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found this in another thread and copy it

I never recommend SkyTrain to or from Amtrak, as there is no legal way to transport large suitcases on this line (bags can only go at your feet on on your lap, so bigger than a backpack is basically always going to break the law). While the odds are very low the rules will be enforced since trains are automated, if they are it's a $150 fine compared to less than $10 saving vs. taking a cab - and if you make a fuss our transit cops are, shall we say, rather heavy-handed in their response.

 

 

Sorry I have to ask again:

 

It's really not allowed to have a suitcase each with us in the skytrain ?

 

we plan to use it from airport to hotel, hotel to port, port to Pacific /AMtrak station.

 

I'm confused now :confused:

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@elvismeggi: Which hotel are you going to? Many hotels are best done with a taxi from the Amtrak station.

 

There are TWO skytrain lines.

  • The Canada Line from the airport has wider aisles and space under the seat for luggage. The link you included is from the Canada Line. The designated storage area is under the seat. However rarely do I see people using the space as that's where people put their shoes. On a wet day, it's an ugly space to store luggage there. Knowing which hotel, we can give you a better idea of the "luggage drag" after you exit the train.
  • The Expo Line to the Amtrak station is much more hostile. There are two or three generation of trains with different narrow aisle widths. Some segments is not much wider than what you see in an aircraft. There is also limited storage under the seats.
  • there is no luggage restrictions that I am aware of. However the trains do mix with the general public. Depending on your luggage size, you may have troubles exiting the train with it full of afternoon commuters. I recommend the taxi. The only restriction I know are bicycles at select hours and train direction.
  • contact Translink if you want to verify luggage restrictions on the train.
    http://www.translink.ca/en/Rider-Guide/Safety-and-Security.aspx
    http://www.translink.ca/en/Customer-Service/General-Contact-Information.aspx

Edited by xlxo
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I'm afraid the only thing I have to correct from my original post is that you can avoid the fine if you get off when asked to - without getting a refund of your ticket - but then you're stuck still needing a cab and at a station which may have no cabs lined up outside it. Section 6 of the BC Transit Act covers the offence ("failure to obey signs and rules") and Section 9 the amount of the fine. The actual signs themselves are on board the train, in the station, on buses, and also in the FAQs on the Translink website (this saves having to amend the Act when the rules change, and also gives Translink carte blanche to enforce ANY rule that they wish to set up just by displaying a sign on their property or vehicles).

 

NB: that the website you quoted is referring exclusively to the Canada Line - which has luggage room under all seats as well as extra legroom, specifically so that people who bring luggage to and from the airport WON'T be in breach of the rules. The other lines, including the Expo to and from Amtrak do not have luggage space. The rules are not specific to SkyTrain, but to ALL transit modes - and the simplest, Plain English way I can put it is that ALL the stuff you're traveling with must be within your allocated seating space.

 

So basically unless you can balance ill your luggage on your lap or between your legs (without them spreading out into the space for the next seat or into the aisle) don't take a bus or any SkyTrain line other than the Canada Line, as you'll have a (small) risk of being kicked off or fined. From airport to downtown you're on the Canada Line, so even large bags work just fine. Depending which hotel, you may also be using Canada Line to the port from your hotel - so still fine. It's the Expo line from port to Amtrak that is your problem.

 

I've no doubt that you'll see posts from others who have taken Skytrain and buses with loads of bags and not had any trouble, and seen other people schlepping big screen TVs and all sorts of oversized things they shouldn't - and I'm sure they're telling the truth! But it's just the same as a speeding or parking ticket - even if a Translink employee sees you taking up and extra seat they might not bother asking you to stop doing it if the vehicle isn't very full - it's at their discretion - and of course lots and lots of people get away with breaking the rules time after time without ever actually being caught. But just like speeding - even if the odds are very low you'll be caught, I'm never going to recommend law-breaking. And since the fact that big luggage is effectively not allowed on most forms of public transit in Vancouver isn't something that most people would assume to be the case, I feel that it's a valid thing to point out.

