BC Transit ridership returns to 100% of pre-pandemic levels | Daily Hive

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The provincial public transit authority reported today it has now fully recovered to its pre-pandemic 2019 ridership volumes.

BC Transit saw ridership at 100% of pre-pandemic levels throughout September 2023 to date across the 57 local public transit systems it operates across the province.

For example, the five-day work week of September 11 to 15 saw about 227,000 riders — more than the 226,000 riders recorded over the same corresponding work week in September 2019.

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Also, some of BC Transit’s bus systems, such as the Central Fraser Valley, Chilliwack, and the Comox Valley, saw even stronger ridership than pre-pandemic volumes, with more than 120% of 2019 figures.

“This is a huge accomplishment, and we thank all our customers for their ongoing support of public transit,” said Erinn Pinkerton, president and CEO of BC Transit, in a statement. “I’m also grateful for the dedication of our drivers, mechanics and all other transit employees who have worked tirelessly to provide an essential service for our customers.”

According to Rob Fleming, BC’s minister of transportation and infrastructure, BC Transit is now one of the first public transit authorities in North America to reach the 100% pre-pandemic recovery ridership milestone.

“Our government provided emergency funding to help our transit providers through the COVID-19 pandemic and avoid any service or transit staff cuts. This investment is now paying a big dividend for public transit as ridership numbers bounce back and keep expanding. Our commitment, then and now, is to continue to provide robust, affordable and convenient transit options for people,” said Fleming.

On Wednesday, TransLink reported its network-wide ridership recovery across Metro Vancouver reached 90% of pre-pandemic volumes in the previous week, marking a record high since the onset of the pandemic.

It has been a steady ridership recovery for both BC Transit and TransLink ever since their ridership volumes plummeted to just 20% of normal volumes in April 2020 due to the pandemic shock.

Earlier this week, BC Transit announced all 31 buses on its Whistler system have been fully installed with its NextRide technology, which enables passengers to use their smart mobile devices and desktop services to see the real-time location of their bus along its route and real-time arrival predictions.

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