Orillia commute playbook: coach times and real patterns

rossmanteam.com's commuting guide gives the overview: the highways, the coach, the GO train and local transit. This page is the working version for someone who has to get to the GTA on a schedule. It has the current coach times, how to plan around the Barrie GO stations, how to test drive times honestly, and the weekly patterns that tend to hold up.

What are the current coach times from Orillia?

Ontario Northland's Route 101/102 (Toronto–Barrie–North Bay) published a new timetable effective November 1, 2026. Times changed from the earlier 2026 schedule, so if you saved an older timetable, replace it. All trips below run daily.

Southbound (to Toronto)

Washago	Orillia Transit	Orillia, Memorial Ave.	Barrie Allandale	King City GO	Vaughan 407	Yorkdale	Union Station
(no stop)	6:07 a.m.	6:14 a.m.	6:45 a.m.	(no stop)	7:36 a.m.	8:00 a.m.	(not served)
9:23 a.m.	9:42 a.m.	9:50 a.m.	10:23 a.m.	11:01 a.m.	11:21 a.m.	11:45 a.m.	(not served)
7:28 p.m.	7:47 p.m.	7:53 p.m.	8:25 p.m.	(no stop)	9:13 p.m.	9:32 p.m.	10:00 p.m.

A fourth daily southbound trip (leaving North Bay at 12:30 p.m.) doesn't stop in Orillia.

Northbound (home to Orillia)

Union Station	Yorkdale	Vaughan 407	King City GO	Barrie Allandale	Orillia Transit	Washago
(not served)	9:00 a.m.	9:25 a.m.	9:50 a.m.	10:35 a.m.	11:10 a.m.	11:31 a.m.
(not served)	12:30 p.m.	12:58 p.m.	1:23 p.m.	2:08 p.m.	2:42 p.m.	(no stop)
7:00 p.m.	7:45 p.m.	(no stop)	(no stop)	8:44 p.m.	9:14 p.m.	(no stop)
11:30 p.m.	12:10 a.m.	12:30 a.m.	(no stop)	1:20 a.m.	1:51 a.m.	(no stop)

Always check the current PDF on ontarionorthland.ca before you travel. Schedules change, and some stops are flag stops.

What does a coach commute day look like?

• Out: 6:07 a.m. from Orillia Transit, at Yorkdale (Line 1 subway) for 8:00 a.m.
• Home: 7:00 p.m. from Union Station, or 7:45 p.m. from Yorkdale, back in Orillia for 9:14 p.m.

That's a long day. It works for one or two office days a week, or as a backup on days you don't want to drive. It's hard to sustain five days a week.

How do the GO connections at Barrie work?

Orillia has no GO station. The Barrie line ends in Barrie at two stations:

Station	Address	Notes
Allandale Waterfront GO	24 Essa Road	Ontario Northland coaches stop at the Barrie Allandale Transit Terminal here
Barrie South GO	833 Yonge Street	A 615-space lot with free parking

Most Orillia GO commuters drive to one of these and take the train. A few things to know before you plan around it:

• Check the current GO schedule. Barrie line service has been changing with expansion work, and GO has posted weekend construction closures. Metrolinx's stated goal is more frequent two-way, all-day service, but plan on today's timetable, not the future one.
• Coach to train. You can ride the coach to Barrie Allandale and switch to the train, but check how the times line up on your day. The coach arrives at Allandale at 6:45 a.m. on the early trip.
• Barrie Transit connections. If you end up living in Barrie or using Barrie Transit, rides are free when you connect to or from a GO train within 30 minutes.

How should you think about driving times?

We don't publish a single "Orillia to Toronto" drive time. It's about 135 km to downtown, but the time depends on where in the GTA you're going and when you leave, and the south end of Highway 400 is where most of the variation happens.

To get a number you can trust:

1. In a map app, set "arrive by" for your real start time on a weekday, from the actual address you're considering. Do the same for your trip home.
2. Do it for several weekdays, not just one.
3. Then drive it, at those times, at least once. Ideally once in winter.
4. Check Ontario 511 before winter trips for conditions, highway cameras and plow locations.

A useful sanity check: the coach drives the same highways. Its scheduled time from Orillia to Yorkdale on the early trip is 1 hour 53 minutes, including stops.

Which hybrid patterns tend to work?

Pattern	How it usually looks	Suits
Two days in, back-to-back	Tue/Wed in the office, drive or GO	Most hybrid jobs; fewest early mornings
One day in	One long day, coach or GO	Mostly remote roles
Anchor day plus flex	One fixed day, one floating day	Teams with rotating in-office days
Overnight once a week	Two office days with a night in the city	Downtown jobs with long days

A few habits make these easier:

• Have a storm-day plan with your employer before winter. Highway 11 and the 400 can slow quickly in squalls, and most hybrid commuters here work from home a few days each winter because of weather.
• Scout your GO parking. If you'll drive to Barrie and take the train, check each station's parking rules and whether the lot fills before your train. Try both stations once.
• Live near Highway 11 if you drive often. Orillia's west end, around West Ridge and Highway 12, and Oro-Medonte are closest to the southbound highway. See which town fits you.
• Watch winter parking at home. In Orillia, no street parking from midnight to 7 a.m., November 15 to April 15. If your household has more cars than driveway, sort that out before you buy.

What about getting to Barrie only?

If you work in Barrie, it's about 38 km by Highway 11 and Highway 400. The County of Simcoe's LINX Route 3 runs between Orillia and Barrie along the Highway 11 corridor, and the Ontario Northland coaches stop in both cities too.

How Jordan can help

Jordan can help you compare homes on your shortlist by distance to Highway 11, the Orillia coach stops and the Barrie GO stations, and flag the addresses where winter roads or parking need a closer look. Call 705-345-0797.