City and County of Honolulu
Honolulu, HI · NTD ID 90002 · 2024 report year
City and County of Honolulu carries 43.4 million passenger trips a year across three modes — bus, demand response and heavy rail — making it the 25th-busiest transit operator in the United States, and the largest in Hawaii. It is based in Honolulu, HI.
It spends $397 million a year running that service, or $9.16 per trip. Its bus service, the largest of its modes, costs $5.96 per rider — 57% below 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 8% on 2023. Fares cover 12% of operating cost.
Service by mode, 2024
| Mode | Annual trips | Operating expense | Cost per rider | vs national median | Farebox | Vehicles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bus#16 of 1,162 nationally | 41,052,559 | $245 million | $5.96 | -57% | 19% | 384 |
| Demand Response#13 of 1,920 nationally | 1,198,262 | $69.7 million | $58.19 | +53% | 2% | 311 |
| Heavy Rail#16 of 16 nationally | 1,157,841 | $82.9 million | $71.61 | +582% | 2% | 20 |
Ridership, 2015–2024
| Year | Annual trips | Operating expense (2024 $) | Cost per rider (2024 $) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 43,408,662 | $397 million | $9.16 |
| 2023 | 40,117,547 | $306 million | $7.63 |
| 2022 | 35,759,528 | $302 million | $8.43 |
| 2021 | 28,714,575 | $304 million | $10.60 |
| 2020 | 49,880,467 | $337 million | $6.77 |
| 2019 | 64,065,785 | $330 million | $5.15 |
| 2018 | 65,520,762 | $325 million | $4.96 |
| 2017 | 66,559,963 | $317 million | $4.76 |
| 2016 | 69,553,686 | $312 million | $4.48 |
| 2015 | 70,501,835 | $307 million | $4.36 |
Where City and County of Honolulu ranks
- Cheapest Heavy Rail Systems by Cost per Rider #16 of 16
- Most Expensive Heavy Rail Systems by Cost per Rider #1 of 16
- Highest-Ridership Heavy Rail Systems #16 of 16
- Best Farebox Recovery Among Heavy Rail Systems #16 of 16
- Cheapest Bus Systems by Cost per Rider #10 of 40
- Highest-Ridership Bus Agencies #16 of 40
- Best Farebox Recovery Among Large Bus Systems #11 of 40
- Most Expensive Demand-Response (Paratransit) Services by Cost per Rider #23 of 40
- Highest-Ridership Demand-Response (Paratransit) Services #13 of 40
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Ask NTD about City and County of Honolulu →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.