Trips on TransLink’s system grew slightly last year even amid lingering funding challenges.
There were 240.9 million trips last year across TransLink’s transport system, which include buses, trains and SeaBus ferries, according to a 2024 TransLink transit service performance review released Wednesday.
That’s a 3.3 per cent increase in trips compared with 2023, which logged 233.2 million trips. However, total trips are still down 11.6 per cent compared with pre-pandemic levels in 2019, which had 272.4 million trips.
Total TransLink boardings, which is each time a customer enters a fare-paid zone, were 404.2 million in 2024, compared with 391.6 million in 2023, according to an email response from the Metro Vancouver transit authority.
This represents an increase of 3.2 per cent in boardings on a year-to-year basis, however, boardings are still 10.8 per cent less than in 2019 at 452.9 million.
Losses in ridership revenue during the pandemic and higher servicing costs from inflation have posed significant financial challenges for TransLink over the last few years.
To keep fares affordable and avoid service cuts, the provincial government announced $479 million in emergency funding for TransLink in March 2023.
The province said last month it would provide an additional $312 million in operating funding to TransLink over the next three years as part of TransLink’s 2025 investment plan.
B.C. Transportation and Transit Minister Mike Farnworth said in an April statement TransLink was facing a significant deficit as costs and demand increases, adding the B.C. government would ensure Metro Vancouver continues to have a reliable transit service.
TransLink CEO Kevin Quinn said at a May 12 transit summit that the investment will allow the transit authority to expand services and provide relief for overcrowded routes.
Trips south of the Fraser River, which includes communities like Surrey and Langley, saw the biggest increase in boardings out of all Metro Vancouver. Boardings increased by 11.4 per cent from 72.2 million in 2023 to 80.4 million in 2024, said the performance report.
The Vancouver-UBC region still makes up the largest proportion of boardings in Metro Vancouver at 46 per cent, with a total of 184.6 million boardings made in 2024.
Severe overcrowding, especially in the Vancouver-UBC and areas south of the Fraser River like Surrey, posed a significant challenge in 2024, said the performance report. It said 11.2 per cent of all bus trips exceeded vehicle capacity at least once in 2024, which resulted in 137,000 overcrowded trips.
This led TransLink to reallocate services from less crowded routes to those under the most pressure, which resulted in reduced service quality in some areas, the report stated.
Also appearing at the transit summit hosted by the Canadian Urban Transit Association, Port Coquitlam Mayor Brad West said transit in Canada is at a crossroads amid global instability and population growth.
He called for urgent investment in the transportation sector.
–With a file from the Canadian Press
