The study found the number of commuters taking public transit from the suburbs rose by 15 per cent in Vancouver

The number of suburb dwellers taking public transit into the city core for work is on the rise, even as more jobs move outside the city core.

On Wednesday, Statistics Canada said it found that the number of workers commuting 25 kilometres or more grew by six per cent to 16.8 per cent between 1996 and 2016.

However, since 1996, the percentage of jobs located in the city core has shrunk. In Vancouver, 29 per cent of workers have jobs within the city core, compared to 32 per cent in 1996.

The mix of fewer jobs in the city core but an increase in workers commuting longer distances cancelled out most of a potential increase in Vancouverites commuting distance, which went up only 0.3 per cent to a median of 7.9 kilometres.

The study found the number of commuters taking public transit from the suburbs rose by 15 per cent in Vancouver. By 2016, 45 per cent of of those coming in from the suburbs used public transit.

But that’s still lower than in many other Canadian cities. In Toronto, 67 per cent of commuters took public transit in from the suburbs.

Within the city core, more people are taking active modes of transportation, like walking or biking. Vancouver saw the number increase from 17 per cent in 1996 to 39 per cent in 2016.

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katya.slepian@bpdigital.ca

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