The Transit Service Performance Review (TSPR) and HandyDART Service Performance Review (HDSPR) are published annually by TransLink. The TSPR provides detailed insights into ridership trends across the entire TransLink transit system (SkyTrain, bus, West Cost Express, and HandyDART), while the HDSPR focuses on the performance of the HandyDART system, which is TransLink’s door-to-door, shared-ride service for people who need assistance to navigate the conventional public transit system. Both documents provide statistics on the recent year of transit service – valuable information for decision-making and providing public transparency on the TransLink system.
Source: TransLink
Access Planning played a lead role in drafting and producing the 2020 HDSPR, as well as the 2021 and 2022 editions of both the TSPR and HDSPR. Our team completed extensive data analysis including preliminary and final calculations, advising on the most pertinent metrics to include, and visualizing relevant data in meaningful ways. We helped to sift through detailed ridership data to build the report’s narrative around the region’s annual ridership trends.
The TSPR provides information on metrics such as busiest routes and stations; boardings by time of the day; average daily boardings per mode and more. The HDSPR includes data on demand and registration, service reliability and customer satisfaction. Given the significant impact that the COVID-19 pandemic had on transit ridership in 2020 and 2021, as well as in 2022, both documents also provide some information on “ridership recovery” – a comparison of transit ridership with the “pre-COVID” state in 2019, as well as in later years. The 2022 TSPR notes that TransLink’s system-wide ridership recovery in fall of 2022 reached 80% of pre-COVID-19 pandemic levels from fall 2019. In fact, according to the review, TransLink’s ridership recovery exceeded the average recovery rate across major Canadian and American transit agencies in this period. The 2022 review of the HDSPR similarly shows that the demand for HandyDART trips grew as public health restrictions were eased in early 2022. According to the review, 22% more new customers registered for HandyDART services compared to 2021 levels.
Other key findings of the 2022 TSPR include:
Annual journeys across the system totalled 193.6 million in 2022, a 48% increase over 2021 and over 70% of levels in 2019.
TransLink was the first transit agency in Canada and the United States to reach 80% ridership recovery (in fall 2022).
TransLink ranked 5th in Canada and the United States in total transit boardings in 2022, despite being 24th in regional population.
Ridership continued to return slightly more on weekends than on weekdays.
Overcrowding on the bus system approached pre-pandemic levels through 2022 (approximately 8.2% in October 2022 compared to 10% pre-pandemic).
Other key findings of the 2022 edition of HDSPR include:
In total, 964,800 HandyDART trips were delivered in 2022, up 39% from 2021.
HandyDART customer registrations grew by 22% in 2022, with 6,500 customers registering compared to 5,300 in 2021.
Customer ratings for both HandyDART and Supplemental Taxi scored high in overall service, on-time performance, and ease of booking a trip.
For further information, please visit the TransLink website.
Access is always ready to help clients translate complex data and information into compelling reports and materials to support policymaking and evidence-based decisions. Reach out to us to learn more and explore if this is something we can help you with.