May’s ridership numbers are in and we’re seeing unprecedented growth across the transit network! Ridership has reached a new all-time high, with the brief period Vancouver hosted the 2010 Olympic Winter Games being the only exception.

• Bus: Average weekday boardings for May are up 9.5 per cent, while yearly growth to date is at 6.9 per cent.
• SkyTrain: May’s Expo and Millennium Line average weekday boardings are up 9.2 per cent, while Canada Line’s grew by 8.1 per cent. Expo, Millennium and Canada Line boardings combined for the year so far are up 5.7 per cent.
• SeaBus: Average weekday boardings increased by 13.1 per cent. This is due in part to frequency increases in the evening launched a year ago. Year-to-date boardings are up 7.6 per cent.
• West Coast Express: Boardings for May have increased 6.7 per cent, while the year-to-date growth rate is also 6.7 per cent.

Monthly boardings in May are up 9 per cent year-over-year. More and more customers are taking advantage of transit and new service introduced as part of the 10-Year Vision. Persistent high gas prices and lasting employment growth are also combining to attract new riders.

“New service and capacity is being used as fast as we can get it out there. This kind of growth isn’t being seen anywhere else in Canada and the United States. Ridership growth like this proves there’s a great deal of latent demand for transit and we are working to satisfy it.” —Kevin Desmond, TransLink’s CEO

Phase Two of the Vision will deliver the additional service the region is asking for.

• Construction of light rail in Surrey, the Millennium Line Broadway Extension in Vancouver and planning and design for Surrey-Langley rapid transit.
• New bus service across the region including B-Lines in Richmond and Surrey.
• New buses and SkyTrain cars to increase frequency and capacity.

“These investments will ensure people living here have transit as an affordable option for getting to work, shopping, and visiting family and friends.” —Derek Corrigan, Chair of the Mayors’ Council and Mayor of Burnaby