Start with BagsAway beside the UP Express in the SkyWalk if you want a simple drop-off near Union Station. Its checked price was $12.43 with HST for one regular bag that day. A PRESTO cardholder offer reduced our later quote to $9.94 including HST. If you have a qualifying same-day VIA departure, VIA's checkroom is the better-value first stop.
But if you need to take something out halfway through the day, sort that out before booking. Bounce says customers can't reopen stored bags during a booking. BagsAway makes access depend on the host's rules. Neither should be treated like a locker you can open whenever you like.
In this guide
- Which option fits your day?
- BagsAway in the SkyWalk: the easiest place to start
- Can you get something out halfway through?
- VIA Rail: good value if your ticket qualifies
- Bounce: compare the full price and keep essentials out
- Stasher: don't assume two short sessions are cheaper
- Going to Scotiabank Arena?
- Are there actual lockers near Union?
- Make pickup part of the plan
- Frequently asked questions
Which option fits your day?
| Option | Price checked September 16, 2026 | Choose it for | Main limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| BagsAway by UP Express | $11 plus $1.43 HST for one regular bag | Convenient storage before an airport train | Sunday hours differ between official pages |
| VIA Rail checkroom | $6 per Economy carry-on bag; complimentary for listed premium classes | A qualifying same-day train departure | Not available to non-travellers or after your completed journey |
| Bounce, Near Union Station at 55 York Street | One regular bag displayed $9.20 including service fee, before payment | A lower displayed price a short walk outside | No mid-booking access; final payment taxes need checking |
| Stasher, Queen Street West host | One medium bag displayed $9.99 with service and guarantee charges | A listed 24-hour host farther from Union | Extra walk; repeat access and final tax treatment unconfirmed |
| Scotiabank Arena bag check | $25 on the arena's current policy page | Storing a bag while attending an event | Event service, not an all-day public locker |
The cheapest headline isn't always the cheapest useful option. A closed shop at pickup time is a much bigger problem than paying a few dollars more.
BagsAway in the SkyWalk: the easiest place to start
UP Express confirms the BagsAway location beside its Union terminal in the SkyWalk. Follow signs for UP Express, rather than assuming storage is in the GO or TTC concourse.
The BagsAway listing describes a staffed convenience-store location with a locked storage area. This is a bag handover, not a bank of self-service lockers.
On September 16, we checked one regular bag from 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. The quote showed one day at $11, plus $1.43 HST, for $12.43. An irregular item has a higher listed base price. Select the right item category before comparing costs.
The exact location instructions appear after booking. Save them before arriving. The operator recommends advance booking because space can fill.
Sunday pickup needs extra care
The live BagsAway listing showed these hours:
- Monday to Friday: 7 a.m. to 11:59 p.m.
- Saturday: 8 a.m. to 11:59 p.m.
- Sunday: 8 a.m. to 10:30 p.m.
UP Express's guide instead showed Sunday hours of 9 a.m. to midnight. Don't plan a late Sunday pickup using that later time. Use the earlier closing time until the host confirms the hours for your date.
Choose this location when your day ends at UP Express. For a Sunday concert, confirm pickup before buying the storage booking.
PRESTO cardholders: the better checked discount
PRESTO Perks advertises 20% off BagsAway with PRESTO20, online or in person. It names the SkyWalk location and gives an end date of December 31, 2026. The Perks program is for physical or digital PRESTO cardholders.
We tested one regular bag on September 16, from 6:30 p.m. to 10:59 p.m. The code reduced the $11 storage charge by $2.20. The itemized quote showed $1.14 HST and a $9.94 total, with no separate fee displayed. We stopped before payment.
Use this offer if you qualify. Don't assume it can be combined with another code.
A checked discount for UP layover travellers
UP Express advertises 10% off with code LAYOVER24 in connection with its Long Layover ticket. This is an eligibility-linked offer, so don't read it as a general discount for everyone.
In our September 16 price check, the code took $1.10 off the $11 storage charge. The quote then showed $1.28 HST and an $11.18 total. No purchase was made, and no expiry was shown on the UP page.
The discounted screen also showed an inconsistent crossed-out comparison price. Use the separate charge, discount, tax and final amount when checking your own quote.
Can you get something out halfway through?
Don't assume you can. The BagsAway FAQ says urgent access depends on the partner's handling process and security rules. That is permission to ask, not a promise of unlimited access.
For a six-hour backpack booking with one planned visit in the middle, ask this before paying:
Can I leave one backpack, return once to take an item out, then leave the same bag until my final pickup? Will that end the booking or cost extra?
Get the answer for the actual location. A general answer about changing pickup times doesn't settle whether staff can reopen a checked bag.
The simplest plan is to put what you'll need in a small separate bag. Keep your phone, keys, travel documents and needed medication with you. Then you only need one drop-off and one pickup.
