VANCOUVER - British Columbia: Including the Alaska Highway - page 122

GETTING AROUND
TransLink
TransLink (604/953-3333, www.translink.ca ) operates an extensive network of buses,
trains, and ferries that can get you just about anywhere you want to go within Vancouver.
Buses run to all corners of the city 5am-2am daily. Transfers are valid for 90 minutes
of travel in one direction. SkyTrain is a computer-operated (no drivers) light-rail transit
system that runs along 65 kilometers (40 miles) of track from downtown Vancouver to Van-
couver International Airport, through New Westminster, and over the Fraser River to sub-
urban Surrey. The city-center stations are underground but are clearly marked at each street
entrance. The double-ended, 400-passenger SeaBus scoots across Burrard Inlet every 15-30
minutes, linking downtown Vancouver to North Vancouver in just 12 minutes. The down-
town terminus is Waterfront Station, beside Canada Place and a five-minute walk from the
Vancouver Visitor Centre.
On weekdays 5:30am-6:30pm, the city is divided into three zones, and fares vary by
zone: adult $2.75-5.50 for each sector. Zone 1 encompasses all of downtown and Metro
Vancouver; Zone 2 covers all of the North Shore, Burnaby, New Westminster, and Rich-
mond; and Zone 3 extends to the limits of the TransLink system. At other times (including
all weekend), travel anywhere in the city costs $2.75 one-way. Pay the driver (exact change
only) for bus travel or purchase tickets from machines at any SkyTrain station or SeaBus
terminal. Request a free transfer from the driver if required. A DayPass costs adult $9.75,
senior or child $7.50, and allows unlimited travel for one day anywhere on the TransLink
system. Day passes are available at all SeaBus and SkyTrain stations as well as FareDealers
(convenience stores such as 7-Eleven and Mac's) throughout the city.
Ferry
Apart from the SeaBus, the only other scheduled ferry services within the city are on False
Creek. Two private companies, False Creek Ferries (604/684-7781) and Aquabus (604/
689-5858), operate on this narrow waterway. From the main hub of Granville Island, 12-
to 20-passenger ferries run every 15 minutes 7am-10pm daily to the foot of Hornby Street,
and under the Burrard Street Bridge to the Aquatic Center (at the south end of Thurlow
Street) and Vanier Park (Museum of Vancouver). Every 30-60 minutes both companies also
run down the head of False Creek to Stamp's Landing, the Plaza of Nations, and Science
World. Fares with both companies are $3.25-5.50 per sector or $15 for a full day of unlim-
ited travel.