Transportation
English Bay seawall and beach, part of the route for those who choose to make their way to the conference by foot and ferry. (Photo: Tourism Vancouver)
Travel in and around Vancouver, in common with many North American cities, is dominated by cars. Most of the city is flat and laid out in a grid criss-crossed by wide arterial streets. That said, many years of planning and development on the part of City Hall have created an unusually dense city on the downtown peninsula. The central location of the conference hotel and venues make it reasonably easy for attendees to get around by bus, taxi, ferry or foot.
The city has—for North America at least—a reasonably good public transit system. Taxis are also plentiful, and between the downtown peninsula (Vancouver's West End) and Granville Island, where Emily Carr Institute of Art + Design is located, a number of charming, safe and reliable passenger ferries run (these are also called aquabusses).
City geography
The conference hotel, the Westin Bayshore, is on the shores of Coal Harbour, and looks north across the Burrard Inlet and towards the North Shore mountains. It is within easy walking distance of Robson Street, one of Vancouver’s major shopping districts, and Stanley Park, one of the largest and most beautiful urban parks in North America.
Granville Island, home of Emily Carr Institute of Art + Design, is man-made spit of land in the center of False Creek, and is located under the Granville Street Bridge. The island was redeveloped in the 1970s and 80s from industrial lands and now is the site of the very successful Granville Island Market—a bit of a food-lovers’ paradise—as well as many other shops and restaurants and vibrant maritime outfitting businesses. As conference events will be held over the weekend, please bear in mind that Granville Island is very popular with out-of-towners and locals alike: if the weather is nice, it’s probably not advisable to actually drive onto the island as it will be jammed with cars. However the island was built with pedestrians in mind, so approaching and moving around the island by foot is a very pleasant experience.
Public Transit
The public transit system is run by a regional authority called Translink. The system consists of a mixture of light rail rapid transit (Skytrain), shuttle ferries (Seabus), diesel, and electric (‘trolley’) buses.
The Greater Vancouver region is divided into 3 zones for the purpose of transit fares. There is a zone boundry between the Airport and downtown, but all of Vancouver proper (and hence both the conference hotel and venues) falls in the same zone. Fares for adults are $2 for one-zone travel and $3 for two-zone travel during weekday business hours, and $2 for all zones on evenings and weekends. When you pay for your fare you will be issued with a paper ticket (‘transfer’), about the size of a credit card, with a magnetic strip along the back. This ticket is good for one and a half hours of travel in any direction: you can get off the bus, shop around a bit, and get back on if your ticket’s still good. The fare boxes on buses have a slot in the top to receive your ticket: put your ticket in the slot and wait for it to be returned so long as it is still valid. If the time has run out, the ticket will not be returned and you will have pay again. Note: only board buses by the front doors; you are encouraged to get off the bus through the rear door. To signal that you want the next stop, pull the yellow cord near the window.
Fares are cash only, and though the buses have sophisticated-looking automatic fare boxes, they do not make change. The fare boxes on the busses also accept only coins. Ticket machines at Skytrain stations and Seabus terminals also accept paper money and can make change. In addition to paying on buses or at stations, it is also possible to purchase books of tickets, but only from a perversely small number of licensed resellers who are often difficult to locate.
Downtown is the focus for most bus routes in the region, so it's pretty easy to catch public transit in or throough the downtown core. The focus for all of the transit routes in the city is the corner of Granville & Georgia Streets. If you are travelling by bus between the Westin Bayshore conference hotel and the ECIAD venue on Granville Island, you should walk three blocks south from the hotel to Robson Street, and catch a No.5 bus heading east. Get off that bus when it turns onto Granville Street, cross the street to the bus stop opposite, and catch a No.4, No.7, No.8, No.10, No.16 or No.50 bus heading south. You want to get off at the first stop on the other side of the Granville Street Bridge. From there you can walk, via a pedestrian underpass and a small park, down under the bridge and onto Granville Island. This walk will take about ten minutes. The same number buses travelling in the opposite direction will take you back to the hotel. Don't forget to change at Granville and Robson.
