Vancouver’s transit runs under one brand, TransLink, even though different companies operate the pieces behind the scenes. One tap-to-pay system covers the SkyTrain, SeaBus, and buses — but unlike a lot of cities, what you pay depends on how many zones you cross, not a single flat price.
The basics
The backbone is SkyTrain, an automated rapid transit network with three lines meeting at Waterfront Station downtown:
- Expo Line — the oldest line, running southeast from Waterfront through New Westminster to Surrey Central and King George.
- Millennium Line — a loop through Burnaby and Coquitlam, connecting to the Expo Line at several stations.
- Canada Line — the one from the airport, running from Waterfront south to Richmond and YVR.
Alongside SkyTrain, the SeaBus is a passenger ferry that crosses Burrard Inlet between Waterfront Station and North Vancouver — it’s covered by the same fare as everything else. Buses cover the rest of the region, run mostly by Coast Mountain Bus Company. The peak-hour-only West Coast Express commuter train connects Mission to downtown on weekday mornings and evenings, but it’s priced separately from the regular zone fares. HandyDART is TransLink’s door-to-door paratransit service.
How to pay
TransLink uses the Compass system, with a few ways to pay:
- Tap a contactless bank card or your phone (Apple Pay / Google Pay) right at the SkyTrain fare gate or the reader on the bus. No Compass Card needed — it charges the adult fare directly.
- Get a Compass Card, sold at station vending machines, retailers, or online, then load it with stored value or a pass. This is the way to go if you need a concession (youth or senior) fare.
- Pay cash on the bus — exact change only, since drivers can’t make change. You’ll get a paper transfer, but it’s good for buses only, not the SkyTrain or SeaBus.
On SkyTrain and SeaBus, tap in and tap out — that’s how the system works out how many zones you actually crossed and charges you for it. On the bus, you only tap once when boarding: bus fares are always a flat one-zone price, however far you ride.
Fares
| 1-Zone | 2-Zone | 3-Zone | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adult, tap/Compass | $2.85 | $4.20 | $5.40 |
| Adult, cash | $3.50 | $5.10 | $6.70 |
| Concession (youth 13–18, seniors 65+, HandyCard) | $2.30 | $3.40 | $4.60 |
| Kids 12 & under | Free | Free | Free |
Bus and HandyDART trips are always one zone, no matter how far you go. Zone pricing only applies to SkyTrain and SeaBus — and only during weekday daytime hours. After 6:30pm on weekdays, and all day on weekends, every SkyTrain and SeaBus trip is also just a one-zone fare.
A single tap buys a 90-minute transfer window across bus, SkyTrain, SeaBus, and HandyDART (120 minutes if you’re connecting to West Coast Express), within the zones you paid for.
If you’re riding a lot in a day, a DayPass covers all zones: $12.55 adult, $9.75 concession.
Getting from the airport
Take the Canada Line — the station sits inside the terminal, so it’s a short walk from baggage claim.
- Time: 27 minutes to Waterfront Station downtown.
- Cost: the regular zone fare — a 2-zone fare on weekdays before 6:30pm, or just a 1-zone fare evenings and weekends — plus a $6.50 YVR AddFare added to trips leaving YVR-Airport, Sea Island Centre, or Templeton stations. Monthly pass holders don’t pay the AddFare.
- Hours: from Waterfront, the first train to the airport leaves around 4:48am and the last around 1:08am. From the airport, the first train to Waterfront leaves around 5:09am and the last around 12:54am — the same every day of the week.
Apps to download
- Compass — the official app for managing your Compass Card balance, stored value, and passes, or adding a virtual card to your phone’s wallet.
- Transit — TransLink’s officially recommended app for real-time arrivals and trip planning; Metro Vancouver riders get its premium features free.
- Google Maps or Apple Maps — solid for straightforward trip planning with live TransLink data.
When it runs
SkyTrain runs roughly from 5am to 1am, seven days a week. Most buses run similar hours, though frequency thins out considerably late at night.
NightBus takes over after that: a network of 10 “N”-numbered routes fanning out from downtown, running every 20–30 minutes, seven nights a week, starting around 1:30am.
West Coast Express is the exception to all of this — it only runs weekday mornings inbound to downtown and weekday evenings outbound to Mission, with no midday, evening, or weekend service.
Accessibility
All SkyTrain, SeaBus, and West Coast Express stations have elevators, and SeaBus terminals have boarding ramps. Conventional buses can carry wheelchairs and mobility aids within TransLink’s size and weight limits, and drivers can assist with securing a wheelchair once you’re aboard — though some four-wheel scooters have a turning radius too wide for the standard bus fleet.
HandyDART is TransLink’s door-to-door, shared-ride paratransit service for riders who can’t use conventional transit without assistance. It runs 6am to 2am, seven days a week, book by phone up to 7 days ahead, and it costs exactly the same as a regular bus, SkyTrain, or SeaBus fare.
Etiquette & local quirks
- Tap in and tap out on SkyTrain and SeaBus — skipping the tap-out means the system can’t confirm which zones you rode, so always do both, even when it feels redundant.
- Timing matters for zone fares. Riding SkyTrain or SeaBus on a weekday before 6:30pm is the only time zones actually cost more — travel in the evening or on a weekend and it’s a flat one-zone fare everywhere.
- Cash only works on the bus, and the paper transfer it gives you won’t get you through a SkyTrain fare gate.
Good to know
- Fare enforcement: if you can’t show proof of payment when asked, the fine starts at $173, rising to $213 if unpaid after 6 months and $273 after 12.
- Fares go up every Canada Day. TransLink raised fares an average of 5% on July 1, 2026, and increased the YVR AddFare from $5 to $6.50.
- The YVR AddFare funds Canada Line operations — it applies to single tickets, DayPasses, and stored value, but not to monthly passes.