Vancouver Shuttle & Charter? Anyone Used Them?

We're considering using Vancouver Shuttle & Charter from a few of the Vancouver hotels to Canada Place. Has anyone used them or know anything about them? Sounds like a good deal. Would like some opinions....

Thanks!! :)

Anyone used this company this season?

Thanks :)

We're considering using Vancouver Shuttle & Charter from a few of the Vancouver hotels to Canada Place. Has anyone used them or know anything about them? Sounds like a good deal. Would like some opinions....

I've personally never heard of them, which hotel are you staying at? If you're at any downtown hotel a cab fare to Canada Place (also right downtown) will be under $10, so I really doubt a dedicated shuttle would be worth it.

I have seen there vans around town but know nothing about there operation.

Sorry that is the best that I can do

Cheers

Dennis

Like the others, I am not familiar with them but you could check with Vancouver Tourism and see if you can get a reference from them:

http://www.tourismvancouver.com/visitors/

Like the others, I am not familiar with them but you could check with Vancouver Tourism and see if you can get a reference from them:

 

http://www.tourismvancouver.com/visitors/

I was hoping someone in Vancouver would know something.

Thank you Putterdude, I will check out your link and see what they say. I did see one other poster who will be using them in July, but haven't seen anyone mention them yet. We're looking at the Radisson in Richmond. Vancouver Shuttle picks cruisers up and takes them to Canada Place for $13/pp.

I see you live in BC & AZ??? I'm a Phoenician born and raised, now living in NE, but Phoenix will always be "home" to me (although I don't miss the heat AT ALL!!):D

Thank you all for your comments! This board is always full of helpful people :)

I've personally never heard of them, which hotel are you staying at? If you're at any downtown hotel a cab fare to Canada Place (also right downtown) will be under $10, so I really doubt a dedicated shuttle would be worth it.

We're looking at the Radisson in Richmond, so this looked promising. Only $13/pp to Canada Place which I understand by taxi would be about $35 or so. We could take a taxi also, but there are 3 of us and not sure if they use small taxi's in Vancouver...if so, with luggage we might need 2 taxis....so thought this would be a viable solution. :)

You can request a mini-van cab and the fare will be the same....in the $35 range.

Yes we have in a home in AZ where we spend the winters out of the rain....but BC will always be home.

Bumping this massively old thread to see if anyone has used them since then. They are the contracted shuttle service for our Park and Cruise hotel in Richmond.

I have read nightmare stories from friends who took private shuttles in Port Everglades (Florida), they just wish they had taken a cab. I want to make sure that is not the case in Vancouver.

Thanks in advance! I do not mind spending a bit more to have a stress free embarkation morning!

Can't offer any personal opinion one way or another, but a quick Googling did confirm that the licensed operator behind the company (OSCK Transportation Inc) both currently and for at least three years before that has had a valid government-issued license to transport people.

Better Business Bureau has no file on them under either name, which means nobody has complained to BBB about them for at least three years too.

Their website has been updated to include the first few April/May dates already - so in that respect they're significantly more organized than Priority Baggage who have been operating with out-of-date or entirely missing web data since the 2012 season.

In short it doesn't sound like they've done anything illegal or really poor from a service perspective in the last 3 years at least; but nor have they been fabulous enough to get someone to make that all-important first post on Tripadvisor, Yelp etc.

Perhaps you could start the balling rolling with a review, good or bad, after your cruise!

Can't offer any personal opinion one way or another, but a quick Googling did confirm that the licensed operator behind the company (OSCK Transportation Inc) both currently and for at least three years before that has had a valid government-issued license to transport people.

 

Better Business Bureau has no file on them under either name, which means nobody has complained to BBB about them for at least three years too.

 

Their website has been updated to include the first few April/May dates already - so in that respect they're significantly more organized than Priority Baggage who have been operating with out-of-date or entirely missing web data since the 2012 season.

 

In short it doesn't sound like they've done anything illegal or really poor from a service perspective in the last 3 years at least; but nor have they been fabulous enough to get someone to make that all-important first post on Tripadvisor, Yelp etc.

 

Perhaps you could start the balling rolling with a review, good or bad, after your cruise!

