The Prince George transit system has been operating at roughly 45 per cent of normal ridership since the start of the pandemic, according to a report going before city council on Monday.
In the report, city director of infrastructure services Adam Homes that across the province, BC Transit is seeing bus ridership at 43 per cent of normal.
"The loss in revenue as a result of the pandemic has been significant," Homes wrote. "Staff is expecting a roughly $1-million loss in revenue before year-end due to the pandemic's impacts."
From March to June, city buses weren't collecting fares as part of public health precautions, Homes wrote.
But the significant and sustained drop in ridership is expected to continue, he wrote.
"At the beginning of September, the ridership did not see its’ normal increase from post-secondary students," Homes wrote. "Ridership will likely continue a slow and steady trend of increases over the next year. However, it is not expected to make a full recovery until the confidence of riders is fully restored. This will depend on the return to physical classroom attendance at post-secondary institutions and shifting workplaces back to an office setting."
BC Transit has implemented a number of COVID-19 safety measures aboard buses including increased cleaning and, as of Aug. 24, requiring everyone to wear a non-medical mask while on board.
Despite being mandatory, mask usage was measured at approximately 62 per cent in September, increasing to 64 per cent in October.
NEW APP OFFERED
On Friday, BC Transit announced Transit will be its officially-endorsed mobility app. Prince George is one of 18 communities in B.C. where the app is available.
The app provides riders with nearby bus stops and scheduled departure times. It can downloaded online by going to bctransit.com/trip-planning.
In seven communities in B.C., the app provides real-time, GPS-based data about bus times through the NextRide program.
"Prince George is currently on the list for the Phase 2 implementation of the NextRide program," Homes wrote. "The service is currently used in Victoria, Kelowna, Nanaimo, Kamloops, Whistler, and other systems. The implementation for all remaining systems has been placed on hold due to the pandemic. There is currently no timeline for the implementation of the system in Prince George."
