York Region Transit (YRT) ridership is rebounding faster than anticipated, with current ridership reaching around 90% of pre-COVID levels.
YRT’s Route 9, Stouffville’s primary transit service, has seen its ridership fully return to pre-pandemic levels.
When drafting this year’s Regional budget, Regional Staff projected mid-year ridership to be approximately 70% of pre-COVID levels.
Thanks to this surge in transit usage, York Region has surpassed initial fare revenue expectations by $7.1 million.
Additional operating expenses are also below budget, according to a recent report, primarily due to lower fuel costs and volume, staffing vacancies, and lower contractor costs.
This has resulted in a combined 11% reduction in Transit Services spending halfway through the budget year, totalling $12.4 million in unspent funds.
Transit fare revenue is anticipated to continue growing, as the Region now foresees ridership reaching 95% of pre-COVID levels by year-end.
