Measure Description

Transit Ridership measures the level of transit use in Edmonton. It is calculated by dividing the annual transit ridership by the city’s population. Edmonton Transit estimates ridership based on cash collected at the farebox and the number of fare products sold, such as tickets and monthly passes, multiplied by rides per fare type. The estimated number of rides per fare type is based on surveys conducted by Edmonton Transit. The city's population is obtained from the Municipal Census or population forecasts provided by the City's Chief Economist. Because the rides are calculated based on total fares, it does not represent an actual count of riders or their origins and destinations.

Measure Importance

Transit is one of the most efficient means of transporting large numbers of people in an urban environment. Ridership per capita is an indication of Edmonton’s public transit use. Increasing transit ridership per capita means that more people are taking transit and implies that a greater proportion of daily trips are being made by transit.

Historical Data

Data Sources: City of Edmonton, Edmonton Transit (ridership information); Statistics Canada, Municipal Census and the City of Edmonton Chief Economist estimates (population information).

Explanation of Performance

Transit ridership in 2017 was 91.6 rides per capita. This continues an overall downward trend from 2013.

Transit ridership is influenced by many complex drivers, some driven by municipal decisions such as fare adjustments and some by external factors such as economic circumstances, changing demographics, neighbourhood development and ridership pattern changes. Edmonton has experienced all of these over the last few years. Initiatives underway, such as the redesign of the bus network, are expected to improve transit service and increase ridership.

Useful Links

For information about the City's strategic plan, The Way Ahead: http://www.edmonton.ca/city_government/city_vision_and_strategic_plan/the-way-ahead.aspx