Calgary Transit Ridership Soars
Calgary Transit had another ridership record-setting year in 2013, carrying a total of 107.5 million customers. That is 5.5 million or five percent more than recorded in 2012.
Over the past three years, Calgary Transit has seen a 12-percent increase in ridership which is double the rate of Calgary’s population growth during this period. More Calgarians are using Calgary Transit and they are riding more often.
A number of factors have contributed to this trend:
Calgary Strong economic growth
Calgary’s strong economic growth has led to significant gains in employment. In December of 2013 there were 29,000 more Calgarians working than at the end of 2012.
The extension of the Blue Line
There has been a significant increase in ridership due to the extension of the Blue Line to the northeast and the west line in 2012. These investments resulted in a 12-percent increase in ridership on the northeast line and an 11 percent ridership gain in the total west Calgary service area.
Added service hours
In 2013 Council added 69,000 new service hours, an increase of 2.5 percent. These hours were used for the following improvements:
- A new bus route in southeast Calgary (New Brighton)
- Three bus route extensions in new areas
- Service improvements on a number of existing routes to provide more passenger capacity and improve service reliability
Increased ridership by adults and post secondary students
In 2013, there was a significant increase in the use of transit by adults and post secondary students. There were nearly 5.8 million more trips made by adult monthly pass holders and just over one million additional trips taken by customers using low income passes. The use of debit and credit cards to purchase LRT fares grew by 1 million trips.
We know that with all the new riders, our system can get very busy. We continue to monitor the system for overloads and look for ways to respond. Our goal is not only strong ridership but a pleasant experience for customers.
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Public Contact Information:
Phone: 3-1-1 or from outside the local calling area phone 403.268.CITY (2489)
Email: 3-1-1ContactUs@calgary.ca
The City of Calgary, Media Contact Information:
Phone: 403.828.2954
Email: media.relations@calgary.ca