Dallas Area Rapid Transit
Dallas, TX · NTD ID 60056 · 2024 report year
Dallas Area Rapid Transit carries 54.4 million passenger trips a year across five modes — bus, light rail, demand response, commuter rail and streetcar — making it the 22nd-busiest transit operator in the United States. It is based in Dallas, TX.
It spends $764 million a year running that service, or $14.06 per trip. Its bus service, the largest of its modes, costs $12.91 per rider — 7% below the $13.86 median for the 1,162 US agencies reporting bus.
Over the 10 years reported, ridership remains 22% below its 2019 level, the last full year before the pandemic, and up 12% 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#24 of 1,162 nationally | 29,091,210 | $376 million | $12.91 | -7% | 5% | 453 |
| Light Rail#7 of 22 nationally | 22,102,282 | $267 million | $12.09 | +5% | 6% | 96 |
| Demand Response#7 of 1,920 nationally | 1,727,107 | $70.2 million | $40.66 | +7% | 6% | 470 |
| Commuter Rail#16 of 27 nationally | 1,270,112 | $47.5 million | $37.43 | -16% | 8% | 23 |
| Streetcar#21 of 25 nationally | 167,645 | $3.6 million | $21.22 | +113% | 3% | 2 |
Ridership, 2015–2024
| Year | Annual trips | Operating expense (2024 $) | Cost per rider (2024 $) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 54,358,356 | $764 million | $14.06 |
| 2023 | 48,736,395 | $697 million | $14.30 |
| 2022 | 41,267,922 | $618 million | $14.97 |
| 2021 | 35,434,948 | $646 million | $18.23 |
| 2020 | 49,943,830 | $690 million | $13.82 |
| 2019 | 69,301,548 | $698 million | $10.07 |
| 2018 | 62,438,784 | $658 million | $10.53 |
| 2017 | 65,583,009 | $644 million | $9.82 |
| 2016 | 66,799,954 | $640 million | $9.58 |
| 2015 | 69,844,822 | $614 million | $8.80 |
Where Dallas Area Rapid Transit ranks
- Cheapest Light Rail Systems by Cost per Rider #12 of 22
- Most Expensive Light Rail Systems by Cost per Rider #11 of 22
- Highest-Ridership Light Rail Systems #7 of 22
- Cheapest Commuter Rail Systems by Cost per Rider #12 of 24
- Most Expensive Commuter Rail Systems by Cost per Rider #13 of 24
- Highest-Ridership Commuter Rail Systems #16 of 27
- Best Farebox Recovery Among Commuter Rail Systems #19 of 24
- Most Expensive Bus Systems by Cost per Rider #17 of 40
- Highest-Ridership Bus Agencies #24 of 40
- Highest-Ridership Streetcar Systems #21 of 25
- Most Expensive Demand-Response (Paratransit) Services by Cost per Rider #33 of 40
- Highest-Ridership Demand-Response (Paratransit) Services #7 of 40
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Ask NTD about Dallas Area Rapid Transit →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.