Chattanooga Area Regional Transportation Authority
Chattanooga, TN · NTD ID 40001 · 2024 report year
Chattanooga Area Regional Transportation Authority carries 1.8 million passenger trips a year across three modes — bus, inclined plane and demand response — making it the 220th-busiest transit operator in the United States. It is based in Chattanooga, TN.
It spends $24.4 million a year running that service, or $13.48 per trip. Its bus service, the largest of its modes, costs $14.19 per rider — 2% above the $13.86 median for the 1,162 US agencies reporting bus.
Over the 10 years reported, ridership remains 32% below its 2019 level, the last full year before the pandemic, and up 4% on 2023. Fares cover 20% of operating cost.
Service by mode, 2024
| Mode | Annual trips | Operating expense | Cost per rider | vs national median | Farebox | Vehicles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bus#230 of 1,162 nationally | 1,252,571 | $17.8 million | $14.19 | +2% | 9% | 54 |
| Inclined Plane#1 of 2 nationally | 503,648 | $2.6 million | $5.11 | -10% | 129% | 2 |
| Demand Response#540 of 1,920 nationally | 52,454 | $4.0 million | $76.85 | +102% | 3% | 20 |
Ridership, 2015–2024
| Year | Annual trips | Operating expense (2024 $) | Cost per rider (2024 $) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 1,808,673 | $24.4 million | $13.48 |
| 2023 | 1,736,039 | $24.8 million | $14.30 |
| 2022 | 1,659,923 | $23.3 million | $14.04 |
| 2021 | 1,569,897 | $23.9 million | $15.21 |
| 2020 | 2,096,313 | $25.6 million | $12.22 |
| 2019 | 2,643,299 | $26.1 million | $9.88 |
| 2018 | 2,794,851 | $25.0 million | $8.93 |
| 2017 | 2,928,319 | $24.7 million | $8.42 |
| 2016 | 3,081,588 | $24.6 million | $7.97 |
| 2015 | 3,068,821 | $23.4 million | $7.62 |
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 Chattanooga Area Regional Transportation 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.