Temperatures in Metro Vancouver are on the rise, and so is public transit ridership!

That’s right—in 2017, Metro Vancouver saw more public transit ridership growth than any urban area with a population of more than one million people in Canada and the US, according stats from the American Public Transit Association (APTA).

“More people are taking transit in Metro Vancouver than ever before. This data shows that when we invest in public transit, ridership rises. I’m so glad we were able to add this new service at a time when demand is surging. We are ready to build upon the success we’re seeing with the rollout of Phase Two of the Vision and keep this momentum alive,” says Kevin Desmond, TransLink CEO.

While we’re thrilled to see the trend continue upwards, we’re not overly surprised as 2017 was a record year for ridership in our region with over 407 million boardings. For you numbers folks, that’s a 5.7 per cent year over year growth in the number of boardings on our system. That’s more than two per cent higher than the next closest city, Phoenix!

It is believed that Metro Vancouverites are choosing transit over other modes of travel for a number of reasons including economic growth in the region, high gas prices and the addition of the Millennium Line’s Evergreen Extension.

“It’s encouraging to see people in my city and around the region taking advantage of this new level of transit service available as the 10-Year Vision continues to roll out. Our region is hungry for more transit connections and capacity. The execution of Phase Two of the Vision and the improvements it will bring can keep this trend going,” says Derek Corrigan, Mayor of the City of Burnaby.

Various improvements have been underway as part of Phase One of the Mayors’ Council 10-Year Vision including:

• A 10 per cent increase in bus and a 15 per cent increase in HandyDART service
• More frequent SkyTrain service
• SeaBus service at least every 15 minutes all day, every day

And this is just the start! Customers can look forward to even more new service in the years to come thanks to other Phase One improvements including the accelerated delivery of 80 new SkyTrain and Canada Line cars beginning late this year, the addition of four new B-Line routes in 2019 and delivery of a new SeaBus in early 2019. Construction of the Millennium Line Broadway Extension and Surrey–Newton–Guildford light rail project as part of Phase Two will put public transit within reach of thousands more as the Metro Vancouver region continues to grow.

Author: Sarah Kertcher