Transit and getting around
Who runs public transit in Vancouver, what it covers, and where to check before you travel.
Public transit in Canada is run by the municipality or by a regional authority, not by the province. That is why the agency name, the fare structure and the fare card all change when you cross a municipal boundary — Vancouver’s system is TransLink.
Service area
Metro Vancouver, including Vancouver, Burnaby, Richmond, Surrey, Coquitlam, Langley and the North Shore.
Before you travel
Fares, schedules and service changes are updated constantly and differ by fare zone, time of day and age group. The agency’s own pages are the only reliable source, so these are the links worth bookmarking rather than a table of fares that would be wrong within a season.
- TransLink — network maps, routes and news.
- Trip planner — door-to-door journey planning with real timetables.
- Service alerts — the fastest way to find out about a closure or delay before you leave.
- Fares and passes — current prices, day passes and monthly options.
Paying for transit
Most Canadian systems have moved to a tap card or open payment, and many now cap daily or monthly spending automatically instead of requiring a pass. Accessibility is handled separately from the main network on every system listed here: door-to-door paratransit services usually need registration in advance, sometimes weeks ahead, which is worth doing before you need it rather than after.
Official sources
Details such as fares, fees, hours and program rules change. Always confirm against the official source before acting on anything time-sensitive.