The ride from UBC to Richmond Centre is 16 km, and a standard rideshare costs about $33 at normal demand, with a likely range of $30 to $39. Expect the drive to take about 30 minutes.
What the rideshare price is made of
Our figure comes from average rates: a $2.50 base fare, $1.15 for each km, $0.35 for each minute and a $2.00 booking fee. The first three are added up and multiplied by a demand factor, then the booking fee goes on top. This is an estimate and not an Uber quote. The Uber app shows the exact upfront price once you enter both addresses, so check it before you confirm.
The demand factor matters on a trip this long. At 1.2 times normal the total is about $40, at 1.5 times it is about $49, and at double the normal rate it reaches about $65. That is a difference of $32 between a quiet moment and a peak one, so it pays to look at the app twice if the first number looks high.
Vehicle choices and getting the pickup right
Other ride types and the taxi meter
Comfort is about $41, XL for up to 6 seats is about $48, and Premier is about $73. Taxis are priced differently. Whalley Taxi and Royal City Taxi both publish a flag fee of $3.75 and $2.18 per km, which puts the meter for 16 km at about $39. Minutes spent waiting and any added charges sit outside that number.
Next to a normal rideshare price of $33, the meter runs a few dollars higher. It does not rise with demand the way app prices do, though, so at the busier levels above the taxi can be the cheaper choice.
Starting on campus, ending at the mall
You begin on a university campus, so give the driver the building name along with the street address. A pin dropped somewhere in the middle of a large site can leave the car waiting at the wrong spot.
Richmond Centre is a shopping centre, and the same care applies if you plan the trip the other way round. Open the app, read the pickup point it offers and message the driver if you will wait somewhere different. Shopping bags and boxes take space, so if you expect a lot of them, an XL may be worth the extra money. Ask the driver whether larger items fit before you start loading.
If you need a wheelchair accessible vehicle, book ahead by phone with a company that offers one, since the app may not have one nearby when you ask. At busy hours, leave extra time before anything you cannot be late for.