Vancouver transit braces for Swift impact as parking cost spikes to $150

Metro Vancouver's transit operator is rolling out expanded and extended services to cope with the impact of Taylor Swift fans during the superstar's three-night run at BC Place, as parking and ride-hailing costs soar.

Parking fees next to the stadium have rocketed to more than $150 on each of Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights, while the cost of a short ride to BC Place with Uber has quadrupled on concert nights.

Transport operator TransLink says it will provide extra bus, SkyTrain, and SeaBus services on concert nights, to cope with the demands of an expected 160,000 Swift fans attending the sold-out final shows of her record-breaking Eras Tour.

SkyTrain frequency will increase with the last trains departing Waterfront Station at 1:15 a.m. for the Canada Line, and 1:16 a.m. for the Expo Line, while the West Coast Express commuter train will run a special service on Saturday, leaving Mission, B.C. at 4 p.m. then returning from Vancouver at midnight.

The SeaBus across Burrard Inlet will sail every 10 minutes from 3 p.m. until last sailing at 1:22 a.m. from Waterfront on all three nights, while extra buses will be deployed as needed.

TransLink says shuttle buses outside BC Place after the concerts will help get customers to Waterfront Station.

TransLink spokeswoman Tina Lovegreen said friendship bracelets will be handed out to riders.

“We're going to maximize frequency and maximize capacity to get customers to and from the concerts safely and swiftly as possible," she said on Monday.

Transit demand is expected to be high, in part due to the sheer cost of alternatives.

Reserving a single space at the Indigo lot in Rogers Arena costs $151.90 on show nights, from 3 p.m. to 2 a.m. the next day.

Hourly parking nearby can cost as little as $7 an hour on a non-performance night.

A customer service employee at Indigo who declined to give their full name said the fee hike "is necessary to ensure a smooth and convenient parking experience," with the Vancouver Canucks playing and Cirque du Soleil also performing on show nights.

The worker said she didn't know how many of the parking spots had been reserved.

The cost of a short Uber to BC Place is also ballooning, even for organized Swifties who want to pre-book.

For a trip on Monday afternoon, the ride share’s app showed the 1.3 kilometre trip from the Sheraton Vancouver Wall Centre to BC Place costing less than $10.

Scheduling an Uber for the same trip a few hours before the first concert on Friday already comes in at more than $41.

Police say they are expecting more than 300,000 people in the stadium district on the nights of the shows.

Officials are actively discouraging fans without tickets to avoid the area on those nights.

In a media briefing last week, Chris May, general manager of BC Place, confirmed that areas around the stadium will be strictly limited to ticket holders for Swift's shows.

In the briefing about Vancouver's preparations for the concerts, officials said overnight camping outside the stadium would be banned, roads around the stadium closed from noon to midnight on show days, and a fence erected around the stadium perimeter this week.

The Better Business Bureau in B.C. is meanwhile warning Swift fans of dozens of scams ahead of the concerts, highlighting one case that was reported on its Scam Tracker database, in which a social media profile was allegedly hacked and used to sell fake tickets.

It said $2,000 was stolen from fans hoping to attend the shows.

The warning comes after police in Toronto last month arrested a woman for allegedly selling about $70,000 worth of fake Swift tickets ahead of the concerts there.

Neesha Hothi, director of marketing and communications with the bureau, said her organization had received "shy of 50 reports" of Swift-related scams.

Hothi said the number of people who fall victims to the scams would likely spike because Ticketmaster is not allowing ticket transfers until 72 hours before the concerts.

"My suspicion is that after this weekend, or after the 72-hour mark for the various concert dates, we will start to hear more about people aren't going to receive their tickets."

The bureau said people needed to be vigilant when buying tickets online, especially for major events such as Swift's concerts that could be "a hot spot" for scammers.

It advised fans to buy tickets from trusted vendors or reputable brokers while also double-checking with sellers about the tickets' authenticity even if they are a friend or an acquaintance.

Using credit cards for the purchase may also grant consumers some protection, the bureau said.

"If someone claims to be selling tickets to a sold-out concert just before the date or at an amazing price, think twice," it said. "Scammers love to prey on fans of any artist or sporting event by claiming to have impossible-to-get-tickets for them."

— With files from Chuck Chiang and Ashley Joannou

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 2, 2024.