Vancouver transit riders have worst commute time in Canada, U.S.: report

A study of transit commuters worldwide found that Vancouver has the worst commute time of any studied city in Canada or the U.S.

The study was conducted by the app Moovit, which used data from its platform gathered in 50 cities in 17 countries to determine trends in commute times. 

According to Moovit, transit commuters in Vancouver spend an average of 60 minutes on their commute, including waiting for a ride.

That means, according to the company, the typical Metro Vancouver rider will spend one year and eight months riding TransLink vehicles in their lifetime.

As Vancouver’s population continues to grow, Translink spokesperson Tina Lovgreen says the regional transit provider is receiving limited funding.

"There’s no argument that transit is important, what we need is more investments so we can address the overcrowding and ensure that we have services to meet the demand to better connect the region," she said.

Michael Ianni moved to Vancouver from Toronto 12 years ago. He says his experience has been relatively good and he is impressed by the number of other modes of transportation in the city.

"I’m also a cyclist and I find cycling in the City of Vancouver, it's actually faster than driving," said Ianni. "Transit has also been pretty rapid."

Lawrence Frank, a professor in the School of Community and Regional Planning at UBC, says construction is impacting major roadways.

“I mean, Broadway is the major trunk line east-west, and that’s being upgraded significantly, at least to Arbutus (Street) for now," Frank said.

Frank adds the survey sample is limited to Moovit users and isn’t reflective of the general population.