The closure of universities and colleges due to the COVID-19 pandemic has put a damper on bus ridership recovery rates in the Tri-Cities.
According to TransLink figures, boardings in the northeast sector are 37% of pre-pandemic levels, below the 43% average seen in the rest of the region. TransLink CEO Kevin Desmond said Vancouver and Burnaby have also seen slower recovery rates, due in large part to the fact the areas have higher student ridership than other parts of the region.
“The return of ridership is not exactly uniform,” Desmond said during a Mayor’s Council meeting Thursday. “We are seeing a somewhat different response… depending on which sector of the region we are talking about.”
For example, Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows have seen bus ridership return to 55% of pre-pandemic levels, while Surrey and Langley have seen a 52% return.
Desmond said the numbers indicate that trips to industrial parks are returning. He also noted that essential-service workers “need the bus.”
Motor-vehicle traffic is returning at a quicker clip than public transit.
According to Desmond, the bridges operated by TransLink — the Patullo, the Golden Ears and the Knight Street Bridge — are averaging 93% of pre-COVID-19 crossing levels. As more congestion occurs on the road network, he added that it is likely people will start to return to public transit in greater numbers.
The bus system is not the only part of the network that has seen significant ridership declines since the public health crisis began in B.C. in March.
According to TransLink data, the Expo-Millennium Line, which includes the Tri-Cities’ Evergreen Extension, is seeing boardings at 38% of pre-pandemic levels. The Canada Line is at 31%, the SeaBus is at 27%, and HandyDART is at 35%.
However, Desmond notes that given the need for physical distancing, transit modes are limiting capacity levels. For example, buses are running at two-thirds the normal ridership level, while SeaBus and SkyTrain are operating at 50%, to ensure that commuters can adhere to COVID-19 safety protocols.
During the Mayor’s Council meeting, Desmond highlighted the actions TransLink is taking to ensure the system is safe for passengers and employees.
He encouraged riders to ensure they make healthy choices, like washing their hands and staying home if they feel any symptoms of sickness. Desmond also noted that TransLink’s August decision to make masks mandatory on all public transit modes has led to a 95% compliance rate.
“There has been little or no community transmission of COVID on public transit,” he said, referring not only to TransLink but transit systems around the globe. “That’s because world wide, I think our industry has been doing the right things to keep people safe.”
The transit system’s severe ridership drop has blown a massive hole in TransLink’s budget.
However, given the many unknowns associated with the public health crisis, Desmond said it was difficult to grasp exactly how much revenue will be lost.
Still, TransLink has prepared three different scenarios, which range from $2 billion to $4.5 billion in losses over the next 10 years.
“We still have a long-term structural problem with our budget,” Desmond said. “We are going to have to work with the mayors council, the board and the provincial government and figure out what those next steps will be to resolve that long-term gap.”