If two separate bookings are necessary, compare their combined price first. Paying twice for daily storage can erase the saving that made a place attractive.
VIA Rail: good value if your ticket qualifies
Open the full Union Station concourse map to see the VIA area and the separate SkyWalk route. The map is dated July 2025; follow current signs if a route is closed.
VIA's Toronto station page lists the baggage room as open 7:30 a.m. to 7:45 p.m. daily. Its local contact is 416-956-7639.
The published carry-on storage price is $6 per bag for Economy passengers. Storage is complimentary for Business, Sleeper and Prestige passengers where offered. The current station page doesn't spell out the tax treatment beside the $6 rate; confirm that with staff.
Under VIA's checkroom rules, you need a confirmed departure that day on VIA Rail or Amtrak. A GO, TTC or UP Express ride alone doesn't meet that requirement. Non-travellers cannot use the service.
The rules don't allow luggage to remain after your completed trip or overnight, apart from a stated bicycle exception. VIA also limits its stated compensation for checkroom loss, damage or theft to $100 per item. Keep valuables with you. They also don't promise repeated access during storage. Ask staff if your plan includes a midday return.
Choose VIA when you qualify and its hours fit. If you've just arrived at your final destination and want to spend the day out, book a public storage service instead.
Bounce: compare the full price and keep essentials out
One verified Bounce location near Union is at 55 York Street, north of Front Street. It lists weekday hours of 7 a.m. to 11 p.m., Saturday 8:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., and Sunday 9 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.
The page advertised storage from $4.75 a day. But our September 16 regular-bag selection showed $6.95 plus a $2.25 service fee: $9.20 before continuing to payment. The displayed quote didn't separately explain tax, so this is a checked pre-payment total, not a guaranteed final charge.
Bounce's bag-access policy says customers cannot reopen stored bags after drop-off. Skip a single Bounce booking if halfway access is essential.
Choose Bounce for a normal drop-and-collect visit when the final price and host hours work. Read recent reviews for that particular shop. An experience at a Paris or New York location doesn't establish how a Toronto host operates.
BAGSFREE10 worked in our price check
The publicly shared code BAGSFREE10 applied a 10% discount to the displayed $9.20 booking. It reduced that quote by $0.92 to $8.28, including the service-fee portion of the displayed amount.
That was a September 16 browser check for one regular bag at the 55 York Street location. We stopped before payment. No expiry or complete eligibility terms appeared in the tested screen, and acceptance for every account or booking is unconfirmed.
Try it before paying, but compare the actual final amount. An app offer to earn credit back is different from a discount on today's bill.
Stasher: don't assume two short sessions are cheaper
One Stasher host on Queen Street West lists 24-hour opening. Its current booking page gives 385 Queen Street West. This is farther from Union than the SkyWalk or York Street options, so choose it for the late hours, not the shortest walk.
Our September 16 quote for one medium bag showed $6.99 storage, a $1 service fee and a $2 guarantee charge, totalling $9.99. The selected windows were 6 to 7 p.m. for drop-off and 11 p.m. to midnight for pickup. Tax was not separately stated, and we did not continue to payment.
Stasher's FAQ says its rates cover the day while the selected host is open. Choosing fewer hours doesn't necessarily create an hourly price.
We didn't find a clear general promise of mid-booking bag access. Ask Stasher support whether the host allows it, or whether collecting and returning a bag requires a new booking. Confirm the total before paying for two sessions.
Book through Stasher's website or app. Its FAQ says direct cash payment to the host is outside its booking protection. Bring your booking confirmation and photo ID.
Its cancellation terms also matter: before the drop-off window, the FAQ offers a 50% refund or a 100% future-booking coupon. The checkout's refund explanation confirmed those same options. They are different outcomes. Choose Stasher when a specific host's price, location and terms beat your other options.
Not fully confirmed: GETAPP5. The current page advertises 5% off when booking in the app with this code. We verified the advertisement on September 16, but not an in-app quote, expiry or full eligibility. Confidence is high that the offer is advertised and low that every booking qualifies. Compare the final in-app amount before relying on it.
Going to Scotiabank Arena?
The arena's bag policy currently lists $25 bag check in the Galleria across from Gate 1. It permits only very small purses, clutches or similar bags under its usual policy. Event-specific rules can change.
Bag check is convenient for the event itself. Don't assume it will hold your backpack from the morning or let you return repeatedly while you explore downtown. Confirm your event's service times and capacity.
Scotiabank customers: the free option is restricted
Scotia Perks lists one free checked bag for each of the first 50 eligible clients at Leafs and Raptors regular-season home games. You need the digital Perks pass from the Scotia mobile banking app.
