If you’re reading this on transit, chances are you’ve already become intimately acquainted with the people around you.
Get used to it.
As students return to school and summertime vacationers dust off their briefcases and head back to work, TransLink is bracing for its busiest stretch of the year.
“It’s what I call a harmonic, or unharmonic, convergence — students going back to school, university students commuting in and people returning to work. It all happens in the first couple of weeks after Labour Day,” said TransLink spokesperson Drew Snider.
The transportation authority typically sees ridership hit its peak in September.
The system saw a five per cent increase in users from August to September last year, and ridership has already moved beyond those numbers this year.
TransLink hasn’t been able to fund expanded service for the past two years despite the increased ridership, though routes are being optimized to help alleviate the crush.
TransLink’s website has a TravelSmarts section with tips for getting through the commute.
Some of the advice includes adjusting commute times if possible, taking alternate bus routes off busy corridors and exploring other travel options (such as biking in to work, working from home or joining a rideshare program).
Above all, patience is being preached.
“We’re all in the same boat,” Snider said.
Local news from metronews.ca/vancouver
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