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City of Brownsville

Brownsville, TX · NTD ID 60014 · 2024 report year

Annual trips1.3 million #271 in the US
Operating expense$8.3 million 2024, as reported
Cost per rider$6.37 all modes combined
Farebox recovery12.5% fares ÷ operating cost

City of Brownsville carries 1.3 million passenger trips a year across two modes — bus and demand response — making it the 271st-busiest transit operator in the United States. It is based in Brownsville, TX.

It spends $8.3 million a year running that service, or $6.37 per trip. Its bus service, the largest of its modes, costs $5.37 per rider — 61% below the $13.86 median for the 1,162 US agencies reporting bus.

Over the 10 years reported, ridership remains 16% below its 2019 level, the last full year before the pandemic, and up 14% on 2023. Fares cover 13% of operating cost.

Service by mode, 2024

ModeAnnual tripsOperating expense Cost per ridervs national median FareboxVehicles
Bus#229 of 1,162 nationally 1,275,051 $6.8 million $5.37 -61% 15% 18
Demand Response#893 of 1,920 nationally 26,719 $1.4 million $54.14 +42% 3% 8

Ridership, 2015–2024

1.6 million 622,780 2024 2015
YearAnnual trips Operating expense (2024 $)Cost per rider (2024 $)
2024 1,301,770 $8.3 million $6.37
2023 1,146,741 $9.4 million $8.23
2022 1,001,999 $8.5 million $8.48
2021 622,780 $7.5 million $12.07
2020 1,002,291 $7.8 million $7.80
2019 1,553,994 $8.7 million $5.61
2018 1,582,769 $9.9 million $6.24
2017 1,603,404 $9.6 million $5.99
2016 1,499,686 $9.5 million $6.30
2015 1,547,187 $10.4 million $6.73

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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.