Thanks for the leg work, I found it odd such a pro company had NO reviews. They appear to be the shuttle of choice for Richmond area hotels.

Like you suggested, I will break the trip advisor ice after our cruise! Call me an over planner, my friend just got off the Oasis of the Seas and said the local shuttle company there that the hotels try to sell you in the lobby is TERRIBLE, just take a cab.

Thanks for the leg work, I found it odd such a pro company had NO reviews. They appear to be the shuttle of choice for Richmond area hotels.

 

Like you suggested, I will break the trip advisor ice after our cruise! Call me an over planner, my friend just got off the Oasis of the Seas and said the local shuttle company there that the hotels try to sell you in the lobby is TERRIBLE, just take a cab.

The best way from Richmond to downtown is just to take the Skytrain (subway/elevated). $4/ea way. Drops you three blocks from Canada Place.

I have used this company twice - September of 2009 and September of 2011. Great service both times and very reasonable price. They are bonded so once they load your suitcases onto the shuttle, they drop you off at either Canada Place or Ballantyne Pier and then deal with getting your suitcases onto the ship. I would definitely use them again. Be aware though that they do make a bit a a milk run between the Richmond hotels, but they were right on schedule and I found that the atmosphere on the shuttle was a great way to start the cruise.

The best way from Richmond to downtown is just to take the Skytrain (subway/elevated). $4/ea way. Drops you three blocks from Canada Place.

I would totally do that, but the wife would majorly veto pulling our luggage three blocks in downtown. Trust me, I tried!

I have used this company twice - September of 2009 and September of 2011. Great service both times and very reasonable price. They are bonded so once they load your suitcases onto the shuttle, they drop you off at either Canada Place or Ballantyne Pier and then deal with getting your suitcases onto the ship. I would definitely use them again. Be aware though that they do make a bit a a milk run between the Richmond hotels, but they were right on schedule and I found that the atmosphere on the shuttle was a great way to start the cruise.

Perfect, thanks! That is exactly the info I am looking for!

This may be a dumb question, what do you mean by "milk run". Like they stop at a bunch of hotels? I read their schedule, I find it odd that they budget two minutes to stop at a hotel, get everyone and their luggage loaded, and get to the next hotel. They must be fast!

This may be a dumb question, what do you mean by "milk run". Like they stop at a bunch of hotels? I read their schedule, I find it odd that they budget two minutes to stop at a hotel, get everyone and their luggage loaded, and get to the next hotel. They must be fast!

Since I have only used them when we have been getting on the ship, both times they have picked up just a few people at about three or four hotels. They seem to be in constant contact via radio with a dispatcher, and if the need arises to get another shuttle for the next hotel, that is arranged. Since you do pre-book for pickup from the hotel, they have a pretty good idea of how many people they will be picking up at each stop, so they don't overbook and have many shuttles to call on if required. The shuttles only carry about 20 people and were clean and comfortable. They were very efficient! No delays the two times I used them.

I would not recommend staying in a Richmond hotel as you are in a suburb to Vancouver and most of the tourist attractions are in the west end of Vancouver right close to the cruise ship dock. What you save on hotel will be used up in transportation to go to see sites and restaurants. In Richmond everything is a taxi ride away whereas in Vancouver lots is walking distance.

Start your vacation right with a good hotel location ...

Try bidding on hot wire you want west end and I would try for a 4 star hotel.-

I would not recommend staying in a Richmond hotel as you are in a suburb to Vancouver and most of the tourist attractions are in the west end of Vancouver right close to the cruise ship dock. What you save on hotel will be used up in transportation to go to see sites and restaurants. In Richmond everything is a taxi ride away whereas in Vancouver lots is walking distance.

Start your vacation right with a good hotel location ...

Try bidding on hot wire you want west end and I would try for a 4 star hotel.-

Thank you for your input. We will have our car with us, and we are staying in Richmond one night before the cruise. When you count parking costs, I am saving about $300 staying in Richmond.

After the cruise, we are staying at the casino, which has awesome rates, free parking, and is across the street from the subway we can take into town. Plus it has an awesome waterslide my girls will go crazy for.

I dont see anything in downtown touching the waterslide there!

