TransLink ridership increasing faster in South of Fraser than other parts of the region. Buses leading the way.

When I last posted about transit in July, ridership was about 33% of pre-COVID-19 state of emergency levels. At the most recent Mayors’ Council meeting, TransLink’s CEO provided an update on transit ridership.

Transit ridership is increasing, but ridership restoration has been uneven based on the mode used.

Mode	Ridership Return (% of pre-COVID Ridership)
Bus	43%
Expo/Millennium Line	38%
Canada Line	31%
SeaBus	27%
West Coast Express	17%
HandyDART	35%

Bus ridership has restored further than rail ridership. This makes sense because ridership is also restored back higher in areas that have limited rail service.

Sub-Region	Ridership Return (% of pre-COVID Ridership)
Vancouver/UBC	39%
Burnaby/New West	37%
North Shore	44%
Richmond/Delta	42%
Northeast/Tri-Cities	37%
Ridge Meadows	55%
Surrey/Langley/White Rock	51%

There is some speculation around why ridership is restoring faster in some parts of the region comparted to others, but it is a combination of how many people are still working from home, in post-secondary classes held remotely, and unemployed.

I would also guess that some people have switched from transit to walking and cycling.

For 2021, TransLink is planning for around 70% of pre-COVID-19 ridership. Limited capacity due to COVID-19 safety protocols on transit vehicles necessitate 100% of pre-COVID-19 service hours for transit in 2021.

Work is in-progress to plan for 2022 and beyond for transit as the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic will be felt for sometime.