TransLink says its latest review shows a reduction in bus overcrowding. (File photo)
Overcrowding has dropped on a number of problem routes, according to TransLink.
That was one of the main focuses of TransLink’s annual report card.
The 2017 Transit Service Performance Review was released Thursday. It measures transit use right down to the bus route and train-station level. It also measures the reliability of service.
According to the review, overcrowding has dropped 13 per cent on 18 overcrowded routes after additional service was added by TransLink, while ridership is up seven per cent on these routes.
On SkyTrain, average weekday boardings were up 12.5 per cent in the fall of 2017 following capacity increases. Capacity was boosted on Expo and Millennium lines - 2.5 per cent on weekdays and 12 per cent on weekends - and Canada Line, 11 per cent on weekdays.
“The 2015 review helped TransLink develop the Phase One Investment Plan in 2016, and the 2017 review shows these changes are working,” said a TransLink news release.
West Coast Express ridership declined 5.5 per cent in 2017. Many customersin Port Moody and Coquitlam switched from WCE to SkyTrain after the Millennium Line Evergreen Extension opened in December 2016. Ridership on WCE increased dramatically in the fall among Mission (17 per cent) and Maple Ridge (five per cent) customers, as many are now taking West Coast Express to connect with SkyTrain.
Derek Corrigan, chair of the Mayors’ Council and mayor of City of Burnaby, said ‘the 10-year vision was developed by the Mayors’ Council to improve and expand transit in Metro Vancouver,” in a news release. “Much of the plan focused on the less ‘sexy’ aspects of good transit planning, like improving the frequency of existing bus routes, reducing pass-ups by adding capacity to busy corridors, and most importantly, by keeping transit affordable and safe.”
QUICK FACTS
- The 99 B-Line in Vancouver is the most used and most crowded bus route in the system, with 31 per cent of revenue hours considered overcrowded.
- The 96 B-Line in Surrey had the largest increase in annual boardings among the three B-Lines (18 per cent).
- Waterfront is the busiest SkyTrain station with 37,500 average weekday boardings; this includes both Canada and Expo line passengers.
