Transportation from airport to hotel.

[mkkao924]

We have 6 people in our group (2 seniors, 2 adults, and 2 kids 12 / 7), and we currently plan to stay in Days Inn downtown Vancouver for one night before our cruise.

 

Since we have seniors in our group with minor mobility issue, we think door to door transportation is probably better.

 

What are our options? Taxis? Private van?

 

Some questions:

1. At YVR, can we request mini van style taxi?

2. Typically how long is the taxi line?

3. For private transportation, is there a recommended company? I recall seeing another post about published rate and some operator may go lower than published rate, but so far my Google search all came back HIGHER than the published hourly rate?

4. Is there any public airport to hotel transportation that worth to check out?

 

Thank you!

[martincath]

On 10/2/2023 at 10:22 AM, mkkao924 said:

...(2 seniors, 2 adults, and 2 kids 12 / 7), and we currently plan to stay in Days Inn downtown ...minor mobility issue, we think door to door transportation is probably better.

 

What are our options? Taxis? Private van?

 

Some questions:

1. At YVR, can we request mini van style taxi?

2. Typically how long is the taxi line?

3. For private transportation, is there a recommended company? I recall seeing another post about published rate and some operator may go lower than published rate, but so far my Google search all came back HIGHER than the published hourly rate?

4. Is there any public airport to hotel transportation that worth to check out?

 

Thank you!

Taxis, Uber/Lyft/Kabu (local rideshare), or a 'limo' rental would be your options.

 

Cabs are fixed rate, but none are big enough for you - I've seen all of two cabs ever with 6 pax seats, all the other vancabs are used to comply with local Accessible rules by removing the middle row of seats. So they can still only handle 4 bums on seats, but also enable a scooter or wheelchair person to roll right onboard and get strapped in securely. Unless you NEED that accessibility - e.g. one of your Seniors declines before your cruise and needs a scooter - then any two cabs will work. Split into threes, 1 Senior/1kid/1 adult per cab so there's someone who can wrangle a kid/help a senior in each vehicle as you may not arrive together.

 

The extra cost rideshare vehicles might be able to handle your group in a single car - as would limo companies. Without Surge, 1 Lyftuber will almost certainly cost less than 2 cabs. A big SUV at the old airport-specific rates used to run pretty much exactly three times the cost of the cab - and now that Aerocar ceased to exist and official rates apply everywhere, a minimum booking time of at least a full hour applies - I'd therefore ballpark $200 for a limo transfer incl tax and tip to any downtown hotel.

 

Your specific Qs now:

1) No - you get what you get, but you can 'step aside' and let the folks behind you take 'your' cab to get the next one (and us polite locals look behind us to ensure we don't snag a van we don't need if there's someone in wheelchair who does need one!); but since you'd still need a second vehicle, but even 2 Priuses would fit 6 pax and bags easily it really isn't relevant for you.

2) How long is a piece of string? Personally I've never waited longer than 20mins, but my dataset is small despite being local - unless it's late/we're tired we generally take SkyTrain, and if we fancied a treat we used to grab a limo back when it only cost <$70, so we'd generally only cab from YVR once or twice a year.

3) No - since Aerocar died you're at the mercy of individual pricing, and so many limo companies here are a bunch of guys with a car rather than a true fleet, so even the best review in the world means nothing if you book Honest Bob based on reviews, he gets sick, farms you out to Stinky Pete etc. Anyone who gives a recco is basing it on a single experience most of the time, at best a handful, and limo companies are just as prone as cabs to be randomly crap!

4) Yes - assuming your less mobile people can walk through the airport without a wheelchair pusher or 'golf' buggy, then they can easily walk from SkyTrain to the hotel at the other end! Days Inn is even closer to Waterfront Station than the pier is, well under 300 yards, and odds are extremely high you will walk much further than this from plane to curb at YVR. With young kids who travel free, and 2 seniors who get a discount, the price is by far the lowest cost and frankly it's almost certainly also the fastest way to your hotel if there's even a very modest amount of traffic.

 

Prices usually go up July 1, but right now if you use a ticket machine (to get the Senior discount you have to) you would only pay $9.55/adult, $8.10/Senior (even less if a weekend or after 6:30pm weekdays). The super-convenience of just tapping your card on the fare gates comes at the cost of no consession rates, only Adult fares, but at <$1.50pp if there's a queue for the machines or you simply don't want to figure out how to use them, still a bargain IMO.

 

Another handy hint - don't follow the crowds up into the station following the signs, instead walk toward the back of the train, following signage to Granville Street. There's an elevator which will make life easier with bags & mobility issues - and then you don't need to walk up as much of a hill!

 

To the pier, just walk straight down Hornby Street (Google continues to miss this route, there's one block that's entirely pedestrianized but even when selecting Walking directions it routes you a block west or east for some reason!), approx. a quarter mile, downhill. If your older people cannot walk this far, you really, truly should request a wheelchair transfer for them at both pier and airport as you will definitely be walking further in both ports!!! If they could walk it, just not while also schlepping bags, take 1 cab with the luggage and the oldsters to the pier, walk the kids down yourself, and meet the cab! Even without free calls in Canada, the city provides a free WiFi network that makes messaging and maps dead easy to use... look for #VanWiFi broadcasting all over downtown.

[mkkao924]

Thank you! After reading your reply, all of a sudden a lot of things make sense now.

 

If I understand you correctly, SkyTrain will stop at the Waterfront station (Orange circle in the picture), then we will use the underground walkway (red dotted arrow) to the Waterfront Canada line station (Red circle in the picture), and use surface street (solid red arrow) to get to the hotel.

 

The next day we will just follow the blue arrow to Canada Place.

 

I was wondering why there are multiple Waterfront stations on the map and weren't sure which one is the real station...

[LeeW]

Waterfront station serves two subway lines, so the Canada Line stops along the longer dotted line you show.  If you walk toward the front of the train you wind up at the Waterfront Station building (which has an elevator and a block and a half walk to Canada Place).  The station also serves the ferry and the other subway line that runs along your short dotted line.

 

martincath has you walk toward the rear of the train, bypassing the surface walk uphill, with an elevator at the Pacific Center Mall.  Your solid line is pretty level.  Blue line to the pier is downhill from your hotel.

 

With traffic, it is a long ride from the airport downtown.  Canada Line is easy and has plenty of space for you and your luggage.  Only problem I have had is squeezing my suitcases between the concrete bollards and getting two suitcases with me through the ticket taker.  You have to move through smoothly with suitcases close to you to avoid it snapping closed.  Not much space between the posts (suitcase fits sideways) and the ticket machine.  If you decide to tap in with a credit card make sure you have one for each person - can't use one card for two people.  When you tap out your card will be billed the correct fare.

 

In your case you will want to sit near the rear of the train - to the right as you move onto the platform.

[martincath]

On 10/3/2023 at 4:16 PM, mkkao924 said:

I was wondering why there are multiple Waterfront stations on the map and weren't sure which one is the real station...

You got it, and anything that still wasn't 100% clear I think @LeeW summarized very well above - if you use Streetview, you'll see that the 'station' where your dashed line changes to solid is actually two very small boxy glass buildings that are basically just the top of the elevator and escalator/staircase down to the station platform below.