TransLink is blaming its decision to hike fares in 2013 for what it says is an unexpected drop in ridership this year.
On buses alone, the transit company had expected year-to-date ridership to grow by more than nine million to 188 million boardings compared with the same period last year. Instead, ridership has dropped to 178 million boardings.
Total system-wide transit fares were down almost 1%, or $3.2 million, this year compared with last. The corporation had expected growth of $11 million.
“Ongoing analysis into the decline of ridership suggests that the 2013 far increase had a longer lasting effect on ridership than expected,” TransLink said in its third-quarter financial and performance report.
On January 1, TransLink hiked its fares by 25 cents per trip for one- and two- zone trips and by 50 cents per three-zone trip. It also eliminated its workplace program that provided a 15% discount to employees of companies that signed up.
The Crown corporation is also blaming a day of free travel – August 4 – for a drop in total fare revenue, although this does not account for the decrease in ridership. TransLink also points to the three-week delay of the 2014/15 school year as a possible cause for lower ridership numbers.
