Vancouver named one of the world's best cities for public transit

Bruno Mars isn’t the only person showing love to Vancouver’s public transit this week.

Hospitality media group Time Out has revealed its list of the world’s best cities for public transport in 2026, according to locals, and Vancouver cracked the top 20.

According to Time Out, a good public transport system is “worth its weight in gold” to a city.

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“When it works, you barely notice it, but when it doesn’t, it can make or break your day (and your mood),” wrote Roisin Teeling, contributor to Time Out.

“Every year we quiz tens of thousands of people about life where they live, and this time more than 24,000 locals rated their public transport on a scale of one to five, from ‘awful’ to ‘amazing’.”

Vancouver was awarded 19th place as the top-scoring Canadian city, with a public transit score of 76.7 percent.

It beat out Oslo, which landed in 20th place, and was just behind Amsterdam in 18th position.

The top three cities in Time Out’s 2026 ranking of best cities for public transport were Taipei with a score of 95 per cent, Singapore with 93.5 per cent, and Hong Kong with 92.8 per cent.

The full list of winning cities can be found online.

Riders taking the SkyTrain to BC Place for Bruno Mars’s historic run may hear the singer taking the mic at Stadium-Chinatown Station.

TransLink has officially confirmed the singer as SkyTrain’s newest celebrity guest voice — and its first music artist to take on the role.

Passengers passing through Stadium-Chinatown Station will hear a special pre-recorded voice announcement from Mars periodically on the days of his five BC Place Stadium concerts. His message will join the station’s usual announcements.

Mars follows two other familiar local celebrity names who have lent their voices to SkyTrain: actor Seth Rogen in 2018 and Canadian soccer star Christine Sinclair during the 2026 FIFA World Cup period.

Vancouver has been a hot spot for international travellers this year, and the city’s historic Mount Pleasant got the bragging rights for being named one of the coolest areas in the world by Time Out in September.

A panel of Time Out editors ranked each neighbourhood based on several vetting criteria, including food and drink, nightlife, unique local businesses, livability, and community.

Mount Pleasant earned the list’s 35th spot for 2026.

The neighbourhood was selected thanks to the unique independent businesses, its diverse culinary offerings, and its pedestrian-friendly nature.