How to use Public Transit in Vancouver

If you are visiting, studying or moving to this amazing city, it is very important to know how to use Public Transit in Vancouver to get the best out of it.

The first thing you’ve gotta do is get a Compass Card. Not only the individual fare is cheaper, but you get to choose if you want a day pass, a monthly pass or stores value.

Here’s the guide on How to use Public Transit in Vancouver:

Passes

Day Pass:

Cost $11 CAD

Unlimited use for all 3 zones

The entire day

Month Pass:

Cost

• Zone-1: $102.55 CAD
• Zone-2: $137.10 CAD
• Zon-3: $185.20 CAD

Works for Bus, Skytrain and Seabus

Just remember that the month pass starts every first day of the month. So, if you buy it in the middle of the month, it will finish the last day of the month. Always try to buy it the first day of each month.

To avoid this, the monthly passes are only sold until the 15^th of each month.

Stored Value:

Single fare for:

• 1-zone: $2.50 CAD
• 2-zone: $3.65 CAD
• 3-zone: $4.70 CAD

Tickets last 90 minutes, and you can use it for multiple times in this time window.

If you are under 18 you get a cheaper Compass Card, or if you have a chil under 5 it’s free.

Always try to get the Compass Card as it it cheaper than paying directly to the bus driver or buying a ticket. For example for one zone without the Compass Card it cost $2.85 compared to $2.20 with the card.

There’s plenty of options using the public transit in Vancouver and you can save a lot of money knowing all of this.

Contactless Payment (tap to pay)

1 zone: $3.10 CAD
2 zone: $4.45 CAD
3 zone: $6.05 CAD

Zones:

• Zone 1: City of Vancouver, Downtown Vancouver
• Zone 2: Richmond, Burnaby, North Vancouver, New Westminster.
• Zone 3: Coquitlam, Port Moody, Surrey, Delta.

Link for a more detailed map

Must know!

After 6.30 pm everything becomes zone 1 on weekdays

Saturday and Sundays Zone 1 all day

And buses are zone 1 all the time.

Hope this guide of how to use the public transit in Vancouver helps you, enjoy the city!

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