Big Bus

This is a decent way to see Vancouver, although it helps to be able to do its route in one day rather than splitting it into two.
The staff is friendly and knowledgeable. The buses are spacious and pretty clean, and two-​thirds of the ceiling (at least on all the ones I saw) are retractable plastic sheeting that can be opened to the sky. The recorded tour narration is decent and the expected bad jokes aren’t too annoying. There’s a surprising amount of ‘dead air’ during the narration, but perhaps that’s intended to allow you to take things in on your own or talk freely to those you’re traveling with? The tour is pricey but it seemed to be around the same price as immediate competitors.
The base ticket is good for 24 hours and the route around the city is great; however, the single direction is limiting if you are doing different parts on different days because you end up duplicating your previous stops instead of having the option to take another route or ride it in the opposite direction. Although Vancouver is pretty, I felt like this was a waste of precious vacation time. (My family and I knew what would happen, but we were stubbornly determined to make the most of our tickets. Next time we’d take an Option B.)

We booked our two day tour at the Stanley Park kiosk. They had a board and printed on the board for two days during the time we were traveling, it listed the price as $ 47.
The woman at the Stanley Park Kiosk quoted my friend and I $ 47 for a two day hop on hop off bus for Vancouver. We paid the payment. My friend Peggy started her journey first and I chose to go see the Aquarium first.
I met Peggy’s bus near the Stanley Park Kiosk and hopped on giving the handwritten receipt to the driver and in turn getting a «ticket». When I sat down I noticed that the driver had exchanged the hand written receipt of $ 47 for 2 days of travel for a $ 42 ticket and one day of travel.
So I inquired. The driver said that Stanley Park was selling the wrong priced tickets charging the winter price. If that is true, why is it printed on their price board, I asked. The driver became angry. She said that the price for two days was $ 63 and I could pay her the difference in cash.
I refused. I demanded she return the written $ 47 receipt to me and then she kicked me off the bus calling me a «STUPID AMERICAN».
Excuse me?
So I walked back to Stanley Park kiosk leaving my friend on the hop off hop on bus. When I arrived, they refunded me my $ 47 for the ticket. They called Big Bus who owns the hop on hop off line and was told that the Stanley Park Kiosk had the wrong price.
Dear Big Bus,
You are in the tourist trade. That means that my money is how you pay your bills. I can understand a mistake but making that mistake mine is not good customer service. Your driver should have called management. Informed management of the issue, allowing me to stay on the bus and giving me a two day ticket that I paid for.
Your miscommunication was between the Stanley Park kiosk and whomever provided them with your price list, was not my issue nor was it my fault. You made it my issue when I was kicked off a bus and called a «STUPID AMERICAN». I did not call your driver any names and removed myself from her bus when asked to do so.
The price was clearly printed under the heading of May thru August and I was visiting in July. Stanley Park Kiosk claims they sold hundreds of these tickets prior to selling the two that my friend and I purchased.
How many other TOURISTS were affected by this mistake and lost their extra $ 5 they paid thinking they were getting a second day? Can we say CLASS ACTION INTERNATIONAL LAWSUIT?
As for this AMERICAN, I personally did not appreciate being called STUPID by your driver.
—–
A sliver lining… not all HOP ON HOP OFF drivers are nasty…
So I am walking toward my hotel, when a HOP on HOP off bus pulls up next to me and Denise the driver says, «We have been looking for you». At first I thought oh boy… am I going to be run over?
But in the front seat is my friend Peggy. The whole bus was worried about me, including the driver. They were searching for the woman in blue and were happy they found me. We got off the next stop.
Denise deserves a raise or perhaps, make him the president of your company. He knows customer service and the importance of tourists to your business.
—-
Dear Fellow Americans,
Please be aware. If you paid $ 47 and only received one day being told you did not pay enough or were over charged the $ 63 after paying the $ 47, I suggest that you ban together and do the class action lawsuit.
See… this is how «stupid» I can be!

Don’t book with this company… we waited 1hr and 45 mins everytime for pickup. Only one bus and it was ridiculously slow. Use the trolley company, these guys were terrible.

The service was really good. We bought a Groupon so the tickets were half-​price.
Positive things:
— Both drivers were friendly and helpful
— The route is fine, specially if you are in Vancouver for a few days
Neutral/​Negative:
— One of the buses was old, noisy and cold.

This is less a hop on/​hop off tour than an extremely expensive hotel shuttle service. Most of the stops are to downtown hotels, and it takes for ev errr to complete the hotel circuit. The hotel circuit portion of the tour had next to no commentary associated with it. One driver kept asking the bus whether people were getting off at such-​and-​such stop, if not, he’d just avoid it «to save some time.» Usually I’d feel as if I wasn’t getting my money’s worth if a tour cut certain parts short, but the commentary was so nonexistent and uninformative that, meh, who cares?
Our last guide used a combination of a mistimed prerecorded guide (uhh, didn’t we cross that bridge like 5 minutes ago?) and his own remarks, which ranged from uninformative and impromptu to downright offensive. For example, when explaining why he now uses a Chinese doctor, he explained that while Chinese people age gracefully, when Caucasian people hit 60, they turn «old and ugly.» My 60-​something-​year-​old-​mother was, shockingly, not amused. And what this has to do with Vancouver? Nothing, obvs.
And then I realized that my pants were stuck to gum on the side of the bus. Worst tour ever!

