Beyond breaking a couple ridership records during the first two Vancouver World Cup matches, TransLink says transit use has remained high through Metro Vancouver on non-game days.
During the FIFA World Cup’s first week, TransLink says system-wide transit ridership has increased 7.8 per cent.
“The increase suggests visitors are not only travelling to matches, but are also using transit to explore Metro Vancouver, visit local attractions, support local businesses, and travel between communities throughout the region,” a news release from TransLink Tuesday (June 23) says.
Match days have seen the largest gains at 13.6 per cent, non-match days have seen a 5.15-per-cent growth.
READ MORE: TransLink reports highest ridership since 2020 for Canada-Qatar match
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TransLink says that more than one million different people used transit at least once during the first week, “highlighting the important role transit is playing in helping residents and visitors move around Metro Vancouver during one of the region’s largest-ever events.”
Downtown stations saw a 23-per-cent jump in ridership, while ridership at BC Place-area stations increased by 27.8 per cent.
Ridership to and from ferry terminals increased by 13.4 per cent, while ridership to and from the airport increased by 9.4 per cent.
The largest ridership increases for June 15 to 21 were: Main Street-Science World (where match attendees need to get off for BC Place) saw an increase of 43.3 per cent with 104,600 weekly boardings; Granville increased by 36.6 per cent with 152,800 boardings; Oakridge-41st Avenue saw 54,900 boardings for an increase of 29.5 per cent; 29th Avenue (where buses connect with the FIFA Fan Festival at the PNE grounds) saw a 29.2-per-cent increase with 56,3000 boardings; Patterson increased by 28.3 per cent with 36,300 boardings; Yaletown-Roundhouse saw 76,700 boardings for a 26.5-per-cent increase; Waterfront had a 23.1-per-cent increase with 352,400 boardings; VCC-Clark had 19,341 boardings for an increase of 22.8 per cent; and Burquitlam increased by 20.9 per cent with 36,500 boardings.
For the week of June 15 to 21, there was a 7.8-per-cent increase, with 8,058,000 boardings compared to the typical 7,475,000.
On Thursday, June 18 – the day of the Canada vs. Qatar match – had the biggest increase of 14.3 per cent. There were 1,364,700 boardings compared to the typical 1,194,000.
It was followed by Sunday – another match day in Vancouver – with an increase of 12.4 per cent. There were 849,000 boardings compared to the typical 755,300.
Saturday was next with an increase of 6.9 per cent, then Friday with an increase of 6.7 per cent, followed by Wednesday with an increase of 5.9 per cent. Tuesday has an increase of 3.5 per cent for boardings and Monday saw the smallest increase at 3.1 per cent.
SeaBus continues to dominate ridership increases with a 34.2-per-cent increase that week. The SeaBus, which connects downtown Vancouver with the Shipyards viewing party in North Vancouver, recorded 143,700 boardings compared to the typical 115,700.
It was followed by SkyTrain, which had an increase of 12.7 per cent. There were 3,215,500 boardings compared to the typical 2,853,300.
Buses saw an increase of 4.2 per cent, with 4,661,800 boardings compared to the 4,473,900.
The West Coast Express, which is a commuter train during rush hour but is operating for weekend matches, recorded an increase of 2.3 per cent. There were 34,600 boardings compared to the typical 33,800.
TransLink added that a boarding occurs every time someone boards any vehicle, with a trip being a full transit journey from end-to-end including transfers. A ‘typical day,’ TransLink noted, was what ridership was projected to be if the FIFA World Cup wasn’t happening in Vancouver and is calculated through recent ridership patterns and the previous year’s ridership on the same day.