City of Charlotte North Carolina
Charlotte, NC · NTD ID 40008 · 2024 report year
City of Charlotte North Carolina carries 14.9 million passenger trips a year across six modes — bus, light rail, streetcar, commuter bus, demand response and vanpool — making it the 53rd-busiest transit operator in the United States, and the largest in North Carolina. It is based in Charlotte, NC.
It spends $224 million a year running that service, or $15.03 per trip. Its bus service, the largest of its modes, costs $15.66 per rider — 13% above the $13.86 median for the 1,162 US agencies reporting bus.
Over the 10 years reported, ridership remains 39% below its 2019 level, the last full year before the pandemic, and up 6% on 2023. Fares cover 6% of operating cost.
Service by mode, 2024
| Mode | Annual trips | Operating expense | Cost per rider | vs national median | Farebox | Vehicles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bus#69 of 1,162 nationally | 8,083,605 | $127 million | $15.66 | +13% | 7% | 141 |
| Light Rail#16 of 22 nationally | 5,804,651 | $58.6 million | $10.09 | -13% | 8% | 20 |
| Streetcar#14 of 25 nationally | 561,817 | $5.0 million | $8.92 | -10% | — | 5 |
| Commuter Bus#32 of 153 nationally | 224,477 | $11.0 million | $48.83 | +70% | 8% | 34 |
| Demand Response#135 of 1,920 nationally | 185,196 | $20.7 million | $111.63 | +193% | 2% | 59 |
| Vanpool#69 of 113 nationally | 43,305 | $2.2 million | $51.47 | +627% | 9% | 28 |
Ridership, 2015–2024
| Year | Annual trips | Operating expense (2024 $) | Cost per rider (2024 $) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 14,903,051 | $224 million | $15.03 |
| 2023 | 14,027,141 | $209 million | $14.89 |
| 2022 | 12,640,017 | $188 million | $14.90 |
| 2021 | 8,723,635 | $187 million | $21.39 |
| 2020 | 20,061,386 | $197 million | $9.81 |
| 2019 | 24,278,653 | $192 million | $7.93 |
| 2018 | 22,516,607 | $182 million | $8.06 |
| 2017 | 24,985,270 | $158 million | $6.31 |
| 2016 | 26,248,940 | $156 million | $5.94 |
| 2015 | 27,165,943 | $150 million | $5.51 |
Where City of Charlotte North Carolina ranks
- Cheapest Light Rail Systems by Cost per Rider #9 of 22
- Most Expensive Light Rail Systems by Cost per Rider #14 of 22
- Highest-Ridership Light Rail Systems #16 of 22
- Most Expensive Bus Systems by Cost per Rider #7 of 40
- Highest-Ridership Streetcar Systems #14 of 25
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 City of Charlotte North Carolina →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.