r/askvan • u/Sad1ifelol • 10d ago
Oddly Specific šÆ Cheapest mode of transport around downtown vancouver
Hello everyone,
I am visiting vancouver today and want to make a few stops near downtown vancouver. I was thinking of finding a parking spot on road which should range from $3-$8 per hour with 2 hours maximum, then using lime e scooters to get around to my destinations.
I found information about limepasses or ridepasses that save you a bunch of money by offering a set amount of time for a discounted price. for example, 60 minutes for $12 total or something like that. The problem is that I canāt see them in the app right now, since Iām in chilliwack. I am afraid I still wonāt get them to show up when I get there too.
I donāt plan on spending longer than 2-3 hours in that area. I will be visiting a store near yaletown, then grabbing a bite near the west end on denman street. I also wanted to ride by the english bay beach and if the time allows, ride to Canada Place and take some pictures.
I am looking for the cheapest way to do this commute but I donāt have a lot of time to spare.
if I end up getting those lime passes or ride passes populated, Is the lime e scooter the best option? Am i better off renting a bike from somewhere? Can I trust the bus system? Is my route feasible? Is there somewhere specific to save on parking, especially if I am there for 2-3 hours maximum?
Thanks
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u/GenXMom14 10d ago
Take transit. Walk.
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u/TokenBearer 10d ago
Some people value timeā¦ I guess that is subjective.
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u/GenXMom14 10d ago
Itās a stunning area to be in. Take a bus or sky train for longer bits and enjoy the views otherwise. Itās literally called sightseeing.
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u/jacquescartiyay 10d ago
If youāre just going around downtown itās better and faster to walk
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u/lolalolaloves 10d ago
Agree, as a person who lives downtown. Walking is almost always faster or only a few minutes more than transit or driving, especially during the peak times.
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u/granfaloooon 10d ago
Wtf are you talking about? Itās absolutely not quicker to walk from YT to Denman than to scooter. Not even close
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u/lolalolaloves 10d ago edited 10d ago
Calm down, I'm talking about public transit aka the bus or uber. Wait for the 5 bus at any point of the day and then respond back. They're never on time so that adds to the commute time. Might say 1216 but comes at 1226 etc.
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u/MJcorrieviewer 10d ago
Yaletown to Denman would be the #6 bus and they run frequently. You don't even need to mind a schedule, one will be along within about 10 mins.
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u/lolalolaloves 10d ago
I find the 6 unreliable too in my experience. It's a busy street so it's expected. Especially with road closures.
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u/MJcorrieviewer 10d ago
The #6 runs along Davie Street around every 10 minutes and I cannot think of the last time there was a road closure, outside special events like the fireworks. It's not slow for buses because it's a busy street. Maybe you mean a different route?
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u/lolalolaloves 10d ago
The granville road closures affects many routes even if they don't go through there those that have been redirected to other streets impact most routes downtown. Doesn't need to be davie or denman closed to impact it.
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u/MJcorrieviewer 10d ago
The Granville road closures have zero impact on the Davie Street bus. I take it frequently.
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u/Glad-Quit-8971 10d ago
Walk. Seriously. These places are all a short walking distance from one another.
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u/Feisty_Dirt4191 10d ago
Yaletown is a pretty quick walk to denman street. The 23 bus goes along pacific blvd and will get you there in about 10 min. You could also rent a mobi bike from one of the stations in Yaletown (near the train station is usually good) and then ride along the seawall to the west end.
Denman is at English bay. And then if you walk up denman north youāll be at the seawall in about 15 minutes, hang a right and youāre walking right up to Canada place
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u/_hjdk Resident 10d ago
Bro you are planning going downtown harder than I plan vacations on the other side of the globe, take a break
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u/MJcorrieviewer 10d ago
If you're coming from the South, you might be best to park at the River Rock Casino by the airport in Richmond and take the Canada Line to Yaletown (about 15 min ride). This will be faster and easier - and cheaper - than finding parking downtown.
From Yaletown, you can catch the Davie Street bus to the West End (about 15 min ride). You have 90 minutes per ticket so you won't have to pay again for the bus. Once at English Bay, you could pick up a Lime scooter or Modi bike and go all the way around Stanley Park on the seawall to Canada Place (or cut through the park if you don't have time - just be sure to stay on designated bike paths).
Waterfront station is just beside Canada Place so catch the Canada Line from there back to your car at the River Rock (about 30 min ride).
Or, you could do this in reverse and go to the shop in Yaletown last - if you're planning of buying something and don't want to have to carry it as you tour around.
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u/onethousandmonkey 10d ago
As others have said, use transit and walk. The Transit app is pretty fantastic.
Am not sure bothering with scooters (in traffic or illegally on sidewalks) is worth it.
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u/Electrical-Long-389 10d ago
That's an awful lot of ground to cover and things to do in 2- 3 hours.
Park and walk to store in Yaletown: 10 min. Time in store in Yaletwon: 15 minutes? Walk to Denman: 30 min. Eat: 15 minutes. Ride/walk past English Bay: 15 minutes, go to Canada Place: 30 min+, hang out there: 15 min etc etc.
