When it comes to transit ridership strength, Whitehorse passengers won’t be shown to the back of the bus.
Whitehorse Transit saw a 49-per-cent increase in its ridership compared to the previous year, the city said Wednesday.
“Residents and visitors took 78,000 trips on city buses, an increase of 25,000 over July 2022, when 53,000 were taken,” the city said in a statement.
It believes the ridership boost is related to the implementation of the second phase of the bus route schedule adjustments that went into effect on Canada Day. “The statistic was calculated at the end of the month,” said city spokesperson Guiniveve Lalena.
“However, we also have automatic passenger counters installed on all buses, allowing us to maintain an active and continuous count throughout the month.
“This technology provides us with real-time data on ridership, enabling us to make informed decisions and adjustments to our services as needed.”
There are the concerns regarding the route changes that may cause riders to take unnecessary transfer travel while en route to their destination could be jacking up the ridership counts.
“The city uses the same method for calculating ridership as recommended by the Canadian Urban Transit Association (CUTA),” Lalena said.
“This standardized approach ensures consistency and accuracy in ridership data and is the same methodology employed by all transit agencies across Canada.”
She also mentioned that the number of riders in May has been sitting at an all-time high, with more than 89,000 rides taken that month. The previous record had been 86,374, counted in April.
There have been no new buses added to the system this year, but three have been added during the last two years.
This has brought the total to 10 in service. That’s led to adding two new routes, and increasing service hours by 37.5 per cent – along with an 18-per-cent reduction in operating costs. Four new buses will be purchased throughout 2025.
Lalena added that the population growth has not affected the statistics that have been calculated, as the 49-per-cent increase isn’t being seen in the population statistics for the city. Its growth is about two per cent annually, data show.
“More efficient routes were established for Copper Ridge and Riverdale, along with service to Valleyview and late-night drop-off service on weekends and holidays,” she said.
Meanwhile, Crestview service has been become slightly more complicated due to the closure
of Azure Road for major infrastructure work.
