Almost 300,000 take advantage of free ION rides
Posted Jul 3, 2019 06:17:00 PM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
ION was trending in its first 11 days of service.
Close to 300,000 passengers rode the rails when the service was offered for free to celebrate the launch of Waterloo Region's light rail transit system.
That number includes the over 73,000 people who tried it out during opening weekend.
ION officially went into service on June 21.
“I'm thrilled that our community has embraced this exciting new service that the Region of Waterloo has provided,” Regional Chair, Karen Redman said in a release. “It's been very encouraging to see the trains filled with so many happy faces. We're looking forward to welcoming more even more passengers on board light rail and on the GRT network throughout the remainder of the summer.”
During the same period – June 21 to July 1 – over one million passengers took a trip on GRT buses, which were also free to use.
“These numbers are beyond our expectations for ridership and it shows that the arrival of ION has brought transit in Waterloo Region to the next level,” added Councillor Tom Galloway, Chair of the Region of Waterloo's Planning and Works Committee.