 

If you're willing to take the risk then I leave the decision entirely up to you - you have the facts, you're a grown-up, you can choose what to do. But for the sake of a $10 or less saving (2 SkyTrain tickets @ $2.75pp vs. a $10-15 cab ride to Amtrak from the pier) I personally feel it's a pointless risk to take.

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  • 1 year later...

I've seen your response about luggage not being allowed on Skytrain a few places now and I'm wondering where the information originated? The "Etiquette on Transit" section at translink.ca (https://www.translink.ca/Rider-Guide/Etiquette-on-Transit.aspx) says:

Backpacks, luggage, grocery bags, & laptopsLarge bags can be difficult for people around you. Please remove your backpack and put it on the floor – especially when standing as it's easy to bump someone. If seating space is limited, ensure that your personal items are not taking away seats from other passengers. Does your bag really need its own seat?

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^From the BC Transit Act as linked above already re: the amount of the fines and the requirements to obey posted signs & rules; from the posted signs on Translink vehicles and property (e.g. re: bike/wheelchair spots being just for those items); from the very etiquette guide you quote from (as an incomplete-but-still-useful Plain English 'what to do and not to do' guide); from personal experience of seeing multiple people refused entry to buses over the years because they have large bags, with the presence of those bags and lack of storage space for them being the specified reason given by the driver at the time they were refused boarding (since my regular bus routes are on the Community Shuttles and everyone boarding those has to do so right next to the driver, they are much better about enforcing rules than the big bendy buses with multiple doorways); and from one experience of witnessing a cyclist being kicked out at Main Street SkyTrain during the morning rush, when the employee cited the fact that 'sandwich board' signs placed on the sidewalk by the station entrance stating that no bikes were allowed on at that time of day was all the requirement needed to give the guy the boot (to be fair, he did suggest that the cyclist transfer onto a bus since the front bike racks of those are usable at all times).

 

To pull it back around to simple common sense - you're on a bus or Expo line train without any storage space. The etiquette guide dictates that you can't put your suitcase on a seat; the signs in the wheelchair/bike zone clearly state that only those items can go there; there is no underseat storage and not enough legroom between seats for both a large bag and your own legs to fit at the same time. I could see the argument that standing in the aisle, with one hand on your bag so it doesn't roll or tip over, may not breach the rules since the sensible safety recommendation about removing backpacks implies that a bag at your feet is preferable to one on your back - but that's the specific case I have seen drivers actually enforce on multiple occasions, and given how infrequently drivers actually enforce any rules whatsoever (their union even backs them on not demanding payment from passengers for example) it makes me very confident that blocking aisles with luggage definitely falls under the policy.

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The link the original poster is pointing to is not from Translink, the operator of the system. So I would ignore it especially if it contradicts with Skytrain says....

 

I have seen one version that basically says it is issues if bags interfere with others or cause damage to the bus/train.

 

The other version as others have posted:

 

Backpacks, luggage, grocery bags, & laptopsLarge bags can be difficult for people around you. Please remove your backpack and put it on the floor – especially when standing as it's easy to bump someone. If seating space is limited, ensure that your personal items are not taking away seats from other passengers. Does your bag really need its own seat?

from: https://www.translink.ca/Rider-Guide/Etiquette-on-Transit.aspx

 

 

It does not say your are not allowed to have luggage. It say be cognitive of the fact it can interfere with others and act accordingly. As long as you act in a responsible way to reduce the impact on others I think your fine.

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The link the original poster is pointing to is not from Translink, the operator of the system. So I would ignore it especially if it contradicts with Skytrain says....

The OP was quoting me in his link; if you mean my link, that was to the relevant portion of the BC Transit Act on bclaws.ca - which is the official online listing of ALL provincial legislation. The BC Transit Act is what governs Translink, allowing it to exist in the first place and dictating how it operates. Translink cannot do anything which contradicts the Act, they have to operate within it, so it 100% trumps any guideline issued by Translink that clashes with it. They can (and do) make a whole bunch of other rules and policies - including things like having bike spaces, which are not required by the Act.

