In the first full month of electric Caltrain service, overall ridership jumped by 17%, and weekend ridership jumped by 38%. Weekend ridership has surpassed pre-pandemic levels, with electric service that is faster and twice as frequent. With service every 30 minutes, up from hourly, Caltrain is now more convenient for fun and errands.
Caltrain’s average weekday ridership is above 43% of pre-pandemic levels, now on parity with BART’s recovery.
Interestingly, for the Bay Area’s transit system as a whole, Clipper data shows that the number of unique riders has surpassed pre-pandemic levels, even as overall ridership is only about two thirds of pre-pandemic.
There are about the same number of people riding transit as before the pandemic, but with changed travel patterns, people are riding less often.
A few insights from the stats:
- The jump in weekend ridership suggests even more opportunities to promote Caltrain for weekend fund and errands for new people and trips
- The stronger growth of weekend ridership across agencies suggests even more opportunities for ridership growth and promotions this coming Spring when Clipper 2 is launched with the ability to take spontaneous trips and pay with a credit or debit card.
- The full recovery of the number of riders supports the case for transit funding to keep transit running, and reveals the harms that would occur if funding isn’t found and service is cut. A million Bay Area residents are using transit; cutting service would have bad outcomes for traffic, pollution, and housing