That isn't a general free-storage promise for every concert. The benefit can change, and the bank's page still gives an older $20 retail-value estimate while the arena lists a $25 charge. Use the current arena price for budgeting and the bank's rules for eligibility.
If you need certainty before arriving, reserve another storage option that stays open comfortably after the show.
Are there actual lockers near Union?
Union's own FAQ says there are no public lockers or baggage storage at Union Station. Read that alongside the more specific UP Express and VIA pages, which identify separate staffed services and their limits.
We haven't verified a public, freely reopenable locker bank inside Union. That doesn't mean every storage business nearby uses the same system.
Clutch Market at 25 The Esplanade is an unconfirmed locker lead. Its address is supported by FedEx's location directory, but we couldn't confirm current public locker service, price or repeat access. Confidence in the locker claim is low as of September 16. A current store confirmation would settle it.
Don't walk there relying on the locker claim alone. And don't treat a claim that all lockers disappeared for security reasons as an established explanation; we found no primary source proving that blanket statement.
Make pickup part of the plan
Work backward from the time you must be on the train, bus or airport connection. Leave enough time to walk back, show identification, retrieve the bags and handle a short queue. For a timed long-distance departure, we would aim to have the luggage in hand 45 to 60 minutes before boarding rather than treating the storage counter as the final stop.
Keep your passport, medication, phone, wallet, keys, laptop and travel documents with you. Photograph the bag and claim tag after check-in. Do not leave an irreplaceable item just because the booking page lists insurance or a guarantee. Coverage has limits and does not prevent a ruined trip.
| Your actual need | Best fit | Question to settle first |
|---|---|---|
| A few hours near Union | A staffed host close to your next route | What are today's latest pickup time and bag-size rules? |
| VIA Rail travel with eligible baggage service | The current VIA option, if your ticket and bag qualify | Does this station and journey accept your bag today? |
| Access to the bag during storage | A hotel or staffed host that explicitly permits it | Can you reopen or add to the bag after check-in? |
| Very late pickup | A host whose staffed hours extend past your return | What happens if you miss the booked collection time? |
| A stadium or arena event | The venue's stated bag policy or official event storage | Will the venue accept this exact bag size? |
Tell the operator about bicycles, skis, strollers, instruments, oversized suitcases or anything fragile before paying. A platform showing “one bag” does not prove a small shop has room for an unusual item.
Overnight storage also needs a direct check. Confirm each calendar day charged, the exact morning opening time and whether staff remain on site. Choose the place that protects your departure schedule, even if another listing is a few dollars cheaper.
Choose storage near the place you need to return to. A lower price across downtown loses its appeal if it adds another trip before your train.
Leave time for finding the entrance, handing over the bag and waiting at collection. A busy shop serves its normal customers too. The advertised walking time is not the whole pickup time.
Save your confirmation and bag tag. Keep ID outside the bag. Check the protection terms for your chosen booking, including limits and excluded items, rather than treating a large advertised amount as a promise that everything is covered.
Frequently asked questions
Can I store a backpack rather than a suitcase?
Yes. The services here accept ordinary bags, but their size categories differ. Choose the category shown for your backpack, not the cheapest label by default.
Which option is best if I need something halfway through?
Start by asking the actual BagsAway host or another staffed operator for permission and any extra cost. Bounce's published policy rules out reopening a stored bag during the booking. No option in this guide is confirmed as unlimited-access storage.
Do I need a train ticket for BagsAway or Bounce?
Their public storage bookings are separate from your train fare. VIA's checkroom has a same-day departure requirement. Don't confuse the two services because both are near Union.
Can I collect my bag after a concert?
Only if the selected location is still open. Sunday is the main trap in these examples, with earlier closing times at both the BagsAway listing and the York Street Bounce host. Allow time for leaving the venue and waiting for your bag.
Is luggage storage available overnight?
Some private operators allow bookings across days, subject to host hours and the correct booking period. Overnight storage doesn't mean overnight access. VIA's ordinary checkroom rules prohibit overnight luggage storage.
Can I leave my passport or medication in the bag?
Keep essential documents and needed medication with you. You may need ID to collect the bag, and a delay or closed shop must not leave you without what you need. Stasher expressly says not to store passports or travel documents.
Should I use the airport or Union for storage?
Use the stop that fits the rest of your journey and compare its current service rules. If you're returning through Union, a nearby booking avoids an extra downtown detour. Don't shorten your airport arrival buffer just to squeeze more time out of storage. For another day out by rail, our GO Train day-trip guide focuses on stops you can explore on foot.
For ideas between drop-off and pickup, see our non-touristy things to do in Toronto and Toronto tourist traps to skip.
For a straightforward drop-off, start beside UP Express. For planned midday access, get that permission first. It's the one detail that decides whether the booking actually solves your problem.