 

There is no clash though - per the language in that enabling legislation, all employees/agents MAY (not MUST) ask folks to leave the vehicle or property if they are in breach of any posted rules. So all the times that you, and I, and anyone else have seen folks schlepping way too much stuff on a Transit vehicle, taking up an extra seat with their bags, causing a tripping hazard by leaving it in the aisle, or taking up a wheelchair/bike space are easily explained by a simple lack of enforcement, just like cops have discretion if someone is speeding or CBSA sometimes don't bother if you declare a couple of bottles of wine over the Duty Free limit.

 

The number of times I have actually seen enforcement occur though means I'm very comfortable stating that it DOES happen, and it specifically happens related to luggage that is bigger than lap/under legs size - which is why I always recommend against bus and non-Canada Line SkyTrain use by folks on this forum. We're on a cruise forum, and while some folks do travel light, Joe McAverageCruiser does not - a big suitcase, a carryon/small backpack, and maybe also a purse or camera bag is probably a pretty safe bet as the average amount of luggage for Joe. The folks I have seen refused entry to buses had as little as one large suitcase or hefty backpack - and were told that since it was a safety violation to leave these items in the aisle of the bus and they were not allowed to use a seat for their luggage, they could not bring it on board.

 

If anyone chooses to risk it anyway, knowing that they could have a problem - fine & dandy, that's on them, they have the info so can make their own now-informed decision. But personally there's no way I'm going to recommend it and frankly I feel it's a very poor show for anyone to do so. How are you going to feel when eventually the dice turn up snake eyes and somebody does get booted off? Are you going to offer to refund their fares that they didn't get to use, or even their fine if they decide to believe you?

 

Relevant anecdote - I recall a tour guide on a trip through Europe who ended up very much regretting his 'it will be fine, they never enforce transit rules on tourists' advice to our group. We were in a hotel out in the 'burbs of Prague, nearest transit to downtown was a tram stop but unmanned without ticket machines at the time. "Even if an inspector gets on just play the dumb tourist and he'll either let you off no problem or wait until you pass a stop with a ticket machine and let you buy one then," was what he told us all after pointing out the tram stop when we arrived at the hotel. We were dubious, and asked at the front desk where the nearest shop selling tickets was: it was only a couple of blocks out of our way to get tickets from a tobacco shop.

 

Another couple on our tour walked straight to the tram stop and boarded instead, since the guide had said not to worry about it. Next morning at breakfast we enjoyed the show as they harangued the guide because the ticket inspector onboard had fined them (IIRC 600CKR compared to the <20CKR tram fare at the time) - and since they were tourists and likely to leave town without paying he called the police to the next stop to ensure that they complied! Suffice to say that guide did not see a penny in tips from those folks, or several others who felt he had badly let them down with his poor advice.

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Here is a link to the BC Transit Act

  1. http://www.bclaws.ca/civix/document/id/lc/statreg/96038_01

 

It does not say much of anything about luggage. It also does not apply to Translink. It applies to all the other transit authorities in BC. For translink you want to look at this one:

 

  1. http://www.bclaws.ca/civix/document/id/lc/statreg/98030_01

The rules on their web site, don't say "Your not allowed to have luggage". What they do say is luggage is not permitted that may obstruct or interfere with others or cause damage to property.

 

https://www.translink.ca/~/media/Documents/rider_guide/safety_and_security/Rules%20and%20Regulations.ashx

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Here is a link to the BC Transit Act

 

 

  1. http://www.bclaws.ca/civix/document/id/lc/statreg/96038_01

 

It does not say much of anything about luggage. It also does not apply to Translink. It applies to all the other transit authorities in BC. For translink you want to look at this one:

 

  1. http://www.bclaws.ca/civix/document/id/lc/statreg/98030_01

The rules on their web site, don't say "Your not allowed to have luggage". What they do say is luggage is not permitted that may obstruct or interfere with others or cause damage to property.