My husband and I had a great experience on these buses. It was a convenient way to travel around and see what Vancouver had to offer without killing our feet. We got a killer deal & the bus drivers were super friendly. I highly recommend this if you’re coming to Vancouver without a car!

Our experience with big bus was a positive one.
We got off our cruise in Vancouver waterfront terminal at 8 AM; Got CDS baggage to transfer our luggage to the airport so we can be hand free to use the big bus.
Since the 1^st trip does not start until 8:45AM; we walked to the gas lamp and china town. We then boarded the Stanley park excursion which took us directly to the Stanley park bus at 9:30AM. We were able to tour around the Stanley park; our driver was very informative about the park. After that we were transferred to another bus to visit the town. Another fantastic driver… We finally got back to the gas lamp for lunch and took the sky way train (Canada lines) to the airport to get our luggage from CDS and board our flights…

Just a normal hop-​on-​hop-​off tour.
Most of the buses use a tape to explain the buidlings and views. Some drivers also turn it off and explain by themselves. This makes it much more funny and interesting for the customer.
Two big minus points:
1. Some buses wait at some points for not generating too much timespace between two buses. If you don’t have much time in the city, you really don’t want to wait ten minutes beside a hotel stop f.e.
2. Very less space between the rows. Tall guys have problem to put their legs anywhere.
The price of $ 40 for one day or $ 45 for two days is normal standard.

The tour guides/​drivers are extremely nice. Some are more informative than others. A couple played an audio recording at times which I found confusing. Larry was my favorite and if he had a Unilocal then I would give him 5 stars. Loved him!
I took the trolley one a couple years ago and it seemed like I saw more with that one like Stanley park. We didn’t get to see Stanley park because the «free Stanley park excursion» included with ticket isn’t running until next week despite the beautiful day. The buses are older than the trolleys and they advertised a pink double decker which I never saw. The scheduling is somewhat unclear and I had to call the main office at least 3x to get my questions answered but the staff was very helpful. I have been on at least 5 HOHOs and this was not the worst. They were pretty much on time and there was always a seat.

Don’t waste your precious vacation time on this tour. Ask how many buses are running in winter as we had to wait over an hour in each location. It was not worth the money and one of our guides was so ill informed he was borderline making stuff up. Worst hop on hop off we have ever been in and we have been on a lot.

If you have read my Unilocal reviews, I apparently have an aptitude which only surfaces on Unilocal.Without any coaxing I seem to be able to be drawn to good restaurants, motels, airports, etc. having «bad days,» with uncanny regularity. Yes, my Unilocal reviews are usually the one-​star experiences which punctuate the four-​star reviews of others.
Although my NY-​Area roots makes me extremely skeptical of the hop-​on/​hop-​off tourist buses, our experience with Big Bus was quite good. Our only full day in Vancouver found us with a long list of destinations. This would normally not be a problem, as my family and I have done 20+ mile urban hikes through several cities. The problem emerged when Vancouver decided to have its first rainy day in a month.
The Big Busses weren’t always big enough on a day when half of the seats were in the rain, and we waited a half hour for one bus. After changing busses for the Stanley Park excursion our driver– on his first day on the job– announced that he would only be making one stop. Despite his momentary reluctance, we were able to hop off at several, and the drivers who followed made unplanned stops without complaint.
We actually saw everything that we wanted to see– and much more– without getting exhausted or too wet. Hardly perfect, but much better than it could have been.

So, I do a HOHO in almost every city I visit. And they are mostly really fun. The one in seattle rocks! So does the one in NYC! Very fun!
This was the worst one I’ve been on by far. We bought a two-​day pass, only to use it one day and realize it was a HOT MESS and not worth it. The buses are always packed full (and leaving waiting riders behind), the drivers are insane, and the some hosts barely speak english. They play a recording sometimes, which actually is pretty good.
There are just not enough buses running, apparently, to handle the load of passengers. The route is LONG in traffic, and you really do have to worry about not fitting on the bus and having to wait another 30 minutes AT LEAST to get the next one. For goodness sakes, don’t be in any kind of rush.
Having said all this, I’m not sure if there’s another HOHO in the area. The trolly looked really good, and if it’s the same idea as the Big Bus, take it!

I’ve never done a HOHO, but it was a decent 1^st experience. Great for the old, people with kids, and nervous travelers, which I am none of these & still had s good time. I had a groupon & probably wouldn’t have paid outright. Overall, a very relaxed way to scope out the city for areas you want to visit.

