The cost of a taxi in Vancouver is set by a regulated meter: a C$3.75 flag, about C$2.18 per kilometre and about C$38.93 per hour for waiting or slow traffic, all including GST, under the Passenger Transportation Board's common rate for Metro Vancouver. On a clear road that works out at roughly C$8 for 2 km, C$15 for 5 km and C$25 for 10 km before the tip, with flat fares replacing the meter from YVR and from the Canada Place cruise terminal.
Those numbers make a taxi the cheapest door-to-door choice for most short trips around the city, and this guide shows how to estimate any fare yourself. It also shows where the meter adds up: slow traffic, several stops, groups that need more than one cab, and long trips out of the city. That is where a fixed, all-in Elly8.net price, from US$110 an hour as directed or US$110 for YVR to downtown, can be the better deal.
How much does a taxi cost in Vancouver?
A Vancouver taxi costs C$3.75 at the flag, then C$0.10 for every 45.95 metres, about C$2.18 per km, plus about C$0.65 per minute when slow or stopped. A clear-road 5 km trip is about C$15 and a 10 km trip about C$25, before the tip. Fares from YVR use flat zone rates instead.
The rates come from the Board's Rule 9 for Metro Vancouver, which every taxi licensee in Metro Vancouver must charge unless a flat fare applies. The Board's taxi rates page adds that taxis may only charge approved rates and may not charge rates that vary with demand.
See Vancouver prices and reserve
The meter, line by line
| Element | Exact rule (C$, GST included) | In plain terms |
|---|---|---|
| Flag | C$3.75 for the first 45.95 metres | What you pay as the meter starts |
| Distance | C$0.10 for each additional 45.95 metres | About C$2.18 per km |
| Waiting time | C$0.10 for each consecutive 9.25 seconds | About C$38.93 per hour, or C$0.65 per minute |
The Board explains that the meter uses either the distance rate or the time rate, not both at once: when the taxi's speed falls below a crossover point, the time rate takes over. So a minute crawling over a bridge costs about the same as a minute stopped at a light, and a minute moving freely costs whatever distance you cover.
One 2026 caveat. The Board allowed taxi licensees in its Region 1 and Region 2, which include Metro Vancouver, to apply for a one-time 3.92% increase under its cost index process, as its May 2026 notice explains. Some cabs may therefore run slightly above the Rule 9 figures. The rates displayed in the taxi are the ones that apply, and the estimates below are a guide, not a quote.
Worked examples by distance
These are clear-road estimates using the Rule 9 meter, rounded to the nearest 5 cents, before the tip. They are our arithmetic, not official fares.
| Distance | Meter increments after the flag | Estimated fare, clear road | Add for 10 minutes of slow traffic |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 km (1.2 mi) | about 43 | about C$8.05 | about C$6.50 |
| 5 km (3.1 mi) | about 108 | about C$14.55 | about C$6.50 |
| 10 km (6.2 mi) | about 217 | about C$25.45 | about C$6.50 |
| 14 km (8.7 mi) | about 304 | about C$34.15 | about C$6.50 |
| 20 km (12.4 mi) | about 435 | about C$47.25 | about C$6.50 |
The slow-traffic column is an upper guide: minutes charged at the time rate replace the distance rate for those minutes, so the true addition is usually a little lower. A useful shortcut for any trip: flag plus C$2.18 per km, plus C$0.65 for each minute you expect to crawl or wait, plus the tip.
The 14 km line is roughly the road distance between downtown Vancouver and YVR. A taxi to the airport runs on the meter, so on a clear road it lands in the mid-thirties before the tip, more at the afternoon peak. The trip the other way, from the airport, is the flat C$46 zone fare, which includes a C$4 passenger load charge and the zone rounding. Our YVR taxi rates guide lists every zone.
Estimate any Vancouver taxi fare in three steps
You do not need a special fare calculator: the meter is simple enough to estimate on a phone.
- Find the road distance in a map app, in kilometres. Use the driving route, not the straight line.
- Multiply by C$2.18 and add the C$3.75 flag. That is the clear-road fare.
- Add C$0.65 for every minute the map app shows as slow traffic, then add the tip.
For a trip from the airport to an address inside the zone map, skip the arithmetic and use the zone fare. For a trip from the cruise terminal to a downtown hotel in the cruise season, the fare is C$16. And for any trip, remember that the result is an estimate: the meter in the cab, and the rates posted inside it, decide the fare.
To estimate a fixed-price car for the same trip, enter both addresses in the Elly8.net web booker, which shows the all-in price before you pay.
The flat fares that replace the meter
From YVR. Zone fares from C$24 for Sea Island to C$51 for north-east Vancouver, set out on YVR's taxi page. Outside the zones, the meter plus a C$4 load charge.
From the Canada Place cruise terminal. During the cruise season, a flat C$16 to the downtown hotel area including Pacific Central Station, and C$42 to YVR on posted cruise ship days, both in Rule 9.
Stops on the way. On a zone fare, a requested stop of 10 minutes or less adds C$6, and each further minute C$2.
What else goes on the bill
- The tip. Not included in the meter or the flat fares. The amount is your choice.
- Tolls, where a route uses one.
- Luggage. YVR states that no baggage charges are permitted on its taxis.
- Payment. YVR says its taxis accept cash, credit and debit.
