Mini-Buses, Collectivo's. etc.
These are starting to make an
appearance in some suburbs, notably North Vancouver and Surrey.
They are receiving considerable opposition from the taxi
companies, but are making inroads. They mainly operate like a
taxi, picking up several people at a time who call for their
service. This is similar to a service I used frequently in
Cape town, SA. It does not operate, as in most 3rd world
countries, where Collectivo's cruise up and down busy streets
picking up riders.
Taxis & Limo's
Taxis are expensive, and
without trying to sound racist, are generally under the control
of the Indo-Canadian community. Unfortunately, there has been a
lot of controversy lately over the apparent lack of English
skills of a number of the drivers, and also lack of knowledge of
the city in general. While some of these comments are racially
motivated, there are some drivers who fit in this category. All taxi's work on meters, they start at a fixed amount
which then increases (very rapidly) in 10 second increments.
Consider hiring a limo to take you around. Nice
touch if you have a group together, and want to attend an event
in style, or have enough people to justify using one to look
around the city in. Try Gentleman
Jim's Limousine. It runs about $60-$100
Canadian an hour (including a driver), hold 10 people and they
also have buses available for larger groups.
MalRob Limousine, Whistler Limousine, Vancouver Limousine Service , VIP Limousine, Amron Limousine , XP Limousine & Platinum Limousine all offer tours,
transport to Whistler, transport to the cruise ships, weddings, etc.
Hitchhiking
Unless your a good looking girl
in shorts and a halter top, you will find hitchhiking difficult.
It used to be easy in the 60's, but not anymore. The standard
hitchhiking signal is an outstretched thumb. Hitchhiking on the
freeway is illegal, but you can do it on the on-ramps. Vancouver,
like anywhere else, has its share of weirdo's, so its not
advisable to hitchhike alone.
Biking
Vancouver is generally friendly
to cyclists. Some buses have bike racks, which are free to use.
There are also some set bike paths, notably the one that follows
under the Skytrain guide way. There are also set bike paths in
Stanley Park. Motorists are generally used to cyclists and you
will find most are aware of your presence. Cyclists in Vancouver
have been quite militant in getting bike lanes established. The election of a cycle friendly mayor has meant this is happening now (2010) at a rapid pace, at the expense of downtown street parking. The
down side to cycling is that Vancouver is a generally hilly city,
aka San Francisco, so you have to be in good shape. Some trails
on the local mountains are also available for use by mountain
bikers, but be careful of hikers, they have right-of-way and will
get very annoyed if they have to jump out of your way. If you are driving in the downtown core, watch out for
bicycle couriers, they are crazy. Biking around the Province is
not advised unless you are in exceptionally good shape.
Seaplanes & Helicopters
You can fly to one of the Gulf Islands for
about $70 one way or to Victoria for about $80 one way on Harbour Air, West Coast Air, or to Nanaimo
on Baxter
Air. Helijet Airways will fly you to
Victoria or Whistler. Phone 604-273-1414 or
1-800-665-4354, or visit their website at http://www.helijet.com/. They also fly between Seattle & Victoria.
Bus Charters
If you are looking to charter a bus, try International Stage Lines
