May was a good month for TransLink.
According to the transit authority, it was a record-breaking month for growth numbers – with ridership reaching a new all-time high, with the brief period Vancouver hosted the 2010 Olympic Winter Games being the only exception.
Here’s how the numbers break down:
- Bus: Average weekday boardings for May are up 9.5 per cent, while growth year-to-date is 6.9 per cent.
- SkyTrain: May’s Expo/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, thanks 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 are up 6.7 per cent and the year-to-date growth rate is also 6.7 per cent.
Now part of the reason is likely because it requires taking out a second mortgage in order to fill your vehicle with gas.
TransLink has admitted as much, although that would back up the power of a carbon tax in pushing people to start taking transit.
But another big reason is that TransLink has increased service in a lot of areas.
The Evergreen line has been added, making life a whole lot better for people living in parts of Coquitlam and Port Coquitlam.
Bus service has also been significantly increased.
TransLink is also adding a lot of other things to make taking transit easier, such as a number of new bike parkades that offer security to cyclists. One is coming later this year to the Metrotown SkyTrain station.
TransLink has its flaws, of course. Every time the SkyTrain breaks down, people understandably grab their pitchforks and torches. But there are also a lot of innovative ideas being implemented to improve service.
Expect transit to keep improving as “phase two” of the transportation plan starts kicking in.
That includes construction of light rail in Surrey, the Millennium line Broadway extension in Vancouver, and planning and design for Surrey-Langley rapid transit.
For local riders, this will also include new buses and SkyTrain cars to increase frequency and capacity.
It’s all needed to combat climate change and reduce congestion in our region.
So, we tip our hats to all of you ditching your vehicles for transit.
Whether you are doing it because you want to protect the environment, or if gas prices have simply made driving unbearable, we salute you.
