Directions and Maps

Vancouver's Public Transit system is reliable and safe, allowing visiors to commute easily between UBC and downtown, the West Side, the East Side, and to other municipalities such as Richmond and Burnaby. While public transit in other cities is often denigrated as being solely "for the poor", you will find a wide range of people riding Vancouver's busses and SkyTrain. Students, office wokers, and executives all rely on public transit for their daily commute. This is because Vancouver's downtown core is a joy to walk, and difficult to navigate by car. Believe it or not, this was done on purpose. "The Vancouver Model" is a world-renowned city planning concept that discourages car travel, and encourages high density living right in the city core. This means the highrises of the financial district are side by side with the houses of the West End and the nouveau-riche condos of Yaletown. It is also why Vancouver was rated the fittest city in North America.

Directions

Public Transit to Vancouver:

Vancouver's Public Transit works via "Fare Zones". Riders pay per zone they cross. UBC and Vancouver are all one zone. Richmond, Burnaby, and the North Shore are in a second zone. A third zone includes most of the suburbs of Vancouver. On weekdays before 6:30pm, 1 Zone is $2.50 per adult, and 2 Zone is $3.75 per adult. On weekends and evenings, all zones are $2.50. You must use correct change on the bus, but the SkyTrain accepts bills and credit cards. You may ride up to 90 minutes on one "fare", transferring as many times as you wish between busses, SkyTrain, Seabus, or Aquabus (ask for a "Transfer" ticket when you board). An "All-day Pass" is $9 for all zones, and may be purchased at 7-11 stores, Safeway stores, and many London Drug stores.

• Downtown: Take the #99 B-Line bus, which runs along West Broadway, and then transfer to a downtown bus at Broadway and Granville. Almost every bus running North on Granville goes downtown, but don't be afraid to ask the bus driver to make sure.
• West Side: The #4 bus runs along West 4th Ave, stopping frequently, before eventually going downtown. The #99 B-Line bus runs along West Broadway/9th Ave, but only stops at Sasamat, Alma, MacDonald Street, Granville, Heather Street, Cambie Street, Main Street, and Commercial Drive. If you would like to stop between these destinations, take the #9 or #17, both of which have frequent stops.
• Granville Island: (1) Take the #84 along 4th Ave to Fir Street, then walk along 4th Ave (less than one block) until it crosses under the Granville Bridge.OR (2) Take the #99 B-Line bus along Broadway/9th Ave, get off at Granville, and walk North along Granville to 5th Ave, where the bridge begins. Don't cross the bridge, rather cross through the small park which will take you under the bridge to 4th Ave and Granville Island.
• Main Street: The #99 B-Line bus goes down Broadway to Main Street, and then take the #3 bus Southbound. The #3 stops frequently along the length of Main Street.
• Commercial Drive: The #99 B-Line bus goes down Broadway to Commercial Drive, the #20 runs up and down Commercial Drive, with frequent stops.
• Richmond: The #99 B-Line bus runs along West Broadway, and then transfer to the #98 B-Line bus Southbound at Broadway and Granville.
• Metrotown: The #99 B-Line bus terminates at both UBC and the Broadway SkyTrain Station. Note there are two conjoined Stations at Broadway and Commercial Drive: The "Commercial Drive Station" to the North of Broadway, and the "Broadway Station" to the South of Broadway [click here for map of the 2 stations]. From the #99 bus stop (marked "unloading only" on the map), cross Broadway to transfer to the SkyTrain at the Broadway Station, and get on/off at Metrotown Station. (Note: the train from the Commercial Drive Station will still get you to Metrotown, it will just take a lot longer, 33 mins vs.10 mins.)
• North Shore: Take a bus to the downtown core, then either (1) transfer to the SeaBus at Waterfront Station (near Canada Place) to get to Lonsdale Quay, where you can additionally transfer to the #236 to get to the Capilano Suspension Bridge or Grouse Mountain, or transfer to the #229 to get to the Lynn Canyon Suspension Bridge, or transfer to the #228 to get to Lynn Canyon Headwaters Park for hiking, (2) take the #250 or #257 from Georgia St at Seymour St to get to the Bowen Island Ferry.

Public Transit from Vancouver:

All buses marked "UBC", i.e. #4, #9, #17, #25, #41, #43, #44, #49, #99 B-Line, #258 and #480, will take you to UBC. Skytrain passengers get on/off at Broadway or Commercial Station, which is connected to UBC via the #99 B-Line bus.

Public Transit from Vancouver International Airport: Take the #424 bus from the Airport to Airport Station, then transfer to bus #98 B-Line Northbound, get off at Granville and Broadway, and transfer to either the #17 UBC or #99 UBC buses. When returning to the Airport, take the same busses in reverse.

Vancouver Maps

• Downtown Map [printable]
• Granville Island Map [printable]
• Vancouver Map [interactive] - includes all areas - zoom for detail, scroll or drag to position the map, click "Print" to print, click "Satellite" for a hybrid map, click "Get Directions" to create a trip plan via car or Public Transit.

All Public Transit Maps [click here]

• Bus Route Maps
• Trip Planner [interactive]
• Sky Train Locations and Maps
• Aquabus Schedule and Aquabus Map [printable]
• Seabus Schedule and printable maps of Waterfront Station (Vancouver) and Lonsdale Exchange Station (North Shore)

All Bike Routes [click here]

• Bike Routes - Vancouver West (incl. downtown)
• Bike Routes - Vancouver East
• Bike Routes - Richmond