 

https://www.translink.ca/~/media/Documents/rider_guide/safety_and_security/Rules%20and%20Regulations.ashx

You're absolutely correct that I linked to the wrong Act; apologies to all for that error, and especially to you for trying to correct your correction incorrectly. I thought you meant Translink's guidelines took precedence over the Act governing them, not that I had linked to the wrong Act.

 

What both Acts say is that the relevant transit authority has the right to make rules (that implicitly do not clash with the Act), that those rules can be enforced by an employee or agent of the authority. The Translink regulation you quote yourself, that luggage which '... may obstruct or interfere with others...' is alone sufficient to have folks booted for large-sized or too much Stuff/failure - all of the instances I have witnessed were here in Vancouver on Translink vehicles, both buses and SkyTrain.

 

I've never said that Translink rules or the Act forbid luggage entirely - just luggage (or any other Stuff-that-is-not-a-Passenger) that takes up aisles, seats, and designated-for-specific-purposes spots on vehicles. This means that effectively any large enough number of pieces of luggage, or single large enough item of luggage, are always going to be in breach because it's impossible for them NOT to get in the way of others/take up a seat/be in an area they are not allowed to be in on buses or non-Canada Line SkyTrain: none of those vehicles have space for large items under seats or any kind of luggage rack.

 

The relevant debate when it comes to opinion is how often the rules are actually enforced, not that they apply. If I didn't have sufficient understanding of Stats to know that the sample size is too small to be useful, I'd have previously noted that this happens at least one in three bus trips I take during summer on C23 (with stops at Yaletown Skytrain and outside Costco making up 100% of those incidents I've seen). Since I do understand Stats, I know that my experience of this in no way predicts this to be a remotely-accurate reflection of the likelihood of enforcement across the system, so I always stick to appropriately-woolly terms like 'it is very unlikely to be enforced, but...' rather than try to put any actual % chance on the situation.

 

Your own, and several other local and frequent-visitors, opinions that visitors will probably be fine are absolutely valid - I've even stated basically the same thing myself - but I'll continue to warn people about the potential problem and the repercussions thereof and let them decide if they want to risk it. Even a small risk is foolish IMO when there is such a minimal saving involved, as it seems like the vast majority of the times this question arises are in respect to travel between Pacific Central and Canada Place - where a cab with four bums on seats could actually cost less than 4 transit tickets, and even a solo passenger would be out of pocket to the tune of CAD$10 or less by cabbing instead of taking transit.

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Too late to edit my post after digging through my various bookmarks about transit - but the relevant Bylaw is found here (updated as of 1 July 2018), buried among the Transit Tariff section. In case you don't want to pour through the whole thing, the relevant part is 4.(a)(v) found on page 12 & 13 of the linked PDF version. I have copied the specific lines here for the convenience of folks who cannot open the PDF or don't want to for whatever reason [(i) through (vi) cover liquored up passengers, folks who curse, those who do not pay the fare, unsafe mobility devices and various other criteria for refusal of carriage]:

 

4. REFUSAL OF TRANSPORTATION

(a) TransLink reserves the right to refuse to carry in any transit vehicle, or cause to be removed from any transit vehicle, Fare Paid Zone or other transit property:

(v) anything (including baggage) that, in the sole opinion of a Transit Employee, might cause inconvenience to others, soil or damage transit property, or represent a safety hazard

 

I really should have noticed my link em-sk corrected went to the wrong place when the fine amount was still at $150 in the text - the relevant Translink version has seen the fine increased over the years, and just mentions 'the fine' in almost all the wording with the amount covered only once under fare evasion. It now stands at $173.

 

Hopefully this exact wording, from the Translink-specific Bylaws, stating as clear as day that any employee has total discretion to decide that anything you bring onboard that might even inconvenience others - not even as extreme as having to be a safety hazard or deprive a wheelchair user of the only safe spot to anchor their chair - is entitled to refuse you carriage on any Translink vehicle and boot you off if you're already on.

