Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority
Tampa, FL · NTD ID 40041 · 2024 report year
Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority carries 12.9 million passenger trips a year across three modes — bus, streetcar and demand response — making it the 58th-busiest transit operator in the United States. It is based in Tampa, FL.
It spends $109 million a year running that service, or $8.43 per trip. Its bus service, the largest of its modes, costs $8.14 per rider — 41% below the $13.86 median for the 1,162 US agencies reporting bus.
Over the 10 years reported, ridership remains 2% below its 2019 level, the last full year before the pandemic, and up 3% on 2023. Fares cover 9% of operating cost.
Service by mode, 2024
| Mode | Annual trips | Operating expense | Cost per rider | vs national median | Farebox | Vehicles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bus#49 of 1,162 nationally | 11,308,431 | $92.0 million | $8.14 | -41% | 9% | 104 |
| Streetcar#8 of 25 nationally | 1,323,715 | $3.3 million | $2.49 | -75% | — | 5 |
| Demand Response#91 of 1,920 nationally | 267,149 | $13.4 million | $50.20 | +32% | 7% | 100 |
Ridership, 2015–2024
| Year | Annual trips | Operating expense (2024 $) | Cost per rider (2024 $) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 12,899,295 | $109 million | $8.43 |
| 2023 | 12,574,593 | $101 million | $8.00 |
| 2022 | 10,967,535 | $109 million | $9.95 |
| 2021 | 10,448,184 | $109 million | $10.40 |
| 2020 | 9,026,968 | $87.5 million | $9.69 |
| 2019 | 13,107,600 | $102 million | $7.82 |
| 2018 | 12,182,690 | $99.3 million | $8.15 |
| 2017 | 13,335,761 | $102 million | $7.67 |
| 2016 | 14,523,002 | $98.4 million | $6.78 |
| 2015 | 15,449,662 | $95.3 million | $6.17 |
Where Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority ranks
- Cheapest Bus Systems by Cost per Rider #34 of 40
- Best Farebox Recovery Among Large Bus Systems #40 of 40
- Highest-Ridership Streetcar Systems #8 of 25
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Ask NTD about Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority →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.