Metro Vancouver transit overcrowding back at pre-pandemic levels

The latest statistics from Metro Vancouver's transit authority show that ridership has nearly returned to pre-pandemiclevels but so too has overcrowding.

TransLink's annual service performance reviewsays there were233million trips taken across the system last year, a20.5 per cent increase from2022.

But with the rebound in ridership comes complaints of overcrowding.TransLink saysovercrowding levels last fall "generally mirrored fall 2019,with overcrowding occurring on around 10 per centof all trips."

The region's transit authority says incoming funding will help alleviate some of the overcrowding on public transport, but a stable long-term funding plan is needed to serve commuters as Metro Vancouver's population continues to grow.

WATCH | Transit riders say overcrowding has become a regular occurrence:

Metro Vancouver commuters describe overcrowding on transit as a daily occurrence

4 months ago

Duration 1:01

The CBC's Liam Britten went to Waterfront Station and heard from commuters as TransLink released statistics showing overcrowding in the transit system has returned to pre-pandemic levels.

The news that overcrowding has returned to pre-pandemic levels is not surprising for Kenzi Fong, who lives in East Vancouver and commutes downtown daily.

"It's very overwhelming. I'm personally on the spectrum and so I deal with overstimulation," Fong told CBC News. "So having all those people ... bump into you is very frustrating.

"Unfortunately, because of the pandemic, I find a lot of people have lost social rules and, like, people aren't taking their bags off on trains, people aren't making room for other people."

The service review says overcrowding occurswhen the number of passengers on a vehicle exceeds the authority's target capacity at any point during the trip,which could mean that all seats are occupiedand standing space is full, withbuses completely bypassingstops.

TransLink noted the 49 route fromMetrotownto the University of British Columbia was among the busiest in the networkwithalmost 60 per cent of weekday peak-hour, peak-direction tripsbeing overcrowded.

CBC News found that overcrowding was one of themost common complaintslisted in two months' worth of TransLink data obtained through a freedom of information request.

TransLink asks for stable long-term funding

While acknowledging overcrowding as a major issue, TransLinksaysitsridership recovery from the pandemic continues to be one of the best among North American transit systems.

Last fall, total boardings across the transit system worked out to be 87 per cent of those seen in fall 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic caused a major downturn in transit usage.

Dan Mountain, a TransLink spokesperson, says the recently-funded 2024 investment plan should give some short-term relief to customers facing overcrowding, as the authority will be able to increase service on 60 high-priority routes without decreasing it elsewhere.

"But we're continuing to look for a long-term solution that can help TransLink to keep up with population growth and help to continue to expand our system," Mountaintold CBC News.

Mountain saysoverall service levels and fundinggenerally have been stagnant for more thanfour years. Without major government investment, he says,the authority faces a $600-million funding shortfall starting in 2026.

The major reason for the shortfall is the decline in revenue from the gas tax, TransLink's main funding driver, as more people choose to drive electric cars.

Mountain says that simply increasing fares or the number of bus boardings would not help alleviate the funding shortfall, and that senior levels of government need to come up with a holistic solution to ensure the continued growth of the transit system.