King County
Seattle, WA · NTD ID 00001 · 2024 report year
King County carries 88.6 million passenger trips a year across six modes — bus, trolleybus, streetcar, vanpool, demand response and ferryboat — making it the 11th-busiest transit operator in the United States, and the largest in Washington. It is based in Seattle, WA.
It spends $1.01 billion a year running that service, or $11.39 per trip. Its bus service, the largest of its modes, costs $10.72 per rider — 23% below the $13.86 median for the 1,162 US agencies reporting bus.
Over the 10 years reported, ridership remains 31% below its 2019 level, the last full year before the pandemic, and up 12% on 2023. Fares cover 8% of operating cost.
Service by mode, 2024
| Mode | Annual trips | Operating expense | Cost per rider | vs national median | Farebox | Vehicles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bus#10 of 1,162 nationally | 73,119,292 | $784 million | $10.72 | -23% | 8% | 797 |
| Trolleybus#2 of 4 nationally | 11,025,543 | $87.9 million | $7.97 | +42% | 11% | 107 |
| Streetcar#7 of 25 nationally | 1,492,360 | $14.8 million | $9.95 | 0% | 5% | 10 |
| Vanpool#3 of 113 nationally | 1,397,763 | $10.8 million | $7.73 | +9% | 78% | 991 |
| Demand Response#15 of 1,920 nationally | 1,156,915 | $102 million | $87.96 | +131% | 1% | 445 |
| Ferryboat#22 of 39 nationally | 446,838 | $10.2 million | $22.73 | +17% | 17% | 2 |
Ridership, 2015–2024
| Year | Annual trips | Operating expense (2024 $) | Cost per rider (2024 $) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 88,638,711 | $1.01 billion | $11.39 |
| 2023 | 78,886,848 | $956 million | $12.12 |
| 2022 | 66,445,408 | $908 million | $13.66 |
| 2021 | 52,698,393 | $887 million | $16.83 |
| 2020 | 60,165,932 | $972 million | $16.16 |
| 2019 | 128,666,612 | $979 million | $7.61 |
| 2018 | 129,054,197 | $911 million | $7.06 |
| 2017 | 127,954,193 | $879 million | $6.87 |
| 2016 | 127,384,761 | $818 million | $6.42 |
| 2015 | 126,268,526 | $782 million | $6.20 |
Where King County ranks
- Most Expensive Bus Systems by Cost per Rider #30 of 40
- Highest-Ridership Bus Agencies #10 of 40
- Highest-Ridership Streetcar Systems #7 of 25
- Highest-Ridership Ferry Systems #22 of 39
- Most Expensive Demand-Response (Paratransit) Services by Cost per Rider #8 of 40
- Highest-Ridership Demand-Response (Paratransit) Services #15 of 40
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These are the headline figures. Ask NTD answers the rest in plain English — by mode, by year, against any other agency.
Ask NTD about King County →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.