World Cup drives biggest Vancouver transit ridership surge since 2010 Olympics

The first World Cup match in Vancouver was well attended as Australia nocked off Türkiye two-nil at BC Place.

Vancouver’s first-ever World Cup game generated record-breaking transit ridership numbers, with TransLink reporting its busiest Saturday for a stadium event since the 2010 Olympics.

Preliminary estimates provided by the transit operator show total boardings across the region surpassed one million on June 13 as fans flocked to BC Place and the FIFA Fan Festival to watch Australia take on Türkiye.

TransLink says the 1,031,000 boardings recorded across the network represented a 14 per cent increase over the 901,600 boardings expected on a typical Saturday in June.

The operator estimates it provided approximately 648,200 total trips on match day, a nearly 18 per cent increase over usual demand.

The transit authority says a “boarding” is counted each time a passenger enters a transit vehicle, while a “trip” represents a complete transit journey, including any transfers. As a result, a single trip may include multiple boardings.

Stations serving BC Place experienced their highest Saturday event-day ridership since the Olympics, surpassing previous records set during Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour concerts and Lionel Messi’s appearance at the stadium last year as the Vancouver Whitecaps took on Inter Miami FC.

The SkyTrain system carried the bulk of the ridership influx, with more than 447,000 boardings on Saturday, representing a 25 per cent increase over a typical day, according to TransLink’s estimates.

The SeaBus posted the largest percentage gain among all transit modes, with ridership climbing more than 37 per cent, while standard buses saw a 6.6 per cent increase in usage.

“The overall increase in ridership shows the important role transit plays in moving people for large events, while also keeping people connected to businesses and other destinations across the region,” TransLink said in a statement Monday.