Milton Transit ridership surpasses pre-COVID levels faster than expected
Published April 15, 2024 at 12:07 pm
Milton’s transit system rebounded from the COVID-19 dip faster than expected.
This information is in a report that will be delivered to Milton councillors at the regular meeting tonight, Monday, April 15.
The return of riders to pre-COVID ridership levels is being credited to a continued execution of a multi-pronged delivery approach that focused on:
- Maintaining service levels on key corridors
- Rightsizing/expanding service with Alternative Service Deliveries (ASDs) and Milton Transit OnDemand
- Adding service capacity, when are where warranted
“Milton Transit achieved record annual ridership in 2023, surpassing pre-pandemic levels in September, with full recovery achieved in Q4,” reads the report from Kristene Scott, commissioner, Community Services.
Comparing 2023 to 2022, annual ridership has increased by 89 per cent on conventional and OnDemand services to 619,927 revenue passenger trips, and increased by 60 per cent on specialized (door-to-door paratransit) services, to 24,215 revenue passenger trips.
The report also projects ridership to continue to grow in 2024, influenced by community and post-secondary market growth.
Videos
Highlights of the work planned this year include:
- Completion of five-tear Transit Service Review and Master Plan update
- Completion of transit fleet electrification feasibility strategy
- Launch of diesel-to-battery electric bus conversion pilot project
- Procurement of transit fleet (replacement and growth)
- Further development of the transit garage facility