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| Home > City Guide - Vancouver - Getting Around | ||
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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 Sky Train, SeaBus and West Coast Express services. A regular bus service runs from approximately 0500-2400 and is supplemented by the limited ‘Owl’ night bus service. Vancouver’s clean and efficient SkyTrain (website: www.rapidtransit.bc.ca) is a metro system with four underground stops Downtown and an elevated track for the rest of its 28km (17-mile) journey to the suburb of Surrey. Trains on the new Millennium Line run along the existing Expo Line from Waterfront Station to 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 two to four minutes, 0600-2410. Transfers can be made at most stations to the reasonably priced 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 for one zone or for any number of zones after 1830 on weekdays and all day Saturday and Sunday, C$3 for two zones and C$4 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 are available for C$8. A book of ten tickets are available for purchase from the ticket windows for C$18 (for zone one – fares are higher for outer 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 links Granville Island with Science World on summer weekends (1300-1700). A return trip costs C$2. Connecting a number of points on either side of False Creek are tiny 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$12. Taxis Taxis are readily available at taxi stands or by telephone and can easily be hailed in the Downtown area, although can be difficult to find elsewhere in the city. The main taxi firms are Yellow Cab Company (tel: (604) 681 1111) and Black Top & Checker Cabs (tel: (604) 731 1111). Minivan taxis are available upon request. Fares start at C$2.30 and increase by C$1.35 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$275 one way), as well as sedan cars and ultra-stretch limos for C$50-90 per hour and C$500-900 per 12-hour day respectively. Other providers include Classic Limousine (tel: (604) 267 1441; fax: (604) 267 1447), who charge C$60-75 per hour and Vancouver Limousine Service (tel: (604) 421 5585; website: www.vancouverlimos.com) at C$55-110 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 beginning of the address, to find the corresponding block (for example, 2630 Main Street would be between Tenth 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 US$1-2 per hour and a US$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. These include Alamo, 1132 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.com), Budget BC, 501 West Georgia Street (tel: (604) 668 7000 or (800) 299 3199; website: www.bc.budget.com), National, 1130 West Georgia Street (tel: (604) 609 7150 or (800) 227 7368; website: www.nationalcar.com), and Thrifty, Pan Pacific Hotel, 999 Canada Place (tel: (604) 606 1695 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 (C$1.50 per day) and there is a surcharge of 13.75% for airport rentals. Economy car rates start at around C$40 per day, not including taxes or incidentals. 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; fax: (604) 279 0527; website: www.wcmcampers.com) has rates starting at C$55 per day for a two-person camper in low season and up to C$214 per day for a five-person motorhome in peak season. Traveland RV Rentals (tel: (604) 530 8141 or (800) 513 9434; fax: (604) 530 9576; e-mail: travelandrv@telus.net; website: www.travelandrvcanada.com) is another option. 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 (0930-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/engsvcs/transport/cycling) provides further information. |
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