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I am currently in Detroit and want to get to Windsor in Canada, to continue onwards towards Niagara Falls. I don't have a car. Normally, this is possible by taking the Tunnel Bus, but its service is currently suspended. What other possibility do I have to get there?

I am a German citizen, in case that makes any difference.

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    Travel to Niagara Falls NY and then walk over?
    – Kate Gregory
    Commented Oct 13, 2022 at 16:45
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    Isn't getting into Canada what you're seeking?
    – DavidRecallsMonica
    Commented Oct 13, 2022 at 17:20
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    It sounds like this is too late for your trip, but for future planners: it seems the tunnel bus will resume on November 27, 2022.
    – mlc
    Commented Oct 14, 2022 at 1:14
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    @gerrit: Currently Greyhound doesn't return any results when you search Detroit—Niagara Falls (ON) or Detroit—Toronto. It won't even let you search for Windsor or Niagara Falls, NY. There might be some other bus line that would serve these routes, though.
    – Michael Seifert
    Commented Oct 14, 2022 at 11:46
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    @gerrit Greyhound ended its intercity service in Canada about a year and a half ago. A few US routes extend into Canada, but not from Michigan to Ontario. Coach Canada seems to have a much more limited network that is more oriented towards regional transportation (commuters). The articles I found online mostly discuss the problems caused by the sudden lack of an intercity bus network and possible solutions.
    – phoog
    Commented Oct 14, 2022 at 13:41

3 Answers 3

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The Checker cab company of Detroit advertises taxi service to downtown Windsor. It does not appear that their web app will allow you to book this service; you will have to either call them or use their phone app instead. (I am not affiliated with them, they just come up as an option when one Googles "Detroit Windsor taxi service".)

This Reddit thread from one year ago also discusses various taxi options. According to one poster in that thread, conventional taxis were charging $65 + $2/mile for a cross-border service.

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Well, Phineas Fogg. You certainly picked a challenge!

Unfortunately, the 11/9/01 terror attacks had a severe effect on the permeability of our Canadian border. At least in the "Toward USA" direction, which was enough to kill the thru trains, buses and even walking across the bridge. The good news is it's not bad in your direction, and the US does not have exit controls. So you can just hitch a ride with high hopes of not being turned away at the border.

You might be able to hitchhike across the bridge, or find someone on social media making that crossing anyway who will give you a ride.

Don't cut the corner. Take Amtrak from Detroit to Buffalo.

It can be said, at least, that this is a sure thing. And paradoxically, it is the cheapest.

As you know, Michigan is a peninsula. As such, the major east-west trunk lines don't enter the peninsula, but that's OK - you're only an hour away from them at Toledo, Ohio.

So you book an Amtrak trip from Detroit to Buffalo. Cost is under $30 depending on date. Due to low ridership, the Detroit-Toledo segment is an express bus which leaves at 9:30 pm and gets into Toledo probably 10:45 pm give or take.

You are now on the route of the famous 20th Century Limited. Unfortunately your train will be its little brother The Lake Shore Limited. It comes through Toledo around - holy smoke! 3AM.

The ride gets you into Buffalo about 9AM. This is a full-service train with high attendant levels, and they should wake you.

American trains are subject to delay. Many people say bad things about that, but it's simply because these routes are breathtakingly long. The Lake Shore Limited is a "short" one and it's 1543km (Munich-Berlin x3). That means delays only accumulate (stack). This is just something you have to get used to.

Now to get from Amtrak Buffalo to Niagara falls, wouldn't you know it, there's an Amtrak train. But Amtrak's booking engine won't book it on the same ticket. A call to 1-800-USA-RAIL might get it on one ticket.

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    "That means delays only accumulate (stack)" That's not really true... If you don't want delays, you put buffer times into your time tables. You have extra trains on stand by that can take over a route if necessary (so when the train from A to B to C is late, then the backup train will depart B on time towards C). It's pretty telling, in some countries, when you are on a train that departs late, there is a good chance you will still arrive on time. In other countries even if the train departs on time you are not likely to arrive on time. Mostly a question of money.
    – Nobody
    Commented Oct 15, 2022 at 18:24
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    @nobody easy in theory, harder in practice. You can't leave a station early, and people HATE sitting long times at stations for no reason. Pad time that is behind you is like runway that is behind you - useless. Amtrak's latest trick seems to be to slow down the trains, so they meld better with freight and if they're late they can open it up to regain time. On the backup train, pencil it out for the California Zephyr assuming 2-3 consecutive late trains could happen. How many spare trainsets and crews do you need on standby at Denver, Salt Lake and Oakland?
    – Harper - Reinstate Monica
    Commented Oct 15, 2022 at 20:25
  • @Harper-ReinstateMonica you raise good points. However, that's still a scheduling problem. If 9 times out of 10 the train from A to F, arrives F late, the arrival time should have been set at a later time, even if sometimes the delay happen on B, others on C and others on E. And the time that you would have already arrived at F on time, well, you will need to wait (a bit). But that's still better than angry users due to the late train (except for those that arrived late to the station, of course!).
    – Ángel
    Commented Oct 16, 2022 at 2:55
  • Similarly, the trains will not be traveling at the maximum speed supported by the engine and track. That would mean that on any slightly adverse meteorological condition, which would force it to slow down, the train would end up delayed. The train will have some margin, which can be used (under good conditions) to regain [part of] the time lost. I remember a case when the train really speeded up, managing to arrive to the station just before hitting a delay deadline which would have made them pay an (higher) reimburse to the users. Something really making them interested on arriving on time :)
    – Ángel
    Commented Oct 16, 2022 at 3:02
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    So in that case it was "the crew going dead and blocking the busiest mainline in the east" that put the fear into the operator. In that case all our delays were at the departure (frozen toilets). I personally think that's the best answer; have a (legal) speed reserve. I think Amtrak is doing that since they haven't tightened the schedule after getting 79->90. However having ridden many transcon trains, delays are an almost unsolvable problem. Stuff just happens. Really, America needs national HSR and pay for it by accepting priority freight also. The freight lines are totally saturated.
    – Harper - Reinstate Monica
    Commented Oct 16, 2022 at 7:36
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If you have a driver's license, it appears that you can rent a Zipcar in Detroit and drive it across the border to Canada. Note that you cannot leave the Zipcar in Windsor, however, as Zipcar does not operate there.

You should be able to drive both in the U.S. and in Canada with a German driver's license.

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    Zipcar also doesn't do one-way rentals. You have to return the car to its home location. So even if your ultimate destination is Toronto or some other place where Zipcar does operate, this won't help unless you are planning to return to Detroit.
    – phoog
    Commented Oct 14, 2022 at 16:44
  • OP didn't say they were planning to stay in Canada.
    – shoover
    Commented Oct 14, 2022 at 17:12
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    I was reacting to "Note that you cannot leave the Zipcar in Windsor, however, as Zipcar does not operate there." You can't leave the Zipcar anywhere other than where you picked it up from, regardless of whether Zipcar operates there.
    – phoog
    Commented Oct 14, 2022 at 18:31

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