Vancouver Taxi Service near You: Cab, Airport & App Options

Taxis in Metro Vancouver run on meters set by the Passenger Transportation Board, so the same trip should cost about the same with any licensed company. The main exception is the airport, where rides from YVR are charged by zone instead of by the meter.

Getting from YVR into the city

A taxi from the airport costs a fixed amount that depends on the zone you are going to. The Board’s table lists $42 for the Canada Place and downtown zone, $36 for Kitsilano and Broadway, $31 for central Vancouver and $26 for central Richmond. A $4 Premium Location Charge is added on trips that end outside the Richmond and Vancouver zones, and the table also shows each zone with that charge included. Ask the driver to confirm the fare for your address before you leave the curb.

The Canada Line is the cheaper way downtown, and TransLink and YVR both describe the ride as under half an hour. Leaving the airport station carries an extra YVR AddFare, listed by TransLink at $6.50 on top of the normal fare. That charge applies when you start on Sea Island, not when you travel to the airport, so the return trip costs less. Contactless credit and debit cards and phone wallets work at the gates, and the same card has to be used to tap in and tap out.

For a rough decision, one traveller with a light bag going downtown can take the train. A family with luggage or a late arrival tends to make the zone fare worth paying. Our airport taxi page covers the pickup details and the companies that serve YVR.

What the meter charges away from the airport

The Metro Vancouver meter rate is $3.75 to start, $2.18 per kilometre, and $38.93 per hour of waiting, all including GST. These are the Board’s figures, effective since January 1, 2025. A driver may add a stop on request at $6 for up to ten minutes, then $2 for each extra minute.

Short rides in traffic cost more than the distance suggests, because waiting time runs on the same meter. The taxi fare estimator gives a starting figure for a route, though real traffic will move it.

Ride-hail as a second option

Uber and Lyft have been licensed in the Lower Mainland and Whistler since January 2020. The Board treats Metro Vancouver, the Fraser Valley and the Squamish-Lillooet district, which includes Whistler, as one ride-hail region. Since August 18, 2026 the minimum fare in that region is $4.43, GST included, and discounts may not push a fare below it.

Ride-hail prices are quoted in the app before you book, which helps when you want a number up front. Availability still depends on drivers being online near you. Our Uber calculator shows how those prices tend to compare with the meter.

Nights, events and big arrivals

Demand spikes after concerts, hockey games, festival nights and when several flights land together. At those moments dispatch lines are long and app prices climb. Booking a pickup by phone or app a little before the event ends, or walking a few blocks from the venue, usually gets a car faster than standing at the main exit.

On cruise days, the Board sets a $16 flat fare from the Canada Place cruise terminal to downtown hotels and Pacific Central Station, and $42 from the terminal to YVR on posted cruise ship days. Those flat fares only apply during the cruise season.

Paying and tipping

Some companies in our directory list card payment, including Vancouver Taxi, Yellow Cab Vancouver, Richmond Taxi and North Shore Taxi, and others list app booking. Where a company does not say, ask about card or cash before the ride starts, especially late at night. Tips are not part of any posted tariff, so the amount is your call.

Accessible rides

Vancouver Taxi, Yellow Cab Vancouver, MacLure’s Cabs, Black Top and Checker Cabs, Richmond Taxi and North Shore Taxi all list wheelchair accessible vehicles in our directory. These vans are limited in number, so book ahead by phone and say what kind of vehicle you need, the size of the chair and the pickup address. Do not count on one arriving within minutes at rush hour.

Long trips to Whistler and the ferries

Whistler Taxi and Squamish Taxi both serve the Sea to Sky corridor, and Whistler Taxi lists transfers along Highway 99. A trip from Vancouver to Whistler is not on the Metro Vancouver meter, so ask for a quote and agree on it when you book. You can call Whistler Taxi or Squamish Taxi directly, and ride-hail is licensed along the corridor too, although drivers may be thin outside Squamish and Whistler.

For BC Ferries, BC Ferries lists the Tsawwassen to Swartz Bay crossing at about 1 hour 35 minutes and Tsawwassen to Duke Point in Nanaimo at about 2 hours 10 minutes. Plan to arrive at the terminal well ahead of your sailing, and check the schedule for your date. Terminal pickups and drop-offs are covered on our ferry terminal taxi page.

Sources

• Passenger Transportation Board, Rule 9 Common rate Metro Vancouver
• Passenger Transportation Board, Ride-hail rates
• Passenger Transportation Board, Passenger transportation regions
• TransLink, Transferring and AddFare
• BC Ferries, Tsawwassen to Swartz Bay conditions
• BC Ferries, Tsawwassen to Duke Point conditions