TransLink touts ‘terrific’ totals in 2016 ridership
Transit service in Metro Vancouver had record-high ridership in 2016, and that trend is expected to continue this year according to TransLink’s annual service-performance review and the latest ridership figures.
Overall ridership growth in 2016 was the largest since 2010, with annual system-wide boardings increasing by 4.5 per cent to a record 384.8 million. Ridership increased on all TransLink services except the SeaBus and West Coast Express, which declined 2.8 per cent and three per cent, respectively.
This growth was likely due to a strong economy, an increase in transit service hours and the official launch of the Compass card and full closure of fare gates.
Geoff Cross, vice-president of planning and policy, called the results “terrific” for TransLink.
Bus boardings increased 4.6 per cent across the region, with south of the Fraser seeing the largest ridership increase (10 per cent or 3.7 million) of any sub-region.
Bus ridership overall was generally up throughout the day, but saw highest growth in the evenings between 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. (six per cent) and on Saturdays (seven per cent).
Canada Line boardings grew by 5.5 per cent, while Expo and Millennium lines grew by 4.1 per cent. All three train lines saw steady growth, peaking in September and levelling off in the last quarter.
The Evergreen extension to the Millennium Line, opened in December, helped boost numbers for the Expo and Millennium lines. It sees about 30,000 boardings each weekday.
SeaBus boardings were down by 2.8 per cent in 2016 compared to the year before. Peak summer ridership was down — the SeaBus generally has its highest boardings in July — due to rainy weather, which contributed to the overall decline.
The drop in the West Coast Express ridership — pre-Evergreen extension — is difficult for planners to explain, but it could be attributed to the switch from paper tickets to Compass cards, a change in the way ridership was tracked or the decision to make all buses one zone, which could have encouraged some cost-conscious riders to switch to the bus.
This year is shaping up to be another record-breaker for ridership. In the first six months of 2017, ridership across the system grew by 5.7 per cent compared to the same period last year.