OK sorry did not realize you have your car with you... use the skytrain buy an all day pass if you plan to ride it more than once in a day... quick easy and cheap way to get into Vancouver for sightseeing

I realize you are looking for hotel to Canada Place, but as an FYI

I have used Vancouver Shuttle and Charter several times from Canada Place to YVR. I always book in advance and it's very reasonable $15.00 nonstop.

We just booked this shuttle for our transportation from our Hotel to the ship and from the ship to the Airport.

Does anyone have recent experience with them. Hopefully we made a good choice. Thanks for any input.

We just booked this shuttle for our transportation from our Hotel to the ship and from the ship to the Airport.

Does anyone have recent experience with them. Hopefully we made a good choice. Thanks for any input.

Can you pleas tell me how you were able to book Vancouver shuttle and Charter? There web site just keeps giving error messages when I click on booking. I called their number a couple of times and only get a message telling me to leave my info but then an told the message box is full! Tried using the send them a message but haven't heard anything back. Called the 888 no and was able to leave a message there but still no response.

I'll be staying at a airport hotel the night before my cruise and they have told me they have a hard time getting ahold of them as well and said I'll have to book it myself. My hotel is non-refundable or I would just stay somewhere else. My cruise is may 5th. If worse comes to worse I can always have the hotel take me back to the airport where I can book transport via the cruise line but the cost is a lot more.

Linda

Can you pleas tell me how you were able to book Vancouver shuttle and Charter? There web site just keeps giving error messages when I click on booking. I called their number a couple of times and only get a message telling me to leave my info but then an told the message box is full! Tried using the send them a message but haven't heard anything back. Called the 888 no and was able to leave a message there but still no response.

 

I'll be staying at a airport hotel the night before my cruise and they have told me they have a hard time getting ahold of them as well and said I'll have to book it myself. My hotel is non-refundable or I would just stay somewhere else. My cruise is may 5th. If worse comes to worse I can always have the hotel take me back to the airport where I can book transport via the cruise line but the cost is a lot more.

 

Linda

Good Morning Linda, We had trouble at first booking online also but I kept trying. I just tried the web-site and I can get on the booking part. Hopefully you can have success booking. When you return from your trip please let me know how your experience was. Hopefully we made a good choice for our transfers. thanks

I'll be staying at a airport hotel the night before my cruise and they have told me they have a hard time getting ahold of them as well and said I'll have to book it myself. My hotel is non-refundable or I would just stay somewhere else. My cruise is may 5th. If worse comes to worse I can always have the hotel take me back to the airport where I can book transport via the cruise line but the cost is a lot more.

http://www.richmondtaxi.ca/en/

To clarify.... which Richmond Hotel?

I did try again today and can get on the site also was able to leave a phone message. Traveling solo and would prefer to use this shuttle. I wanted to see if it would let me reserve without using a credit card because I don't use my cards online. So lets see if anyone will respond to an e-mail or the voice message I left. This is my 9th cruise and the only one that I've had problems with securing a shuttle!

I'll be at the Holiday Inn Express Airport on Bridgeport and the person I spoke with didn't want to make the reservation for me. Told me if I wanted to be sure I had a reservation to make it myself. I picked this hotel because the shuttle site showed they picked up here and it seemed decent. I didn't realize until after I booked this hotel that I could have stayed and at different Holiday Inn airport that had there own shuttle to the port.

I booked this cruise as a last min one last Thur. So I have been scrambling to make all the arrangements and the shuttle is the only thing I haven't been able to secure. If I can't secure this then I'll most likely just get a cab.

I can't help with website/phone issues, but the company behind the shuttle has been doing this a long time and has no complaints with BBB. Your other options, especially from the HI Express, are Skytrain for $4 (it's very close, if you can roll your bags a few blocks you'll have no trouble) or going back to YVR to get a fixed-rate cab for $35. Depending who you're cruising with their transfer may be more than this for one person anyway (NB CAD:US $ difference...)

A metered cab from the hotel will almost certainly be cheaper than the fixed-rate though - you avoid a major bottleneck exiting the airport by already being the other side of a bridge. My best guess would be $30 on the meter from the HI Express. And don't worry about missing out on a shuttle to the pier with a different airport hotel - there's no airport hotel with such a service, they all use the same shuttle you're trying to book!