Chatham Area Transit Authority
Savannah, GA · NTD ID 40025 · 2024 report year
Chatham Area Transit Authority carries 2.6 million passenger trips a year across three modes — bus, ferryboat and demand response — making it the 174th-busiest transit operator in the United States. It is based in Savannah, GA.
It spends $25.4 million a year running that service, or $9.68 per trip. Its bus service, the largest of its modes, costs $10.51 per rider — 24% below the $13.86 median for the 1,162 US agencies reporting bus.
Over the 10 years reported, ridership remains 36% below its 2019 level, the last full year before the pandemic, and up 15% on 2023. Fares cover 19% of operating cost.
Service by mode, 2024
| Mode | Annual trips | Operating expense | Cost per rider | vs national median | Farebox | Vehicles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bus#175 of 1,162 nationally | 1,936,800 | $20.3 million | $10.51 | -24% | 18% | 31 |
| Ferryboat#19 of 39 nationally | 613,230 | $1.3 million | $2.05 | -89% | 81% | 2 |
| Demand Response#402 of 1,920 nationally | 71,148 | $3.8 million | $52.89 | +39% | 3% | 21 |
Ridership, 2015–2024
| Year | Annual trips | Operating expense (2024 $) | Cost per rider (2024 $) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 2,621,178 | $25.4 million | $9.68 |
| 2023 | 2,286,113 | $24.2 million | $10.57 |
| 2022 | 2,456,795 | $26.0 million | $10.57 |
| 2021 | 1,775,688 | $28.0 million | $15.76 |
| 2020 | 2,961,707 | $29.6 million | $9.99 |
| 2019 | 4,069,157 | $29.5 million | $7.26 |
| 2018 | 3,909,196 | $27.8 million | $7.10 |
| 2017 | 3,941,330 | $28.0 million | $7.11 |
| 2016 | 4,376,262 | $26.6 million | $6.08 |
| 2015 | 4,451,727 | $27.4 million | $6.15 |
Where Chatham Area Transit Authority ranks
- Highest-Ridership Ferry Systems #19 of 39
Ask a different question
These are the headline figures. Ask NTD answers the rest in plain English — by mode, by year, against any other agency.
Ask NTD about Chatham Area Transit Authority →Source & method. Figures are from the Federal Transit Administration's National Transit Database (NTD) annual reporting for 2024, the most recent published report year. Cost per rider is operating expense divided by unlinked passenger trips. Farebox recovery is fare revenue divided by operating expense. Ten-year trends are adjusted for inflation to 2024 dollars; single-year figures are as reported. Agencies self-report to the NTD, and reporting practice varies, so figures are best read as comparable in magnitude rather than to the cent.