One billion served. No, it’s not McDonald’s – it’s Calgary Transit.
The city and Calgary Transit celebrated a milestone yesterday as regular commuter Shelly Xiao was selected as the transit system’s one-billionth rider since the light rail transit system began on May 25, 1981.
“I feel very honoured and excited that I am the billionth rider. I am a bit overwhelmed,” she said during a ceremony at the 1st Street SW train platform.
Xiao told Metro she rides the train from Braeside everyday to her downtown job at Shaw, and she has no complaints about the service.
“I feel very satisfied with the system. They are very nice,” she said, adding when asked that the only thing she would change is to have more trains during rush hour.
“I just feel very lucky.”
While Xiao was showered with gifts like a limited edition model C-Train car and monthly transit passes for the rest of the year, the city was equally excited about the feat, as many curious onlookers congratulated the woman.
Fred Wong, Calgary Transit director, said while Xiao was the billionth customer, there are more than 280,000 riders per day in Calgary.
“We have the most popular C-Train in North America,” Wong said. “We’re looking forward to serving the community for the next 100 years.”