 

Posts after this one that riff 'I have never seen such a thing happen and I have seen people with (insert obviously-too-big-thing here)!' will not be responded to - enforcement is difficult to begin with on automated trains, even when employees are present they do not always enforce the rules, but none of this makes the rules disappear.

 

Any further correction of errors will of course be gladly accepted though.

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The OP was asking about 2 people on the Skytrain, each with a suitcase. Your response to that question was

"Originally posted by martincath

I never recommend SkyTrain to or from Amtrak, as there is no legal way to transport large suitcases on this line (bags can only go at your feet on on your lap, so bigger than a backpack is basically always going to break the law).

and that is patently ridiculous as it is NOT illegal for a person to take a suitcase on Skytrain. Obviously there could be extreme circumstances wherein a person with an excessive amount of luggage causes considerable inconvenience to other passengers and consequently may be asked to leave the train. But I think it's unkind and unfair to panic future visitors to Vancouver by telling them they'd be breaking the law with one suitcase.

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The OP was asking about 2 people on the Skytrain, each with a suitcase. Your response to that question was

"Originally posted bymartincath

I never recommend SkyTrain to or from Amtrak, as there is no legal way to transport large suitcases on this line (bags can only go at your feet on on your lap, so bigger than a backpack is basically always going to break the law).

and that is patently ridiculous as it is NOT illegal for a person to take a suitcase on Skytrain. Obviously there could be extreme circumstances wherein a person with an excessive amount of luggage causes considerable inconvenience to other passengers and consequently may be asked to leave the train. But I think it's unkind and unfair to panic future visitors to Vancouver by telling them they'd be breaking the law with one suitcase.

I guess you're not actually saying that you have seen X, so I'll bite. Again, I have to reiterate that I have seen, on multiple occasions, service refusals. Several of those folks had just one big suitcase (others had a purse or small bag or pack that obviously would fit on their lap or under their legs); one person had literally just one big backpack, nothing else at all. So unless you have personal knowledge of the size of suitcase OP was referring to, how do you know that their suitcase was not absolutely enormous and a considerable inconvenience?

 

So yes, in fact ONE piece of luggage that will not fit in your seat space, with you, is indeed grounds for refusal of service. In fact, per the bylaw wording, Translink employees have total discretion - there is no size specified at all, so in theory you could be refused service for bringing on anything at all if there's even a chance, in the sole discretion of the employee, that it could interfere with other passengers, safety, cause damage etc. etc. The Bylaw applies to ALL transit vehicles and property - it's right there in the wording, so I genuinely cannot understand why people continue to not believe it.

 

You don't have to like the fact that this rule exists, but unfortunately you really do have to believe that it does given I've pointed directly to the extremely-current (this month!) relevant Bylaw for you to read. If you're a generally rational person you should also believe that it is enforced sometimes - even if you you feel that I somehow have something to gain by lying about having witnessed it happen you can verify that there are actually many service refusal stories out there. Most are personal accounts on social media but some are deemed interesting or unusual enough to actually make the mainstream press (my favourite illustration of just how much of an a**hole some Translink minions are about this issue is the kid with cerebral palsy who was kicked off a bus because he had a hockey bag - to make room for an able-bodied woman with a stroller!)

 

In short - this does happen. Often? Certainly not. If you hadn't cherry-picked one sentence out of context, you'd also find that in addition to my warning that it CAN happen, I mentioned it was unlikely in the very next sentence from the post that was quoted by the OP of this thread.

 

Panic is certainly not a word I'd throw around in this context, and as to being 'unkind and unfair' in what I said you are welcome to your own opinion, but that is your inference not my intention with my words. Since you seem to find pulling up old threads to attack another poster acceptable, I can only assume that your personal philosophy has altered since you posted this. Or am I not among the subset of people who are worthy of giving the benefit of the doubt to, at least in regards to why I have posted this warning?

