Just how crowded is the 99 B-Line? These big numbers tell the tale

    1 of 1 2 of 1

      Ask any 99 B-Line rider, and we'll tell you how packed the bus is every morning. But it'd be difficult for most of us to put this into numbers.

      Lucky for us, TransLink has released its 2013 Bus Service Performance Review, which contains a snapshot of the 99, among other routes in Metro Vancouver.

      Here's what the report offers in terms of stats for the 99 in 2013:

      Annual boardings: 17,054,000

      Annual service cost: $9,435,000 (estimated cost of service per year)

      Annual revenue hours: 96,300 (number of hours the bus is in-service)

      Cost per boarded passenger: $0.55 (estimated service cost per boarded passenger)

      Average boardings per revenue hour: 177

      Average daily boardings (Monday to Friday): 55,000 (number of people who board the service)

      Average daily boardings (Saturday): 33,350

      Average daily boardings (Sunday and holidays): 25,000

      Peak passenger load (bi-directional average): 63 (on an average trip, the 99 carries approximately 63 passengers along the busiest segments of the route)

      Peak load factor (vehicle occupancy): 0.84 (measure of vehicle occupancy on an average trip, where a factor of 1.0 means a full bus)

      Average capacity utilization (passenger turnover): 168 percent (boardings per trip divided by vehicle capacity)

      For all figures except peak load factor and average capacity utilization, the 99 ranks first in the bus network, confirming that the "Free-Line" is easily the region's busiest bus route.

      Comments

      7 Comments

      Enuf

      Jul 16, 2014 at 4:40pm

      UBC is no Douglas College, they don't deserve SkyTrain

      Evil Eye

      Jul 16, 2014 at 9:02pm

      Average daily boardings (Monday to Friday): 55,000 (number of people who board the service)

      This number falls way short of the number of boardings needed to justify a subway. In fact it is what you contemplate building much cheaper LRT.

      Enough

      Jul 16, 2014 at 11:35pm

      Broadway line is a scam to build more 400sqft condos.

      E-nuph

      Jul 17, 2014 at 1:40am

      Only way to reduce ridership is to build a bike lane on Boradway. Or perhaps dedicate a lane for food trucks & buskers.

      Alan Layton

      Jul 17, 2014 at 8:52am

      @Evil Eye:

      What is the minimum average (M-F) ridership number needed for a subway? You failed to state that figure and where it is from. You could just be pulling it out of your ass for all we know. Don't forget too that a subway (or LRT) will be replacing many of the standard buses that ply that line, and of course it will reduce car traffic. As someone who bussed along that corridor last year it is a complete traffic nightmare from Granville to Commercial at certain times of the day.

      Meathead

      Jul 17, 2014 at 10:43am

      Evil Eye just doesn't get it. 17 million boardings a year more than justifies a subway over a silly surface LRT.

      the pope

      Jul 17, 2014 at 3:52pm

      I think it`s about time that UBC coughed up some major cash for whatever infrastructure is going to be feasible to support the ridership,for as we all know the majority is UBC students....