free transit on new year's eve in metro vancouver and beyond
4 minute read
translink is offering free transit on new year's eve including nightbuses and skytrain.
nick procaylo
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new year’s eve revellers in metro vancouver and some parts of b.c. can get a free ride tonight on public transit.
translink and b.c. transit are offering free bus service starting dec. 31 until early jan. 1. translink’s skytrain, seabus and west coast express are also free during these hours.
here’s a rundown of transportation options and other ways to get home safely, including cab company contact info.
translink
translink will offer free rides on buses starting at 5 p.m. on dec. 31 and ending at 5 a.m. on jan. 1.
there will also free rides on skytrains and seabuses from 5 p.m. on dec. 31 through end of service in the early hours of jan. 1.
west coast express’ 5:30 p.m. and 6:20 p.m. trains leaving waterfront station are also free on dec. 31.
during this period, compass fare gates will remain open and there is no need to tap in or out. but if you began your trip before 5 p.m. you will need to tap out so you get charged the appropriate fare.
buses will operate on an extended weekday schedule with 52 extra buses to handle the expected surge in passengers and meet the extended skytrain schedule.
seabuses will run on a modified weekday schedule with extended evening service on new year’s eve. the last seabus will sail from waterfront station at 2:22 a.m.
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skytrains will run on a modified weekday schedule with trains running an extra hour longer than usual.
- last train from waterfront to king george at 2:16 a.m.
- last train from waterfront to lougheed at 2:11 a.m.
- last train from waterfront to production way-university at 1:40 a.m.
- last train from waterfront to yvr-airport station at 2:08 a.m.
- last train from waterfront to richmond-brighouse at 2:15 a.m.
- last train from vcc-clark to lafarge lake-douglas at 2:22 a.m. (until 2:30 a.m. as far as lougheed town centre only)
- last train from lafarge lake-douglas to vcc-clark at 1:58 a.m.
nightbuses will run every 20 to 30 minutes from downtown vancouver after skytrain and seabus ends for the night until 5 a.m. most nightbuses leave from howe and dunsmuir or seymour and granville and cover routes in vancouver, richmond, north vancouver, burnaby, coquitlam, port moody, new westminster and surrey.
ride-share services
new year’s eve is one of the busiest nights of the year for ride-hailing services, with high demand and surge pricing in place.
“we typically see significantly higher demand on new year’s eve as vancouverites head out to celebrate and then look for a safe and convenient ride home,” said uber canada spokeswoman keerthana rang.
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the company couldn’t say how many drivers will be available on new year’s eve, but has sent out reminders to drivers across vancouver encouraging them to get on the road.
for riders planning their ride home, here are some tips:
- schedule a trip with uber reserve, which lets you lock in a price in advance.
- try uberx share, where the app will try to match another rider with you to save on fares.
- try the group ride feature to carpool a ride and fare with a friend.
cabs and taxis
and if you’re counting on a cab or taxi, those can come with its own set of challenges. taxis, like ride-share vehicles, will be in high demand on new year’s eve. try your luck flagging one or try to call ahead. here are contact phone number for cabs in the metro vancouver region.
- vancouver taxi — 604-871-1111
- yellow cab — 604-681-1111
- black top & checker cabs — 604-731-1111
- maclure’s — 604-831-1111
- sunshine cabs (north vancouver) — 604-988-8888
- north shore taxi (north vancouver) — 604-922-2222
- kimber cabs (richmond) — 604-238-8888
- garden city cabs (richmond) — 604-233-1111
- richmond taxi (richmond) — 604-272-1111
- bonny’s taxi (burnaby) — 604-451-1111
- capitol hill taxi (burnaby) — 604-299-6262
- royal city taxi (new westminster) — 604-526-6666
- delta / surrey green cab — 604-594-1111
- surdell taxi (surrey) — 604-588-8888
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b.c. transit
b.c. transit, which provides transit in some regions outside of metro vancouver, is also offering free service for new year’s eve:
central fraser valley — buses will be free after 6 p.m., with extended service until 3 a.m. full schedule here.
squamish — buses will be free after 8 p.m., with extended service past midnight on new year’s eve. full schedule here.
whistler — free transit all day on new year’s eve, with regular weekday schedule.
sunshine coast — buses will be free after 7 p.m.
victoria — service will be free after 6 p.m. with extended late-night service in the victoria region. service operates on a sunday schedule on jan. 1. full schedule here.
nanaimo — buses will be free starting at 6 p.m., with extended service.
port alberni — free service after 7:30 p.m., with extended late-night service. full schedule here.
kamloops — buses will be free starting at 6 p.m., with extended late-night service
penticton — all transit services are free starting at 7 p.m., with late-night service on some routes. full schedule here.
kitimat — buses will be free after 7 p.m., with extended late-night service until 5 a.m. on some route. full schedule here.
prince george — free service starting at 7 p.m., with extended service until 3 a.m. for some routes. full schedule here.
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