Annual OC Transpo “revenue riders” (or “linked trips”) fell after 1984, and this overall downward trend was not reversed until 1998. The number of weekday peak period riders increased to 1985, remained relatively static to 1989, then declined to 1997.

Average Weekday, Saturday and Sunday Ridership (Revenue Passengers)

 

Average Weekday Peak, Midday and Evening Ridership (Revenue Passengers)

 

	1972	1982	1987	1992	1997	2002
Weekday Riders	127,000	283,585	318,961	285,072	264,600	335,468
Index (1982 = 100)	45	100	112	101	93	118
Weekday Peak Period   Riders (a.m. & p.m)	89,281	155,924	188,506	171,943	155,407	191,400
Index (1982 = 100)	57	100	121	110	100	123
Weekday Midday Riders	27,178	87,943	95,050	81,949	76,870	101,921
Index (1982 = 100)	31	100	108	93	87	116
Weekday Evening Riders	9,398	34,232	27,016	28,657	29,946	40,692
Index (1982 = 100)	27	100	79	84	87	119
Saturday Riders	79,000	148,977	144,519	113,744	110,171	147,617
Index (1982 = 100)	53	100	97	76	74	99
Sunday Riders	24,000	40,395	43,562	44,623	60,362	87,344
Index (1982 = 100)	59	100	108	110	149	216
Rider km                        per Revenue Rider	5.6	8.7	10.0	10.0	10.0	10.0
Rider mi per Revenue Rider	3.5	5.4	6.2	6.2	6.2	6.2
Index (1982 = 100)	64	100	114	115	115	115
Transfers                       per Revenue Rider	0.25	0.29	0.40	0.41	0.40	0.40
Index (1982 = 100)	86	100	137	141	137	137
Customer Contacts per Million Revenue Riders	N/A	75.4	106.4	91.1	100.5	185.0
Index (1982 = 100)		100	141	121	133	245

1972 data were included above to provide historic reference.

Reported Sunday ridership increased to 1982, then remained stable except for peaks during 1984-1986 and 1990-1991. (These might reflect changes in demand factors such as motor fuel prices.) Sunday ridership increased with the overall upward trend from 1997 to 2002.

 

Trends - Weekday, Saturday and Sunday Ridership per Capita;

Transfers per Revenue Passenger

 

Year-to-year comparison of ridership per capita controls for the influence of population changes on absolute ridership levels. OC Transpo obtained large increases in weekday, Saturday and Sunday ridership per capita from 1972 to 1982. The greatest relative change occured in per-capita weekday ridership. This is not surprising because overall transit ridership is dominated by weekday work trips. Weekday ridership per capita remained stable to1987, fell somewhat during the following decade, then increased from 1997 to 2002. Saturday ridership per capita fell after 1982 but increased from 1992. Sunday ridership per capita, although small in absolute terms, is remarkably robust: this indicator experienced the smallest relative decline after 1982, began increasing several years before per-capita weekday and Saturday ridership also increased - and experienced the largest relative increase to 2002. Weekday and Saturday ridership per capita had not returned to 1982 levels, but Sunday ridership per capita was 50 percent greater at 2002 than at 1982.

The number of transfers per revenue passenger increased significantly from 1972 to 1982 but remained stable thereafter; the influence of this indicator is not apparent.

 

Trends - Weekday Peak, Midday and Evening Ridership per Capita;

Transfers per Revenue Passenger

 

From 1972 to 1982, OC Transpo obtained relatively larger increases in weekday midday and midday evening ridership per capita than in weekday peak ridership, although the latter was larger in absolute terms. Peak ridership per capita increased through 1987, then declined to 1997. Midday ridership per capita remained stable for several years after 1982, then declined to 1997. Evening ridership per capita fell sharply after 1982 but “bottomed out” after a relatively few years. All three indicators increased from 1997 to 2002, but midday and evening ridership per capita experienced relatively larger increases than peak-period ridership per capita.

Again, the influence of changes in the number of “transfers per revenue passenger” is not apparent.

 

Trends - Customer Contacts per Million Revenue Passengers and Total Transitway km In Service

 

OC Transpo’s annual compilation of data and statistics contains no explicit indicator of customer satisfaction. The authors used the rate of annual customer contacts per million revenue passengers as a surrogate indicator of general customer satisfaction. Because the large majority of “customer contacts,” other than “information calls,” are typically composed of complaints, the authors believe that a positive change in the rate of “customer contacts” is likely to reflect a negative change in overall customer satisfaction - which results in increased numbers of complaints.

The authors emphasize that OC Transpo data do not distinguish between “commendations” and “complaints” (a distinction that would require some degree of judgement). Changes in the rate of customer contacts provides, at best, only a rough impression of changes in overall customer satisfaction.

In the chart above, the “Index of Incremental Transitway Expansion” shows year to year changes in transitway system length. An index value of zero indicates no change from the preceding year; an index value of 10 indicates a 10-percent increase in system length from the previous year, and so forth.

Examination of trends year by year from 1982 to 1997 reveals that positive changes in the rate of customer contacts coincides to some degree with expansion of the transitway network. This suggests - but merely suggests - that associated service changes generated increased numbers of complaints. This is not surprising. Transit professionals know that virtually all service changes generate complaints, even when overall customer satisfaction improves. A prolonged trend of increasing complaints would suggest - but merely suggest - decreases in customer satisfaction sufficient to discourage patronage.