TransLink’s Sinking Ship
Zwei has been wondering why all the rah-rah SkyTrain post on You Tube and it eems the answer is, ridership is collapsing on this gold plated transit system.
This is very bad news because falling ridership equates to reduced service and reduced service translates to fewer buses and higher fares.
Then there is the now over $17 billion, 21.7 expansion program for the Expo and Millennium Lines and the rasion d’etre for expanding the SkyTrain light-metro system is steadily evaporating and it is time for the good old;
Repeat a SkyTrain lie often enough and the people will come to believe it!
The problem with transit in Metro Vancouver is that demographic change, especially the winding down of the “Boomer” generation was never taken seriously with planners. As well, the light-metro system depends on bus riders to fill it cars ar over 80% of SkyTrain’s ridership first take a bus.
Secret agreements and just plain dated planning, which continues at the university level, has created an ossified transit system, with zero flexibility to deal with future changes.
With the Mayor’;s council on Transportation, unwilling or unable to think 20 minutes into the future, with transit investment tied to election dates, rather than moving people, there is little hope for improvement. It seems despite the hype and hoopla about climate change and global warming, our regional and provincial politcans have condemend Metro Vancouver to a “rubber on asphalt future”.
All the YouTube propaganda will not save TRANSLINK’S SINKING SHIP!
Transit ridership is down and up: Here is the April 2026 Statistics
https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/260622/dq260622c-eng.htm
https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=2310025101
https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=2310030701
The last link provides monthly statistics by city or metro area.The following six regions have increased from 2.8 % to 22 %Leduc, Longueuil, Halifax, Greater Victoria ( +7.7 % ), Greater Toronto Metrolinx, Yellowknife ( +22 % )
Metro Vancouver – TransLink recorded a loss of 900,000 trips or 4.5 % decrease.( April 2026 vs April 2025 )
For the last 3 months( Feb. March, April 2026 ) TransLink ridership has been down compared to 2025. by 2.8%55.
6914 M vs 57.342 M in 2025
Transit ridership per capita Metro Vancouver 2019 – 100 and 2025 – 75
