World City Guide

Getting Around

Public Transport
The Greater Vancouver Transportation Authority, under the name TransLink (tel: (604) 953 3333; website: www.translink.bc.ca), operates city buses and the SkyTrain, SeaBus and West Coast Express services.

A regular bus service (branded Coast Mountain Bus) runs from approximately 0500-2400 and is supplemented by the limited ‘Owl’ night bus service.

Vancouver’s clean and efficient SkyTrain is a metro system with four underground stops Downtown and an elevated track for the rest of its 49km (30-mile) journey through the suburbs. Trains on the original Expo Line run from Waterfront Station via New Westminster to Surrey; those on the newer Millennium Line follow the same route as far as Columbia Station, before branching off for the eastern suburbs and then looping back to connect with the Expo Line at Broadway/Commercial Drive Station. Trains depart every 2 to 4 minutes (first trains are at 0530 Monday to Friday, 0630 Saturday and 0750 Sunday; last trains are at 0115 Monday to Saturday and 2415 Sunday). Transfers can be made at most stations to bus services and at Waterfront Station to the SeaBus, a catamaran ferry that connects Downtown with North Vancouver every 15 minutes during the day and 30 minutes in the evening (journey time – 12 minutes).

Fares for all three modes of transport are based on a zone system – C$2.25 for one zone or for any number of zones after 1830 on weekdays and all day Saturday and Sunday, C$3.25 for two zones and C$4.50 for three zones. Transfers are valid for 90 minutes from the start of the journey. Exact change is required on buses, while tickets for the SkyTrain and SeaBus are available for purchase at ticket windows and machines. Tickets must be validated before entering the fare zone.

Day passes valid for all of the above modes of transport in all zones are available for C$8. Books of 10 tickets are available for purchase from the ticket windows for C$18/27/36 (for one/two/three zones).

Other transportation options include the West Coast Express, a commuter rail service connecting Waterfront SkyTrain Station with a number of cities in the Fraser Valley. The Downtown Historic Railway (website: www.city.vancouver.bc.ca/streetcar) links Granville Island with Science World on summer weekends (late May-mid-October 1300-1700). A return trip costs C$2.

Connecting a number of points on either side of False Creek are tiny bath-toy-like passenger ferries operated by two private companies – Aquabus (tel: (604) 689 5858; website: www.aquabus.bc.ca) and False Creek Ferries (tel: (604) 684 7781; website: www.granvilleislandferries.bc.ca). Fares (C$2-8.50 one way) depend on the route travelled. Day passes are available for C$10-12 (concessions available).

Taxis
Taxis are readily available at taxi stands or by telephone and can easily be hailed in the Downtown area, although they can be difficult to find elsewhere in the city. The main taxi firms are Yellow Cab Company (tel: (604) 681 1111 or (800) 898 8294; website: www.yellowcabvancouver.ca) and Black Top & Checker Cabs (tel: (604) 731 1111). Minivan taxis are available upon request. Fares start at C$2.56 and increase by C$1.39 per kilometre. A tip of 15% is customary.

Limousines
Limojet Gold (tel: (604) 273 1331 or (800) 278 8742; website: www.limojetgold.com) offers airport transfers to numerous destinations (including Whistler, for C$295 plus tax one way), as well as sedan cars and ultra-stretch limos for C$60-100. Other providers include Griffin Transportation Services (tel: (604) 682 4474 or (877) 369 5466; website: www.griffintransportation.com) at C$70-110 per hour.

Driving in the City
As Vancouver is spread out over a series of islands and peninsulas, the main traffic bottlenecks are the region’s many bridges, notably during rush hours (0700-0900 and 1600-1800). There are no highways in the centre of the city, so driving is slower and more time should be allowed to reach a destination. It is usually easier to take public transport and/or walk in Downtown Vancouver.

Outside of Downtown, north–south roads are named Streets and east–west roads are numbered Avenues. It is easy to locate addresses on north–south streets by subtracting 16 from the first two digits of the address, to find the corresponding block (for example, 2630 Main Street would be between 10th and 11th Avenues). Ontario Street divides the city into East and West (all of Downtown’s streets are West).

Parking is readily available in underground and multi-storey car parks in the Downtown area – parking lots are run by EasyPark Vancouver (website: www.easyparkvancouver.com). Prices vary depending on the location but are generally in the region of C$1-2 per hour and a C$3 flat rate for evening parking. Locations and rates are available on EasyPark’s website.

Car Hire
All the major car hire companies are represented in Vancouver. Central locations include Alamo, 1185 West Georgia Street (tel: (604) 684 1401; website: www.alamo.com), Avis, 757 Hornby Street (tel: (604) 606 2868 or (800) 879 2847; website: www.avis.ca), Budget BC, 416 West Georgia Street (tel: (604) 668 7000 or (800) 299 3199; website: www.bc.budget.com), National, 1185 West Georgia Street (tel: (604) 609 7150 or (800) 227 7368; website: www.nationalcar.ca), and Thrifty, Empire Landmark Hotel, 1400 Robson Street (tel: (604) 681 4869 or (800) 847 4389; website: www.thrifty.com). Rent-A-Wreck, 1349 Hornby Street (tel: (604) 688 0001 or (888) 665 3777; website: www.rentawreck.ca), is usually cheaper than the major providers.

In general, an International Driving Permit is not required unless the driving licence is not in English. Drivers under 25 years of age may face certain restrictions and those aged 19-21 may have to pay a surcharge of around C$20 per day. All drivers are required to pay the Passenger Vehicle Rental Tax and other government fees (which add C$2.68 a day to any rental), federal and provincial sales taxes (7% each), plus a surcharge of around 15% for airport rentals. Economy car rates start at around C$35-40 per day, not including taxes or other incidentals (such as CDW, insurance, drop-off fees, petrol or mileage charges, etc). Those hiring a car should always check whether or not the minimum insurance requirements are included in the price of hire.

For excursions into British Columbia’s wilderness, a motorcamper or motorhome (known as a recreational vehicle or RV) offers a great deal of flexibility. Westcoast Mountain Campers (tel: (604) 279 0550 or (888) 878 3200; website: www.wcmcampers.com) and Traveland RV Supercentre (tel: (604) 530 8141 or (888) 318 4000; website: www.travelandrvcanada.com) are two options.

Bicycle Hire
The best place to hire a bicycle or the ever more popular in-line skates is around Robson Street and Denman Street, near Stanley Park. Bayshore Bicycle & Rollerblade Skate Rentals, 745 Denman Street (tel: (604) 688 2453; website: www.bayshorebikerentals.ca), is open daily 0900-2100 (0900-dusk in winter). Hire rates are C$5.60 per hour or C$19.80 for eight hours for 21-speed mountain bikes and C$5 an hour or C$18.50 for eight hours for in-line skates. Spokes Bicycle Rentals, 1798 West Georgia Street (tel: (604) 688 5141; website: www.vancouverbikerental.com), offers guided tours in summer, in addition to bicycle hire.

Along the seawall and within Stanley Park, cyclists should watch for signs indicating if trails may be shared with pedestrians or are pedestrian-only. Elsewhere, the city has a well-marked system of bike paths, although hills and heavy traffic on the bridges may be challenging for inexperienced riders. Bicycle helmets are required by law and the same traffic rules for automobiles apply to cyclists. The City of Vancouver website (www.city.vancouver.bc.ca/cycling) provides further information.