Rachel Askinasi/Business Insider
TransLink was really east to use.
- Vancouver City, British Columbia, has had a ban on ride-share services like Uber and Lyft for more than five years, according to the Vancouver Sun.
- Though the government has been taking steps toward lifting that ban - starting in the fall of 2019 ride-share services were allowed to apply for permission to operate - when I visited in October I was unable to use either app.
- I typically rely on Uber when I travel, but I was forced out of my comfort zone during this leg of my trip to Canada. I had to rely on the city's public transportation system to get around.
- But using Vancouver's TransLink network was so much easier than I expected.
- Tickets were convenient to purchase, subway trains and platforms were clean, rides were smooth, I experienced zero train delays, buses were reliable, and bus drivers were friendly and helpful.
- The experience taught me a lot about getting around a foreign city without relying on the ease of booking a car. Although Vancouver's transit system is No. 1 in North America, there are some things I learned that could help you navigate other Uber-less cities.
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I'm a native New Yorker, and I rely on the MTA - Metropolitan Transportation Authority - to get me around NYC and out to surrounding suburbs. When I travel away from home, though, I lean heavily on ride-sharing apps like Uber to get me from point A to point B in a timely and safe fashion.
On a recent trip to Vancouver, British Columbia, though, I was forced to either hail taxi cabs every time I wanted to go somewhere or use public transportation since the local government had placed a ban on Uber and Lyft - a newly elected government has been trying to bring the apps to the city for nearly the past two years.
Uber's service is available in more than 700 cities around the world, and Lyft operates in nearly 700 cities across the US and Canada, according to each company respectively. The numbers may sound like a lot, but there are plenty of cities around the world either completely without rideshare apps, or without safe environments for rideshares.
Navigating my way around Vancouver, I acquired some key Uber-less travel-prep habits. It helped that Vancouver is known for having the best public transit network in North America, but I'll definitely keep these tips in mind whenever I travel next, and you should too.
Do your research.
Rachel Askinasi/Business Insider
There were a lot of people taking buses around Vancouver.
First, before you go, I recommend doing some research - not just one Google search, but a solid amount of digging - on general travel in your destination city.
Do locals recommend taking a taxi or riding public transit? Are there safety concerns that have popped up in recent months?
Always check for local news stories written most closely to your travel date to get the most updated information on the state of getting around.
Know that every transit system works differently.
Rachel Askinasi/Business Insider
There were plenty of machines at the stations I traveled through.
Second, if public transit is the recommended mode of transportation in your city, the next step is to make sure you understand how to use it.
Vancouver's TransLink Compass cards were extremely easy for me to use as they operated similarly to my NYC MetroCard. Even the machines were similar to ones I was used to.
Enter into any subway station in New York or SkyTrain platform in Vancouver and you'll be able to purchase a ticket right there. But it's not always that simple. In Toronto, for example, I learned that in order to take the streetcar, I needed a prepaid card or a token - I boarded with neither and had to jump out at the next stop.
Depending on the city and local laws, travelers can be slammed with hefty fines for avoiding paying transportation fares, even if it's unintentional. So be sure you understand how different transportation systems work before riding.
Save money by planning ahead.
Rachel Askinasi/Business Insider
Third, consider how much you'll be roaming around. If you're planning on using the public transit system to see as much of a city as possible, look into bulk-buy options. In Vancouver, I was able to purchase a day pass for CAD $10.50, or $8 USD, which let me ride the TransLink system as much as I wanted within the day.
Depending on how far from Vancouver's city center you're traveling, you can end up spending $10.50 in just three trips. It's worth it to look into pricing for your destination city and do a little math to figure out if a bulk-buy is worth it.
I also thought the day pass was worth it because it allowed me to stay calm about getting on the right or wrong bus or train - if I ended up going the wrong way, it's not like I had wasted any money doing it.
Keep an eye out for helpful details.
Rachel Askinasi/Business Insider
Some buses in Vancouver have this pair of yellow sticks that connects them to the cable track.
Lastly, there may be little things about the transit system's design that can be helpful to you as a traveler.
If you're in a city that uses buses, pay attention to whether they're connected to cable tracks. Many of the buses in Vancouver were hooked up to cables that ran along their routes. When I felt like I was getting lost, I'd just look up, find cables, and follow them until I found the bus stop.
Rachel Askinasi/Business Insider
Every station I was in and train I was on looked brand new.
Using public transit exclusively throughout my time in Vancouver helped me see part of what it would be like to live in this coastal city. Wherever I travel next, I'll be sure to look into the local public transit system and consider ditching the ride-share apps.
