The reservation engine prices the exact meeting point, destination, date and vehicle.
| Billy Bishop to | Distance | Drive time | Business sedan | First-class sedan | Executive SUV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Downtown Hamilton | 70 km | 55–80 min | $275–340 | $690–850 | $455–560 |
| Burlington | 55 km | 45–65 min | $225–275 | $565–690 | $370–455 |
| Oakville | 40 km | 35–55 min | $175–220 | $440–550 | $290–360 |
| Ancaster | 75 km | 60–85 min | $290–355 | $725–885 | $480–590 |
| Niagara-on-the-Lake | 125 km | 85–110 min | $400–490 | $1,000–1,225 | $660–810 |
Downtown Hamilton is our published rate-card range; the others are planning figures on the same basis. A Sprinter for up to 14 is about 2.75 times the business-sedan figure. Downtown Toronto traffic is the swing factor on every row.
Tail-number tracking and waiting
Book with the aircraft's registration, its departure airport and the crew's estimated arrival. We follow the flight where tracking data is available and stay in touch with the FBO desk, so an early arrival from Montreal or a late one from a northern Ontario site moves the chauffeur, not your principal. Included waiting runs from actual block-in: 30 minutes after Canadian domestic and US arrivals and 60 minutes after other international arrivals, then 15-minute blocks. At the island, add the time the FBO needs to bring passengers and bags across; the chauffeur waits at the agreed mainland point and messages you when in position.
Where the car meets you
Our chauffeurs never assume they can drive onto the island. By default the chauffeur waits at the mainland pick-up area on Eireann Quay, beside the ferry and tunnel pavilion, and the FBO's staff or shuttle brings passengers and bags across. If the FBO has arranged something different for your flight, such as an escorted vehicle or a specific door, the dispatcher confirms it with the desk before the day and the chauffeur follows those instructions exactly, with photo ID and vehicle papers in hand.
Customs for international private arrivals
Private flights from the United States and elsewhere must report to the Canada Border Services Agency, and the crew or operator is responsible. General-aviation flights report through CBSA's telephone reporting process, and operators in the CANPASS Private Aircraft program follow the conditions CBSA sets out on its reporting your entry page; the aircraft must use an airport of entry. Passengers stay with the FBO until the crew confirms clearance. The chauffeur waits on the mainland with 60 minutes included from block-in on international arrivals, which covers most clearances.
Crew transport
Turboprop crews often fly several legs in a day and overnight near the airport or in Hamilton when the aircraft is based at YHM. We carry crews between the island, downtown hotels, Hamilton's YHM FBO and Pearson, with pickups tied to duty times. Early departures are confirmed the evening before. A Sprinter handles a larger crew with flight bags. Crew contact details stay with our dispatch desk.
Hourly chauffeurs for a day in Toronto or Hamilton
The main reason principals fly into the island is downtown Toronto: the financial district is minutes away. A principal who lands at 8 a.m., has meetings on Bay Street and King Street, lunch near the waterfront and an afternoon site visit in Hamilton wants one car all day. Hourly chauffeur service gives exactly that: one car and one chauffeur for a 3-hour minimum, waiting at each stop. A business sedan is $120–145 per hour, a first-class sedan $285–350 and an executive SUV $190–235, all-in plus HST. For a named chauffeur on repeat visits, see our private chauffeur service.
The drive from the island to Hamilton
From Eireann Quay the chauffeur heads to the Gardiner Expressway westbound, then the QEW through Etobicoke, Mississauga and Oakville, or the 403 and 407 when the QEW is slow, with any 407 toll already in the fare. Downtown Toronto's rush hours are the variable: a 4:30 p.m. departure from the waterfront can add 20 minutes before the car reaches the Humber. Events at the waterfront and nearby stadiums also slow Bathurst Street and Lake Shore Boulevard. The chauffeur checks traffic before leaving; the full public-road detail is on our Hamilton to Billy Bishop route page.
