VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) - The numbers are in. TransLink saw a huge spike in ridership during the Olympics. But the rise in numbers doesn't necessarily translate to a big rise in profits.
TransLink's Ken Hardie is feeling pretty good about a 31 per cent increase in normal weekday transit use during the Games.
"There was a buzz in every car and every bus that really made even being crowded in somewhat of an enjoyable experience."
Overall, total ridership for the 17 day event was just over 26 million but due to the increase demand bus, Seabus, SkyTrain, Canada Line and West Coast Express all stepped up service -- which in turn meant racking up more costs.
Hardie says the feat was achieved with few glitches, thanks to quick
response to changing situations.
"For instance, we didn't anticipate 1,500 walk-on passengers
getting off a B.C. Ferry in Tsawwassen looking for a bus to get into
town, but because we designed a lot of flexibility into the system, we
were able in some cases ten extra buses to pick them up."
The TravelSmart campaign, which urged residents of the Lower
Mainland to make alternate travel arrangements ahead of time, is also
getting credit for taking cars off the road.
Hardie believes a lot of people will continue to use transit,
because they were impressed with the system.
TransLink says that the post-Games capacity is still the highest
level of regular service the region has ever had. Additional revenue
made from fares will be used to offset the cost of the extra transit
capacity used during the Games.
Hardie expects TransLink to do better than break-even once the final receipts have been tallied but not by all that much.