 

I'll also note that I did not say what you quote in response to the OP - the OP pulled my quote from another older thread and asked if it was correct or out of date. My response was to OP was the 4th post in this thread, the one that contains an awful lot of verbiage clarifying that the rule is unlikely to be enforced - but still sticking to the fundamental principle that yes, a LARGE suitcase can be grounds for refusal of service.

 

I do thank you for raising this thread from the dead as it gave em-sk the chance to point out my erroneous link from over a year ago. I don't like giving incorrect info and certainly never intend to do so, so I'm happy to have the chance to fix an error.

Edited by martincath
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  • 3 years later...
21 minutes ago, erinsmom03 said:

@martincath I stumbled upon this old thread as I looked at ways to get from Pacific Central Station to a downtown hotel. There will be 6 of us, all with luggage. I am assuming that it would be best to get a taxi? Is Lyft an option?

Yes we now have Uber and Lyft (I've only been told about Lyft, but I have used Uber locally).  But I have found Uber to be more expensive than a regular cab for short distances.  For 6 with luggage you might well need 2 taxis/vehicles - most of the fleet are the smaller Prius type, with the occasional minivan, if you're lucky.  Which hotel are you aiming for?  The station is not far from the downtown core - usually a bit too far to walk with luggage.  Are you coming in by bus, as the train is still not back on the schedule, last time I looked (which was actually yesterday, as I'm hoping to get to Seattle soon!)

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Given the price of cabs and the even-lower rates of Lyft & Uber who both operate in Vancouver these days, it might actually be cheaper than SkyTrain as well as door-to-door convenient. It's barely a mile to the nearest downtown hotels (YWCA, Georgian Court, Hampton, Sandman on Beatty), 2 miles includes probably 80%+ of all downtown hotels except the handful right up near the Stanley Park end, and even if you're up at the BW Sands a cab is likely to work out at $5 a head or less even with just 3 per vehicle.

 

With 6 folks you will need 2 cabs - potentially one large vehicle that you might find on Uber XL could take all of you, but personally I've got not idea what sort of availability big vehicles have on rideshare services here. Even local minivan cabs won't fit six of you a once - virtually all of them have a row of seats removed to make them convenient for wheelchair loading, so still only have 4 passenger seats - and you'll have the same issue for any pre-cruise touring or getting to the cruise terminal for embarkation

 

 

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48 minutes ago, westcoasttech said:

Yes we now have Uber and Lyft (I've only been told about Lyft, but I have used Uber locally).  But I have found Uber to be more expensive than a regular cab for short distances.  For 6 with luggage you might well need 2 taxis/vehicles - most of the fleet are the smaller Prius type, with the occasional minivan, if you're lucky.  Which hotel are you aiming for?  The station is not far from the downtown core - usually a bit too far to walk with luggage.  Are you coming in by bus, as the train is still not back on the schedule, last time I looked (which was actually yesterday, as I'm hoping to get to Seattle soon!)

 

Yes, we will probably be coming by bus from Seattle, flying in and out of Seattle from Michigan had better time options and was less expensive. We are looking at a few Marriott hotels, including the Residence Inn, Delta, and Metropolitan.

 

45 minutes ago, martincath said:

Given the price of cabs and the even-lower rates of Lyft & Uber who both operate in Vancouver these days, it might actually be cheaper than SkyTrain as well as door-to-door convenient. It's barely a mile to the nearest downtown hotels (YWCA, Georgian Court, Hampton, Sandman on Beatty), 2 miles includes probably 80%+ of all downtown hotels except the handful right up near the Stanley Park end, and even if you're up at the BW Sands a cab is likely to work out at $5 a head or less even with just 3 per vehicle.

