BC Transit ridership returning to pre-pandemic levels locally

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — BC Transit buses in Fort St. John and Dawson Creek are starting to see a return to pre-pandemic ridership levels.

According to BC Transit, Fort St. John saw approximately 800 daily riders from September 18th to 22nd, a five-day work week. This is roughly 139 per cent of pre-pandemic levels as Fort St. John’s ridership has recovered and bounced back even stronger.

Dawson Creek saw approximately 200 daily riders the same week, recovering about 80 per cent of pre-pandemic levels.

BC Transit saw ridership drop to as low as 20 per cent of pre-pandemic levels across the province in the spring of 2020.

“This is a huge accomplishment, and we thank all our customers for their ongoing support of public transit,” said Erinn Pinkerton, president and chief executive officer for BC Transit. 

“I’m also grateful for the dedication of our drivers, mechanics and all other transit employees who have worked tirelessly to provide an essential service for our customers.”

From September 11th to 15th, there were a total of 226,764 riders, and in the same week in 2019, the organization had 226,106 riders.

Last year, BC Transit also expanded its NextRide technology in Fort St. John and Dawson Creek.