Budgeting a whole day by taxi
A single trip is cheap. A day of trips is where the numbers change, because every leg starts a new flag, every stop either keeps the meter running or means finding another cab, and traffic adds minutes. Here is an illustrative visitor day using the shortcut above, our estimate only:
| Leg | Distance (assumed) | Estimated taxi fare | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hotel to Stanley Park | 4 km | about C$12 | Clear road |
| Stanley Park to the North Shore | 8 km | about C$25 | Includes 5 minutes of bridge traffic |
| North Shore back to downtown | 8 km | about C$25 | Afternoon bridge traffic, often slower |
| Downtown to Granville Island and back | 6 km total | about C$20 | Two short legs, two flags |
| Tips on four legs | about C$12 to C$15 | Your choice | |
| Total for two people | about C$95 to C$100 | Plus time spent finding cabs |
For a couple, that is clearly cheaper than a chauffeur. For a family of five who would need two cabs on every leg, it roughly doubles, and the time spent waiting for cabs at Stanley Park and on the North Shore starts to matter. The Elly8.net private city highlights tour, with one vehicle and one chauffeur waiting at every stop, costs US$440 in a Business Sedan or US$560 in a Business SUV, fixed and all-in. See private city tours.
When a fixed-price car is the better deal
Be honest about it: for one to three people on a short trip, the taxi wins. The fixed price starts to win in these cases.
- Groups that need two or more cabs. Five people with bags often need two taxis; ten need three or four. A Business SUV takes six with six bags, from US$145 from YVR to downtown, and an Executive Sprinter takes twelve with twelve bags at US$290. Elly8.net prices are per vehicle, never per person.
- Several stops with waiting. A taxi waiting outside a shop or a meeting costs about C$38.93 an hour on the meter, if the driver agrees to wait at all. An hourly chauffeur waits as part of the booking, from US$110 an hour in a Business Sedan with a 3-hour minimum.
- Long trips out of the city. The meter keeps running on a two-hour drive to Whistler, and a taxi may also need to return empty. The fixed Sea-to-Sky day trip runs from US$1,015 in a Business Sedan to US$2,025 in an Executive Sprinter, with one chauffeur for 10 hours. See the Whistler car service page for one-way fares.
- Fixed times. A 5 a.m. departure, a sailing or a wedding, where finding a cab is the risk, not the fare.
- Event nights. The meter is the same, but finding a cab after a game at BC Place or Rogers Arena is not. The evening out and event night package, from US$550, includes the wait and the ride home; see event transportation.
- Company billing. A corporate account puts every ride on one monthly invoice.
Ride apps and the cost question
Uber and Lyft show an up-front price in the app. The Board's ride-hail rates page explains that those prices rise and fall with demand, above a minimum fare of C$4.43 including GST in the Lower Mainland and Whistler region from August 18, 2026. Off-peak, an app can undercut the meter; at busy times it can cost more. Our guide to Uber in Vancouver covers how that works, and Vancouver taxi or rideshare compares them trip by trip.
Elly8.net fixed prices in Vancouver
| Plan | Business Sedan | Business SUV | Executive Sprinter |
|---|---|---|---|
| YVR to downtown, either direction | US$110 | US$145 | US$290 |
| YVR round trip | US$210 | US$280 | US$555 |
| By the hour, 3-hour minimum | US$110 per hour | US$140 per hour | US$220 per hour |
| Private city highlights tour | US$440 | US$560 | US$880 |
| Full-day chauffeur | US$810 | US$1,035 | US$1,620 |
All prices include the chauffeur, vehicle, taxes and standard gratuity; tolls, parking and waiting beyond the included time are billed at cost. Rides in Vancouver are operated by licensed, commercially insured local chauffeur partners vetted through the Limousine Worldwide network; Elly8.net takes the booking, fixes the price and runs the 24/7 desk. Cancellation is free more than 72 hours before pickup, 10% at 72 hours or less, 50% at 48 hours or less, and 100% at 24 hours or less or for a no-show. Every price is on the Vancouver limo service page and in chauffeur vs taxi.
Frequently asked questions
What is the taxi rate per km in Vancouver?
Under the Board's Rule 9 for Metro Vancouver, the meter charges C$0.10 for every 45.95 metres after the first, which is about C$2.18 per km including GST, after a C$3.75 flag. Waiting and slow traffic cost about C$38.93 an hour. Some cabs may run slightly higher after a 2026 cost index increase.
How much is a 10 km taxi ride in Vancouver?
About C$25 on a clear road, by our arithmetic from the Rule 9 meter: the C$3.75 flag plus roughly 217 increments of C$0.10. Slow traffic adds about C$0.65 a minute while it lasts, and the tip is extra. The fare shown on the taxi meter is the one that applies.
Is a taxi to YVR cheaper than a taxi from YVR?
Often, slightly. Trips from YVR use flat zone fares, C$46 to downtown including a C$4 load charge. Trips to YVR run on the meter, which for roughly 14 km on a clear road comes to the mid-thirties before the tip, by our estimate, and more in heavy traffic.
Do Vancouver taxis charge more at night or on weekends?
The Metro Vancouver common meter rate in Rule 9 does not list a night or weekend surcharge, and the Board says taxis may not charge rates that vary with demand. Flat fares from YVR and the cruise terminal are also the same at any hour. The tip is separate.
When is a pre-booked car cheaper than a taxi in Vancouver?
On money alone, mainly for groups that would need two or more cabs, for days with several stops and waiting, and for long trips such as Whistler. Elly8.net fares are fixed and all-in, from US$110 for YVR to downtown or US$110 an hour as directed with a 3-hour minimum.
