City of Seattle
Seattle, WA · NTD ID 00023 · 2024 report year
City of Seattle carries 2.2 million passenger trips a year on monorail/automated guideway service — making it the 200th-busiest transit operator in the United States. It is based in Seattle, WA.
It spends $6.0 million a year running that service, or $2.80 per trip. Its monorail/automated guideway service, the largest of its modes, costs $2.80 per rider — 77% below the $12.17 median for the 6 US agencies reporting monorail/automated guideway.
Over the 10 years reported, ridership is 11% above its 2019 level, the last full year before the pandemic, and up 1% on 2023. Fares cover 104% of operating cost.
Service by mode, 2024
| Mode | Annual trips | Operating expense | Cost per rider | vs national median | Farebox | Vehicles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monorail/Automated Guideway#2 of 6 nationally | 2,160,883 | $6.0 million | $2.80 | -77% | 104% | 8 |
Ridership, 2015–2024
| Year | Annual trips | Operating expense (2024 $) | Cost per rider (2024 $) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 2,160,883 | $6.0 million | $2.80 |
| 2023 | 2,134,977 | $6.5 million | $3.05 |
| 2022 | 1,633,951 | $5.2 million | $3.21 |
| 2021 | 666,872 | $3.3 million | $4.95 |
| 2020 | 298,349 | $2.7 million | $9.20 |
| 2019 | 1,939,224 | $5.2 million | $2.66 |
| 2018 | 2,021,780 | $5.4 million | $2.66 |
| 2017 | 2,129,479 | $5.3 million | $2.48 |
| 2016 | 2,243,329 | $5.7 million | $2.52 |
| 2015 | 2,292,953 | $5.9 million | $2.56 |
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Ask NTD about City of Seattle →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.