Commuting from the North Shore to downtown Vancouver, crossing by crossing
Checked 6 October 2026 against TransLink’s schedule data · next review January 2027There are three ways across Burrard Inlet by transit: the SeaBus, buses over the Lions Gate Bridge, and buses over the Ironworkers Memorial Bridge. Which one you use depends almost entirely on where on the North Shore you live. These are TransLink’s own scheduled times for a weekday morning, so you can compare neighbourhoods before you buy.
- The SeaBus is the fastest crossing on paper: 12 minutes from Lonsdale Quay to Waterfront Station, every 10 minutes through the morning peak.
- From Park Royal, buses over the Lions Gate Bridge are scheduled at 13 to 14 minutes to West Georgia Street.
- From Phibbs Exchange, buses over the Ironworkers Memorial Bridge are scheduled at 27 to 28 minutes to Howe Street at West Pender.
- These are timetable times. They do not include traffic delays, and TransLink changes its schedules at least four times a year.
Scheduled morning times to downtown
Each row is a stop on the North Shore and the scheduled time to the first downtown stop, for trips arriving between 7:30 and 8:30 a.m. on a weekday (Tuesday 13 October 2026). Where several trips run, the time shown is the middle one.
| From | Route | Crossing | Scheduled minutes | Trips arriving 7:30–8:30 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lonsdale Quay | SeaBus | By water | 12, to Waterfront Station | Every 10 minutes from 7:00 to 9:20 |
| Park Royal | 250, 253, 254, 257 | Lions Gate | 13 to 14, to W Georgia St | 14 |
| Ambleside (Marine Dr at 15th St) | 250, 253 | Lions Gate | 20, to W Georgia St at Bute | 9 |
| Edgemont (Edgemont Blvd at Ridgewood Dr) | 246 | Lions Gate | 24, to W Georgia St at Bute | 4 |
| Dundarave (Marine Dr at 25th St) | 250, 253 | Lions Gate | 25, to W Georgia St at Bute | 9 |
| Phibbs Exchange | 210, 211, 214 | Ironworkers | 27 to 28, to Howe St at W Pender | 12 |
| Horseshoe Bay | 257 express / 250 | Lions Gate | 32 on the 257, 49 on the 250 | 3 each |
| Lynn Valley exchange | 240 | Lions Gate | 36, to W Georgia St at Bute | 7 |
| Upper Lonsdale (Lonsdale Ave at E Osborne Rd) | 241 | Lions Gate | 39 to 47, to W Georgia St at Bute | 5 |
| Lynn Valley exchange | 210 | Ironworkers | 41, to Howe St at W Pender | 5 |
Calculated from TransLink’s published GTFS schedule data, version dated 2 October 2026 and valid to 3 January 2027. Minutes are from the scheduled departure at the North Shore stop to the scheduled arrival at the first stop near Burrard Station or, for the SeaBus, Waterfront Station.
The three crossings
SeaBus
Runs from Lonsdale Quay to Waterfront Station, where you can change to SkyTrain. The first scheduled sailing on a weekday leaves Lonsdale Quay at 5:47 a.m. It does not use either bridge. It suits Lower Lonsdale and Central Lonsdale, or anyone who can get to the Quay quickly.
Lions Gate Bridge
Carries the West Vancouver buses from Park Royal, Ambleside, Dundarave and Horseshoe Bay, and the North Vancouver buses from Edgemont, Lynn Valley and Upper Lonsdale. They arrive along West Georgia Street. It suits West Vancouver and the western half of North Vancouver.
Ironworkers Memorial Bridge
Carries the buses from Phibbs Exchange, including routes from Lynn Valley, Seymour and Blueridge. They come into downtown from the east and stop at Howe Street at West Pender. It suits the eastern half of North Vancouver.
What the timetable cannot tell you
A scheduled time is what TransLink plans, not what happens on a wet Monday. Bridge traffic, a stalled vehicle or a cancelled sailing can change a trip by far more than the difference between two neighbourhoods. TransLink publishes its schedules at least four times a year, so a route or a time on this page can change.
Before you buy for the commute
- Plan the trip from the exact address in TransLink’s trip planner, for the time you would actually leave.
- Count the walk to the stop, including any hill on the way.
- Check the trip home as well as the trip in, including the last service of the evening.
- If you can, ride it once at rush hour before you write an offer.
This page shows scheduled times, not a promise of how long a trip will take. Routes and times are subject to change. Check TransLink’s trip planner for the exact address and time before you rely on it.
- TransLink, GTFS static data (schedule version dated 2 October 2026). Checked 6 October 2026.
- TransLink, Route 246 schedule. Checked 6 October 2026.