The recovery in ridership at the RTC still exceeds 90%

Since January, the Capital Transportation Network (RTC) has posted a ridership rate of 93.1% compared to 2019. The recovery in student ridership even exceeds the rate of the year before the pandemic .

Between April and September, more than 15.2 million trips were made on the network, which represents an increase of 12.6% compared to the same period last year. By adding these trips to the 7.8 million in January, February and March, it is a total of 23 million trips for the year 2024 between January and September.

In April, the RTC announced a 95% recovery. There has therefore been a slight reduction in the recovery since the first quarter. In 2023, it stood at just 83% of pre-pandemic ridership.

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This year, the transport company was targeting a return to 88% of 2019 ridership. We have clearly exceeded our objective. This success confirms the importance and relevance of offering adapted and sustainable transport options to the population, in a context where the impacts of road congestion are felt everywhereunderlines Maude Mercier Larouche, president of the RTCby press release.

September was the busiest month of the year with 2.9 million trips, which also coincides with the start of the school year.

Students are the clientele among whom the recovery in ridership has been most felt, even surpassing 2019. The cumulative recovery rate is at 103% compared to before the pandemic.

In comparison, it is 88% for general customers and 82% for senior customers.

In the fall of 2023, the RTC reported that Métrobus 800 and 801 were already reaching saturation points at certain times of rush hour, a situation comparable to that of 2019. While waiting for the tram, the transport service also said it was running out of options to substantially optimize travel on its two busiest routes.

Diversity of modes

The number of users using the Equimobility program has seen significant growth in recent months. There are now around 11,400 subscribers who benefit from it, while there were only 8,400 in May.

Launched in 2023, the program allows low-income people to benefit from transport tickets at a reduced price.

The craze for the àVélo bike-sharing service was also felt this year. One month before the end of the season, it has recorded 1.1 million trips since May.

ÀVélo was particularly popular during the Quebec Summer Festival, where it generated 103,000 trips. The temporary station installed on the Plains of Abraham alone generated more than 13,000 trips from July 4 to 14, the duration of the event.

The RTC is also satisfied with the data from Flexibus, its on-demand transportation service which operates in peripheral areas of Quebec City. More than 173,000 trips were made between 1^is January and September 30, 2024.