The upsurge in Lower Mainland transit use during the Olympics — when more than 1.6 million people a day used the system — has receded in the year since the Games.

In the Olympic period, bus ridership jumped by 34 per cent, SkyTrain usage went up 54 per cent and the number of people on the SeaBus increased 200 percent.

Results of a study released Tuesday indicate about 44 per cent of those who made the switch continue to use transit.

The study found that the rest returned to their cars, citing the length of their commute, inconvenience and infrequent service, said Bernard Magnan of the Vancouver Board of Trade.

"How do you provide frequency of service, which is one of the big issues, park-and-rides which is another issue, densification which is another issue, at a cost that we can afford," said Magnan.

Some car use down

Magnan says increased frequency of transit services during the Games attracted many commuters, but when those increases ended, so did their interest.

But there still are long-term benefits to the Games experience, said TransLink spokesman Doug Kelsey.

"We've just got some recent results in that, in fact, 20 per cent of the public are now using their single-occupancy vehicle less than they were before the Games," said Kelsey.

The survey did find some surprises when it came to identifying which people were likely to change their commuting habits. "Those under 30 [years old] were those who were more likely to go back to their previous form of transportation than those over the age of 30," said Magnan.