Vancouver Taxi services: analysis, statistics, companies, rates

Taxis in Metro Vancouver run on rates approved by the Passenger Transportation Board, and most operators are listed at the same figures: 3.75, 2.18 and 38.93 in the board’s flag, per kilometre and hourly waiting columns. You can book by phone or app, or take a cab from the rank at YVR. Ride-hail from Uber and Lyft has been legal here since January 2020 and sits next to the taxi trade rather than replacing it.

This guide covers how the system is regulated, which companies serve which part of the region, what published tariffs say, and how to choose between a cab, an app ride and transit. Phone numbers come from our own directory of independent listings. We do not dispatch cars and are not affiliated with any company named here.

Who sets taxi rates in Metro Vancouver

The Passenger Transportation Board (PTB), a provincial body, approves what a taxi may charge. Its rules say operators can charge only approved rates and may not use variable rates that respond to demand. A cab does not get dearer because it is raining or a concert has just ended, although a slow trip still costs more on the meter.

The PTB publishes a rates list that shows every licensee’s flag, distance and waiting figures, grouped by regional district. For most Metro Vancouver operators the row reads 3.75, 2.18 and 38.93. Yellow Cab shows a lower waiting figure of 36.29, and Waivin Flags Taxi, licensed across several regions, shows 3.5, 2.29 and 42.74. Check the list before you assume a particular company charges the common tariff.

Taxi companies by area

The table lists the main operators in our directory. The last column is what each company states about itself. Call to confirm that a wheelchair van is free at your time.

Our Metro Vancouver directory has the full list with more areas, including Squamish and Whistler operators.

What the published tariffs show

Two companies in our data publish a full tariff, and both match the PTB list. Royal City Taxi quotes a $3.75 flag, $2.18 per kilometre and $38.93 per waiting hour, and Whalley Taxi quotes the same flag and distance rate. On a long trip the per kilometre figure does most of the work, since waiting time is a small share of the meter unless the cab sits in traffic.

Yellow Cab states about $38 from downtown hotels to the airport on its own site, and about $15 from the same hotels to the cruise ship terminal, Stanley Park or Granville Island. Airport zone fares were revised in October 2024, so ask the dispatcher for the current fare before the trip starts. For a rough meter estimate on any other route, the taxi fare estimator works from the regulated rates.

Booking by phone, app or online

Most companies in the table list an app or online booking. Coquitlam Taxi and Alouette Taxi do not in our data, so phone them. Yellow Cab, for example, offers Android and iOS apps and takes bookings online or by phone, with pre-booking possible hours or days ahead depending on availability in your area.

Cards are accepted by most of the larger operators, and Yellow Cab says it takes all major credit cards. Dispatch numbers for many companies end in 1111, which makes them easy to remember. Save the number of the company serving your hotel before you need it.

Taxi from and to YVR

Taxis leaving YVR for Vancouver and Richmond charge zone fares agreed in advance, not the meter. The system began in November 2014 with fares from $20 to $41, approved by the PTB. Zones and prices were revised in October 2024, and news coverage at the time reported passengers paying up to $9 more in some zones.

Trips to other destinations in Metro Vancouver, and trips inbound to the airport, were metered when the zone system started. Look at the zone map on the YVR site, then confirm the amount with the dispatcher at the rank. Our airport taxi page covers airports elsewhere in the region and on the Island.

The Canada Line is the cheaper alternative. It runs between YVR-Airport and Waterfront in downtown Vancouver, and the ride takes roughly half an hour. A taxi makes more sense with heavy bags, late at night, or when three or four people can split one zone fare.

Uber and Lyft in Metro Vancouver

Both companies launched on January 24, 2020, less than a day after the PTB licensed them. Uber covered the cities of Vancouver, Richmond, Burnaby, New Westminster and the Tri-Cities from the first morning, plus most of North Vancouver, Surrey and West Vancouver. Lyft began with the core of Vancouver, the PNE and YVR. Open the app to see where it picks up today.

Ride-hail is priced differently from taxis. The fare is shown upfront, and the companies raise rates at peak times to attract drivers. The PTB sets a floor but no ceiling: the minimum for the Lower Mainland and Whistler region rose from $3.35 to $4.43 on August 18, 2026, and coupons or discounts may not push a fare below it. That region covers Metro Vancouver, the Fraser Valley and Squamish-Lillooet.

Uber says its app now works across British Columbia wherever drivers are signed in and online. Use the Uber calculator for a ballpark figure, and read Lyft versus Uber in BC before choosing between them.

Outside the Lower Mainland the picture is different. Uber received PTB approval in May 2023 and started in Victoria and Kelowna the following month. Rides outside big centres exist only where enough drivers log on, so a smaller town can show no cars at all. On Vancouver Island, check the local taxi pages before relying on an app.

Reading the rates list before a ride

The PTB list helps in two situations. If a driver quotes a rate that differs from the usual 3.75, 2.18 and 38.93, look up the company by its trade name and compare. A company with no figures in the list operates with non-metered rates, and the PTB list shows none of those among its Metro Vancouver operators.

Ask the driver to start the meter at pickup and to show you the screen. If the number on the screen looks wrong, ask the dispatcher to check it against the company’s approved tariff.

Taxi or ride-hail: which to pick

• Peak demand, such as rain or the end of an event: taxi rates cannot rise with demand, while app prices can. A cab may take longer to arrive.
• Airport trips to Vancouver or Richmond: a zone fare fixes the cost before you start.
• Wheelchair users: call a taxi company that lists accessible vans. Our data marks Vancouver Taxi, Yellow Cab, MacLure’s and Black Top as wheelchair accessible.
• Known destination, flexible timing: compare the app’s upfront price with the meter estimate.

Accessible rides

Many of the companies above run wheelchair-accessible vans. Yellow Cab says it has 63 of them. Book ahead for appointments and tell the dispatcher what kind of chair you use, so the right vehicle is sent.

TransLink also runs a TaxiSaver program that sells discounted taxi coupons to people with a HandyCard. Ask TransLink for the current terms before you plan regular trips around it.

Long trips from Vancouver

A cab to Whistler or to a ferry terminal is a long metered run, so agree how you will pay before you leave. Our ferry terminal taxi guide lists companies near the terminals.

Squamish Taxi and Whistler Taxi serve the Sea to Sky corridor, and Whistler Taxi lists Pemberton and Highway 99 transfers. Both are in our directory with phone numbers.

Sources

• Passenger Transportation Board, taxi rates list
• Passenger Transportation Board, taxi rates
• Passenger Transportation Board, ride-hail rates
• Yellow Cab Vancouver
• Global News, ridesharing launch in Vancouver
• Vancouver Airport Authority, YVR zone fares