Whistler's Secret to Transit Success: Reduced Fares and Free Rides

Faced with a booming population and heavy peak traffic during tourists seasons, Whistler decided to make transit much more affordable—ridership increased as a result.

1 minute read

December 30, 2017, 11:00 AM PST

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


Bus Shelter

There are worse places to wait for a bus than these bus shelters created for the 2010 Winter Olympics. | Associated Fabrication / Flickr

The city of Whistler took a radical approach to transit in the hopes of getting more drivers out of their cars and onto buses: reduced transit fares and free rides.

"While transit riders in the Lower Mainland have seen fares rise recently, Whistler transit fares decreased from $65 to $50 a month this year. Throughout the summer, buses ran for free on weekends and holiday Mondays in the resort municipality," according to an article by Clare Henning. Whistler Mayor Nancy Wilhelm-Morden credits the increased ridership on the weekend, as a result of the free rides, is equivalent to getting 400 cars off the road in the resort town.

Friday, December 29, 2017 in CBC News

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