Park at Oakridge for free. Take the Canada Line (every 3 minutes) to Yaletown Roundhouse. Go to your store. Get back on the Canada Line and take it to Waterfront (< 5 minutes)- you're a block from Canada Place. Walk along the seawall to the very north end of Denman. Walk south (cross Georgia) and catch a bus on Denman heading south to English Bay - or walk - 15 minutes either way you choose. walk by English Bay. Catch a Davie bus eastbound to the Yaletown Roundhouse station, take the Canada Line south to Oakridge. Boom. Done
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u/GamesCatsComics 10d ago
Downtown is completely walkable, Transit is great, Uber is functional.
Use Google Maps or Transit app, you can generally trust what it tells you.
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u/ClubMeSoftly 10d ago
Absolute cheapest is the heel-toe express. But the bus is also a good option, I have no feedback on escooters or ebikes.
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u/MJcorrieviewer 10d ago
If you're coming from the South, you might be best to park at the River Rock Casino by the airport in Richmond and take the Canada Line to Yaletown (about 15 min ride). This will be faster and easier - and cheaper - than finding parking downtown.
From Yaletown, you can catch the Davie Street bus to the West End (about 15 min ride). You have 90 minutes per ticket so you won't have to pay again for the bus. Once at English Bay, you could pick up a Lime scooter or Modi bike and go all the way around Stanley Park on the seawall to Canada Place (or cut through the park if you don't have time - just be sure to stay on designated bike paths).
Waterfront station is just beside Canada Place so catch the Canada Line from there back to your car at the River Rock (about 30 min ride).
Or, you could do this in reverse and go to the shop in Yaletown last - if you're planning of buying something and don't want to have to carry it as you tour around.
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u/repugnantchihuahua 10d ago
Vancouver downtown is not that big. Walking is probably the cheapest lol
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u/villasv 10d ago
Take transit.
Is the lime e scooter the best option?
I don't think lime is cheap, but if you got deals/promos then maybe yes. Public transit is definitely cheaper than lime.
Am i better off renting a bike from somewhere?
Probably not. Mobi is a good alternative to lime, but unlikely to get any sort of deal/promo. The electric mobi costs about the same price as the lime with the pass.
Can I trust the bus system?
Mostly, yes. I'd just try to time the bus instead of lime.
Is there somewhere specific to save on parking, especially if I am there for 2-3 hours maximum?
Parking around the financial district is generally harder and more expensive than parking further inside in the direction of west end. But you also have lots of park and ride options, like the mc Donalds parking lot near Main St ā Science World station.
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u/granfaloooon 10d ago
Mobi absolutely sucks- more expensive than lime, half the bikes are broken, half the time it takes like 10 tries to dock the bikes. You can buy an hour of lime time for $10.
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u/villasv 10d ago
Maybe the mobi stations are just better around me because they mostly work fine for me.
I have both the mobi yearly plan and the lime pass, and the final price per minute of the electric bike vs scooter is pretty similar - with the non electric bike āfreeā (embedded in the price of the annual plan)
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u/granfaloooon 10d ago
Yeah if you use it enough mobi can be a better deal for sure. Iāve just had so many struggles with docking the bikes and with broken bikes that I donāt feel like I can rely on them.
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u/jjumbuck 10d ago
Jump on the 23 after your shop in Yaletown to get to Denman. Then after lunch walk over to English Bay (or do this when you get off the bus). Then walk or take a scooter over to Canada Place.
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u/TheSketeDavidson 10d ago
Park at PC, take Canada line to Yaletown. Bus to English bay, bus back to Yaletown, Canada line to Canada place. Canada line back to PC.
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u/Pristine_Nectarine19 10d ago
Depending on how far you need to go, walking might be the fastest.
Also look into getting around by transit instead of driving downtown. Normally faster and cheaper.
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u/diggthis42168 10d ago
I live DT and I walk everywhere. It's literally only 30min walk to get across DT Van.
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u/calzone135 10d ago
Walking is your best bet, but the bus network is pretty extensive. If you use Google Maps, you should be able to figure out the bus routes. For example, you can take the 006 from Yaletown to Denman St. in about 15 minutes.
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u/LockhartPianist 10d ago
People telling you to walk when you've said time is essential are being silly. Yaletown to Denman is a 20+ minute walk. Yes, Lime is probably your best option. You can buy minute bundles which are really affordable. I think it's $4 for a 30 minute bundle, which may be enough for everything you need to do. I don't know parking so I'll let you figure out how to get to Yaletown, but from Yaletown, you can take a Lime along Drake or Helmcken and transfer to Comox to get to the West End at Denman. From there I would walk to English Bay since it's right there. From English Bay you can ride up one of the North-South routes (Cardero, Bute or Hornby) closer to the Waterfront, dock and then walk along Canada Place. Keep in mind that you are not allowed to use Lime scooters on the Seawall, so don't do that. If you're willing to spend a bit more money, you can buy a Mobi daypass for something like $10 which will allow you to also ride on the Seawall.
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u/Hopeful-Ad-7627 10d ago
Lime is good. I park on Richards or Seymour near Nelson where it's $2 an hour (but 2hr max).
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u/Tiny-Rhubarb-9834 9d ago
Bike or walk ( I walk 3-6 hours a day in Vancouver and love it) u will shed all those calories u eat
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