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City of Pasadena

Pasadena, CA · NTD ID 99424 · 2024 report year

Annual trips1.3 million #274 in the US
Operating expense$10.6 million 2024, as reported
Cost per rider$8.42 all modes combined
Farebox recovery5.0% fares ÷ operating cost

City of Pasadena carries 1.3 million passenger trips a year across two modes — bus and demand response — making it the 274th-busiest transit operator in the United States. It is based in Pasadena, CA.

It spends $10.6 million a year running that service, or $8.42 per trip. Its bus service, the largest of its modes, costs $6.78 per rider — 51% below the $13.86 median for the 1,162 US agencies reporting bus.

Over the 9 years reported, ridership remains 20% below its 2019 level, the last full year before the pandemic, and up 10% on 2023. Fares cover 5% of operating cost.

Service by mode, 2024

ModeAnnual tripsOperating expense Cost per ridervs national median FareboxVehicles
Bus#237 of 1,162 nationally 1,181,435 $8.0 million $6.78 -51% 6% 21
Demand Response#347 of 1,920 nationally 80,886 $2.6 million $32.51 -15% 1% 12

Ridership, 2016–2024

1.7 million 911,824 2024 2016
YearAnnual trips Operating expense (2024 $)Cost per rider (2024 $)
2024 1,262,321 $10.6 million $8.42
2023 1,149,981 $10.3 million $8.93
2022 1,090,642 $9.1 million $8.38
2021 911,824 $9.3 million $10.17
2020 1,374,273 $9.5 million $6.88
2019 1,580,241 $9.4 million $5.94
2018 1,623,249 $8.4 million $5.15
2017 1,694,307 $8.2 million $4.86
2016 1,675,734 $8.0 million $4.75

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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.