 

With 6 folks you will need 2 cabs - potentially one large vehicle that you might find on Uber XL could take all of you, but personally I've got not idea what sort of availability big vehicles have on rideshare services here. Even local minivan cabs won't fit six of you a once - virtually all of them have a row of seats removed to make them convenient for wheelchair loading, so still only have 4 passenger seats - and you'll have the same issue for any pre-cruise touring or getting to the cruise terminal for embarkation

 

 

 

We will actually be two families of 3 adults, so each family will be getting their own car. I saw that Lyft from the station to Residence Inn was about $12 CAD. Not too bad. I assume the taxis would be similar? I'm not opposed to a taxi, just used to Lyft because they give me double miles on my Delta Sky Miles account.

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You might want to check out Quick Shuttle ...

 

https://quickcoach.com/

 

They pick up at Seattle Airport (and downtown), and have drop off points at certain hotels downtown Vancouver.  Prices are comparable to Amtrak TrainBus.  I last used them some years ago and at that time the driver basically took "requests" for hotel drop offs in the Van downtown core - not sure if that's still an approved thing for them these days.  I appreciate the taxi/Uber/Lyft fare is not a huge $ amount to worry about, but I like to check out all my options when planning!

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32 minutes ago, erinsmom03 said:

Yes, we will probably be coming by bus from Seattle, flying in and out of Seattle from Michigan had better time options and was less expensive. We are looking at a few Marriott hotels, including the Residence Inn, Delta, and Metropolitan.

 

We will actually be two families of 3 adults, so each family will be getting their own car. I saw that Lyft from the station to Residence Inn was about $12 CAD. Not too bad. I assume the taxis would be similar? I'm not opposed to a taxi, just used to Lyft because they give me double miles on my Delta Sky Miles account.

For really short rides, Uber/Lyft are actually pricier than cabs as they have a raft of surcharges that don't apply to taxis, so even without any kind of surge pricing the base rate for getting in starts higher. To those Marriotts I would guess that your cab fare should be within a buck of the Lyft estimate, so if you can get extra miles I'd check the app first - if the nearest car is going to take ages, just join the cab queue instead.

 

WCT makes a good point - if the trains still aren't running, and with Bolt now closed, bus fares are worse than they used to be. Quickshuttle totally overhauled their pricing model though, now having multiple categories of fares and potentially hefty bag fees, but it's definitely still worth checking their website to see how much it would cost compared to Cantrail (who run the buses for Amtrak). Their main downtown stops are the Holiday Inn on Howe St (1 block down, 1 over from the Residence) and the cruise terminal itself (an easy walk to the Delta, ~500 yards) with both stops  pretty much equidistant at ~800yds to the Met.

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1 hour ago, westcoasttech said:

You might want to check out Quick Shuttle ...

 

https://quickcoach.com/

 

They pick up at Seattle Airport (and downtown), and have drop off points at certain hotels downtown Vancouver.  Prices are comparable to Amtrak TrainBus.  I last used them some years ago and at that time the driver basically took "requests" for hotel drop offs in the Van downtown core - not sure if that's still an approved thing for them these days.  I appreciate the taxi/Uber/Lyft fare is not a huge $ amount to worry about, but I like to check out all my options when planning!

 

47 minutes ago, martincath said:

For really short rides, Uber/Lyft are actually pricier than cabs as they have a raft of surcharges that don't apply to taxis, so even without any kind of surge pricing the base rate for getting in starts higher. To those Marriotts I would guess that your cab fare should be within a buck of the Lyft estimate, so if you can get extra miles I'd check the app first - if the nearest car is going to take ages, just join the cab queue instead.

 

WCT makes a good point - if the trains still aren't running, and with Bolt now closed, bus fares are worse than they used to be. Quickshuttle totally overhauled their pricing model though, now having multiple categories of fares and potentially hefty bag fees, but it's definitely still worth checking their website to see how much it would cost compared to Cantrail (who run the buses for Amtrak). Their main downtown stops are the Holiday Inn on Howe St (1 block down, 1 over from the Residence) and the cruise terminal itself (an easy walk to the Delta, ~500 yards) with both stops  pretty much equidistant at ~800yds to the Met.

 

You are both so helpful, I appreciate the tips! I will check out the other options for buses!

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