To get public transit schedule and route information you can call: 604-953-3333. This phone line is manned between 6:30 AM and 11:30 PM daily.
You can also visit Translink's website:
Translink’s homepage.
Bus route maps.
trip planning page often broken, but when it works, it works fairly well. For the conference hotel, use "Georgia and Cardero" as your search terms.
Taxis
Taxis are plentiful and can often be hailed on major streets (step to the curve and raise your arm), but it is best to telephone for a taxi (or have the hotel or restaurant you’re at do it) if you want to be assured of getting one. The taxi dispatcher will want an exact address, and may ask for your name.
Cab meters start at $2.40 and each kilometre costs $1.34 after that, but if your stopped in traffic, or the taxi’s waiting for you, the meter starts to charge by time. The rate per hour is $24 (or $0.40 a minute). If you are travelling around on the downtown peninsula, your ride will probably cost you between $5 and $10.
Blacktop and Yellow are probably the best taxi companies, and they’re certainly the largest. Vancouver Taxi runs a number of minivans that are equipped for wheelchairs.
Black Top & Checker Cabs: 604-731-1111
Yellow Cabs: 604-876-5555, or 604-681-1111
MacLure's Cabs: 604-731-9211
Vancouver Taxi: 604-255-5111
Ferries to Granville Island
Between the downtown peninsula (Vancouver’s West End) and Granville Island, where the Emily Carr Institute of Art + Design venue is located, a number of charming, safe, and reliable passenger ferries run. The ferries run from the bottom of Thurlow Street, the bottom of Hornby Street, and the bottom of Davie Street (Yaletown). There are two different companies—False Creek Ferries and Aquabus—, but for all intents and purposes their service is identical. A ferry ride from downtown to Granville Island costs $2, or $3 for a return ticket; you pay the pilot after you get on board.
False Creek Ferries arriving at Granville Island. (Photo: ATypI)
If you are travelling from the Westin Bayshore conference hotel to the ECIAD venue on Granville Island and want to walk and take the ferry, leave 45 minutes for your journey. Walk a little west of the hotel and head south on Denman Street until it ends on the shores of English Bay. Turn left along the beach, and enjoy one of Vancouver’s most scenic walks toward the Burrard Street Bridge and the entrance to False Creek. Stay along the beach all the way, and you will find the False Creek Ferry landing just before the bridge. Note that a different ferry route links Granville Island to the Yaletown district on the southeast edge of downtown, where there are many restaurants, so this may be a good way to end a day at the conference.
False Creek Ferries.
A map of the FCF Thurlow Street to Granville Island service.
Aquabus. They also have a ferry that takes bicycles.
A map of the Aquabus Hornby Street to Granville Island service.
Bicycling
Cycling is one of the nicest ways to explore Stanley Park, and the long seawall and beach rides. There are several rental places on Denman street between Georgia and Robson.
Simon's Bike Shop at 608 Robson.
Car rentals
Unless you have plans to explore the area around the city, you probably don’t need a car. Public transit is fairly good and the hotel and conference venue as pretty central. City Hall, in an effort to force people to take transit, has made downtown parking meters extremely expensive. Parking on Granville Island can be very difficult, particularly on the weekend.
Avis. Next to Hotel Vancouver on Hornby Street.
Budget. Of the Budget locations listed, these two are downtown and are closest to the Bayshore: Canada Place Pier, 501 W Georgia.
If you're planning on renting a car at the airport, the Airport authority has a handy list, with links, of agencies at the terminal.
Scooter rentals
In British Columbia, you need a valid driver’s license to rent a scooter.
Cycle BC
GoScooters these folks will drop the scooter off at your door. The site's a bit odd, though.
Kenny's Fun Club is located very close to Granville Island and hence the conference venue.
From the airport
Please see our Arriving in Vancouver page for details about getting from the International Airport.
BC Ferries
If you’re planning a side trip before or after the conference, BC Ferries operate a number of routes from the Lower Mainland to the Sunshine Coast, Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands. The fares are quite expensive, particularly for the routes to Vancouver Island, but the service is dependable.