Choosing the vehicle
- First-class sedan: the usual car for a principal with a briefcase and a carry-on.
- Business sedan: up to 3 passengers and 3 bags for straightforward transfers.
- Business SUV: up to 5 passengers and 5 bags in a black Tahoe or Yukon, close to sedan money with winter traction; about $360–440 to downtown Hamilton.
- Executive SUV: up to six, or a family with luggage.
- Sprinter: up to 14, for a delegation or a crew and passengers together.
- Jet Sprinter: a VIP lounge Sprinter for up to 7 and 5 bags, with captain's chairs and a work table for a delegation that wants to meet on the move; $650–750 an hour.
Rolls-Royce and Maybach cars come from vetted partner operators in the LimousineWorldwide.Directory network. Turboprop cabins are small, so bags are usually light, but tell the dispatcher the passenger and bag count anyway; a delegation of five with briefcases and garment bags is more comfortable in an SUV than squeezed into two sedans, and it keeps the group together for the drive.
Airline passengers and connections
If you are flying Porter or Air Canada from the island rather than privately, use our Billy Bishop airport page instead; the pick-up routine at the pavilion is described there. Travellers connecting from a train can combine the island with Union Station, a short drive east, on one hourly booking.
Weather and the harbour
The island's weather is the lake's weather. Fog and low cloud off Lake Ontario can delay or divert turboprop flights, and strong winds in spring and autumn affect the ferry as well as the runway. When a flight diverts to Pearson or Hamilton, the dispatcher sends the car to the new FBO and adjusts the fare to the new address. In winter the Gardiner and QEW can be slow in snow; the chauffeur leaves early and keeps you updated by message.
A typical island arrival, step by step
The evening before, the dispatcher confirms the tail number, FBO and estimated time and agrees the mainland meeting point with the desk. On the day, the chauffeur parks near the Eireann Quay pavilion before the aircraft lands and messages the lead passenger or assistant. The FBO brings the party and bags across; the chauffeur loads the trunk and the car heads west to the Gardiner. For the return trip, the chauffeur drops the party at the agreed mainland point at the time the crew sets, and the FBO takes it from there.
Discretion and conduct
Our chauffeurs do not discuss clients, destinations or conversations, do not photograph aircraft or passengers, and do not share tail numbers or schedules outside our office. Sign boards are optional; many clients prefer a trip name or none at all. The gratuity is included in the fare, and the receipt can be issued to a company, a trip reference or the passenger, whichever your flight department prefers for its records.
Brokers, flight departments and assistants
Charter brokers and corporate flight departments often arrange ground transport on behalf of passengers, and island flights have more moving parts than most: the FBO's crossing, the mainland meeting point and downtown traffic. You can book on HamiltonLimo.net's reservation engine in the passenger's name, add the tail number, FBO and trip reference in the notes, and have confirmations sent to both you and the traveller. The dispatcher coordinates the meeting point with the FBO desk so you do not have to. Regular users can open a corporate account with monthly invoicing and a single contact at our dispatch desk.
Island flights for site visits and roadshows
Short turboprop hops into the island suit day trips: investors visiting a Hamilton plant, a team touring properties across the Golden Horseshoe, a company roadshow with three meetings between Toronto and Burlington. Those days are planned as one hourly booking from the island and back, with the dispatcher building the schedule around meeting times and traffic. Our roadshows and site visits page shows how multi-stop days are laid out, and the car waits at each stop so nobody hunts for a taxi on Bay Street.
Booking direct
Book on HamiltonLimo.net's own reservation engine: choose Billy Bishop, add the FBO and tail number in the notes, pick the vehicle and you see the fixed all-in fare before you confirm. Brokers and assistants can book in the passenger's name. Cancellation is free more than 72 hours before pickup; 72 hours or less is 10 %, 48 hours or less 50 %, and 24 hours or less or a no-show is charged in full.
