If we only consider the goal of facilitating air travel, there are compelling reasons to integrate this new piece of infrastructure – known formally as the Regional Transit and Passenger Centre, or RTPC – into Toronto Pearson. Providing better ground transportation connections would help accommodate the growing demand for global access that we expect will continue in the coming decades. The RTPC would not only get people to and from our airport more quickly and efficiently, but would also meet our need for expanded passenger processing facilities.
The concept envisions outbound passengers, travelling by various mode of ground transport, checking in at the RTPC, while Toronto Pearson’s terminals would be reconfigured as concourses only. Similarly, the flow of arriving passengers would be directed to the RTPC for easy connections to ground transportation networks.
Extending our responsibility
But the scope of our responsibility as a mega hub is not limited to moving passengers within Toronto Pearson’s footprint – “from the curb to the gate,” as the industry saying goes. Our vision, to be the best airport in the world, extends beyond the immediate needs of air travel to take in all dimensions of regional connectivity. It will only be fully realized if we help to facilitate the entire passenger journey, “from home to home.”
The value Toronto Pearson delivers to individual passengers is measured by how easily they can travel those crucial extra kilometres to or from their front door or office or hotel room. And the value we deliver as an economic engine can only fulfill its potential if the connectivity we provide extends into the region’s commercial, financial and employment ecosystem. This isn’t just a gesture of community goodwill; it’s a fundamental social and economic obligation of Toronto Pearson – and of any airport that aspires to be a true mega hub.
The road to peace of mind
The roads and highways that serve the Airport Employment Zone are regularly clogged, as commuters and other commercial vehicles make over a million trips daily. The RTPC would help to alleviate traffic jams – a significant source of carbon pollution – not to mention unhealthy stress for the 300,000 people who work in the area, 95 per cent of whom commute by car.
We’ve also examined the potential benefits for nearly 450,000 people who travel from the western end of the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area and back each day. Of those who head into the downtown core, about half use public transit. But twice as many commuters travel the Midtown Arc (the Highway 401 corridor) or the Northern Arc (Highway 407), and less than 10 per cent of them use public transit. Here again, the RTPC would provide a welcome alternative: economical, sustainable and better for everyone’s peace of mind.
Among North American cities with populations over five million, virtually all have at last two major transit centres. Whereas Toronto, despite having the worst average commuter drive times in North America – and ranking sixth in the world for traffic congestion – has only one ground transportation hub, Union Station, which cannot alleviate the steady erosion of economic productivity and community well-being.
The RTPC would better connect people to their current workplaces and new opportunities while giving employers access to a larger talent pool. It would improve the flow of goods and services across the GTHA. And indeed, it would get travellers to and from our airport more smoothly and conveniently. All of these positive impacts together represent Toronto Pearson’s mega hub vision.
RTPC = lower GHG
We believe that creating the Regional Transit and Passenger Centre (RTPC) at Toronto Pearson would increase transit usage among air travellers and airport employees from the current 10 per cent to a target range of 25–30 per cent. This would reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by an estimated 83,000 tonnes a year – equivalent to taking 18,000 cars off the road.
Uber and Lyft pilot
In June 2018, Toronto Pearson launched a pilot with two leading transportation network companies, Uber and Lyft, in response to demand from passengers who find these services convenient. Initial feedback indicates that travellers appreciate having additional choices within our range of ground transportation options.
