2017 is proving to be a record year for ridership in Metro Vancouver with over 306 million boardings system-wide. Our latest Compass data is in and it shows ridership numbers higher than ever before proving locals and visitors alike are choosing public transit as their mode of transportation. As of the end of September, 2017, monthly Boardings and Journeys are up +5.2% and +5.4% year-over-year, respectively. Average Weekday Boardings are up +6.9% and Average Weekday Journeys are up +7.0% year-over-year.

Once again, ridership increased across all modes, except West Coast Express.

Mode	September 2016 Boardings	September 2017 Boardings	Percentage change
Bus	21.3 million	22.0 million	Up 3.4%
Expo/Millennium Line	8.3 million	9.2 million	Up 10.6%
Canada Line	3.9 million	4.0 million	Up 4.6%
SeaBus	0.48 million	0.51 million	Up 6.1%
West Coast Express	0.21 million	0.19 million	Down 10.4%

September, 2017 marked the highest ridership of any month on record apart from February, 2010 when Vancouver hosted the Winter Olympics.

FUN FACT: September 2017 had one fewer working day than September 2016!

Strong ridership growth is driven by a variety of local factors; increased transit service thanks in part to the 10-Year Vision, the implementation of the Evergreen Extension, a strong regional economy, high fuel prices and stable transit fares. At this rate, we are on pace to surpass 400 million boardings before the end of the year!

Weekday Evergreen Extension boardings have grown to an average of 34,000/day, which is 13% higher than pre-summer levels.

What’s next?

Today CEO Kevin Desmond addressed a sold out Greater Vancouver Board of Trade event, advising that TransLink will launch its Regional Transportation Strategy in 2018. This strategy sets priorities for the next 30 years and helps plan how we can accommodate the one million more people coming to the region over the next three decades.

In his remarks, Desmond highlighted the need for further investment in transit and transportation improvements as part of the 10-Year Vision and beyond.

Author: Sarah Kertcher