Where to begin? I’ve taken other bus tours of this kind, but none were this disorganized. Of the 5 buses I took, two used recorded information, two used the ramblings of the driver, and one had a commentator mor interested in «high-​end» shopping, than in imparting knowledge.
We waited for over 30 minutes to be picked up from one stop, which is 15 minutes more than we were told we would need to wait. Twice we had to change buses after only one stop because it was time for the driver to take his lunch break. One bus had the driver’s son taking money for tickets. Two of the driver/​assistants had heavy accents and poor English, so information was painfully provided. No, I would not recommend this company, at all.

our a big-​bus experience was rather mixed.
first of all the vessels:
semi-​open busses, in some you can hear the driver (or recorded audio guide) at each and every seat, in others you are happy when understanding something in rows 8 – 10
schedule:
it takes about 30 – 45 minutes until a bus arrives at the points marked in the map
drivers:
we had a great driver (Steve — he makes 5 stars alone) at the first trip and luckily staid in the bus: he told live all the big and small stories to know about Vancouver, the buildings around, celebrities, economy, government, where to go and what to do next and he really took care of all passengers.
our next driver talked about 10% of Steve and our last driver used pre-​recorded sound files every now and then.
so try to get Steve as Guide & Driver (the guides on ground should be able to locate him) all other drivers we had were rather a waste of time and money (as already despicted: slow and unrelieable transport through Vancouver)

This is a business that survives mostly on visitors who arrive by cruise ship. With that being the focus, and the published arrival information, you would think they would have their full fleet of busses running on days when there are multiple ships arriving. The published 15 minutes between busses is a very optimistic estimate. Plan for 30 – 45 and it taking a couple cycles to get on at popular stops. Overall the price is high for the experience. Staff is friendly but the busses are weathered and have seen better days.

Horrible!
First time in Vancouver and wanted a ride around the attractions of the city, and some insight in the process.
Bought a ticket for $ ⁴⁵⁄₂ day pass. The bus was 40 minutes late at our first stop!
The driver was nice, but when he accepted our voucher and printed out actual receipts for us as tickets, he printed out 1 day passes. Another headache to remedy!
We took the bus to Granville. When we went to the stop to wait for the bus, again, it was over 30 minutes late, and we weren’t the only ones at the stop complaining.
Overall, horrible experience, and for sure not worth the money. Rent a car, or go with a different company.

Big Bus is a great concept; unfortunately, a really poorly executed one.
Be warned this is not what I’d call a ‘tour’ — it’s more of a really slow shuttle bus that happens to stop at a few of Vancouver’s popular attractions when it’s not stopping at a hotel to pick up passengers.
The majority of the drivers we encountered were apathetic and did not acknowledge the passengers on board. Perhaps it was an anomaly the days we chose to ride, but the pickup times printed in their map/​brochure were completely inaccurate. Not to mention the hours the busses run are prohibitive to some of the landmarks (last pickup at Stanley Park 5:40pm in the summer?!)
Very unlike me, but I didn’t consult Unilocal!prior to shelling out the $ 100 for our 2 day pass. Shame on me this time, but you won’t fool me twice Big Bus!

It was a fun way to spend an afternoon, but I think the real value is in the 24-​hour ticket and multiple stops that allow you to get on and off. Granted, it’s an expensive way to get around the city — but if you’re from out of town and don’t want to deal with transit, this is a viable option.
That being said, we had a bus driver with a serious attitude problem which kind of soured our trip. I’m glad we went on a Groupon; this would have been an expensive way to be told off for offering a correction otherwise.
The tour itself was. okay. Too much emphasis on SPEND MONEY IN VANCOUVER K!!!, not enough on history or facts. It’s extremely obvious that the company only talks about local places they’re in cahoots with — how can you basically drive around Hotel Vancouver and not mention it once? — and that left a bad taste in my mouth. All in all, I was underwhelmed by the experience. but I did like the bus. It was like riding in a giant convertible!

As first time tourists in BC we purchased a 2 day family pass for the Big Bus tour to get a sense of Vancouver’s popular points of interest. For two adults and our girls we dished out a hundred bucks total which wasn’t too bad I guess for an unlimited hop-​on hop-​off privilege.
They offered adult, child, senior and family pass discounted pricing. Kids under 6 ride free. You can purchase the tickets online or at a retailer.
Bus hours are seasonal. In our case it ran from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. There are 23 stops on the route which included the popular Gastown, Canada Place, Granville Island, Stanley Park & Aquarium, Robson Shopping District and more. There’s roughly a 15 to 20 minute wait frequency for a bus.
During our tour we had to deviate from two of the stops due to road construction on Robson but the driver was kind enough to give everyone a heads up and dropped off and picked up folks close to the original route stop.
A pre-​recorded tour guide’s voice played on the speakers as we made our stops. However, the recorder occasionally had to be manually fast forwarded or rewinded and sometimes played over and over again. The driver though would throw his two cents in for accuracy and more details. I say invest in a GPS based digital recorder.
Regardless, we all enjoyed the tour and convenience of the Big Bus with the wind blowing in our hair it was all smiles…