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Erie Metropolitan Transit Authority

Erie, PA · NTD ID 30013 · 2024 report year

Annual trips1.6 million #235 in the US
Operating expense$22.7 million 2024, as reported
Cost per rider$14.21 all modes combined
Farebox recovery19.1% fares ÷ operating cost

Erie Metropolitan Transit Authority carries 1.6 million passenger trips a year across two modes — bus and demand response — making it the 235th-busiest transit operator in the United States. It is based in Erie, PA.

It spends $22.7 million a year running that service, or $14.21 per trip. Its bus service, the largest of its modes, costs $12.02 per rider — 13% below the $13.86 median for the 1,162 US agencies reporting bus.

Over the 10 years reported, ridership remains 40% below its 2019 level, the last full year before the pandemic, and up 12% on 2023. Fares cover 19% of operating cost.

Service by mode, 2024

ModeAnnual tripsOperating expense Cost per ridervs national median FareboxVehicles
Bus#208 of 1,162 nationally 1,446,210 $17.4 million $12.02 -13% 11% 45
Demand Response#174 of 1,920 nationally 148,432 $5.3 million $35.57 -7% 45% 36

Ridership, 2015–2024

3.5 million 846,727 2024 2015
YearAnnual trips Operating expense (2024 $)Cost per rider (2024 $)
2024 1,594,642 $22.7 million $14.21
2023 1,423,465 $23.0 million $16.15
2022 1,132,538 $21.8 million $19.29
2021 846,727 $20.5 million $24.26
2020 2,023,384 $24.7 million $12.22
2019 2,638,723 $25.9 million $9.83
2018 2,743,473 $25.6 million $9.34
2017 2,914,815 $24.9 million $8.55
2016 3,220,376 $24.9 million $7.72
2015 3,518,613 $24.3 million $6.90

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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.