Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority
Los Angeles, CA · NTD ID 90154 · 2024 report year
Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority carries 303 million passenger trips a year across six modes — bus, light rail, heavy rail, bus rapid transit, vanpool and demand response — making it the 3rd-busiest transit operator in the United States, and the largest in California. It is based in Los Angeles, CA.
It spends $2.42 billion a year running that service, or $7.99 per trip. Its bus service, the largest of its modes, costs $6.44 per rider — 54% below the $13.86 median for the 1,162 US agencies reporting bus.
Over the 10 years reported, ridership remains 20% below its 2019 level, the last full year before the pandemic, and up 10% 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#2 of 1,162 nationally | 229,710,972 | $1.48 billion | $6.44 | -54% | 7% | 1,583 |
| Light Rail#1 of 22 nationally | 43,287,009 | $628 million | $14.50 | +25% | 3% | 199 |
| Heavy Rail#9 of 16 nationally | 22,841,584 | $246 million | $10.79 | +3% | 5% | 52 |
| Bus Rapid Transit#4 of 20 nationally | 4,412,865 | $27.7 million | $6.27 | -1% | 10% | 24 |
| Vanpool#2 of 113 nationally | 1,596,601 | $11.6 million | $7.24 | +2% | 108% | 798 |
| Demand Response#27 of 1,920 nationally | 762,757 | $24.7 million | $32.40 | -15% | 2% | 66 |
Ridership, 2015–2024
| Year | Annual trips | Operating expense (2024 $) | Cost per rider (2024 $) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 302,611,788 | $2.42 billion | $7.99 |
| 2023 | 276,302,447 | $2.26 billion | $8.18 |
| 2022 | 254,688,124 | $1.93 billion | $7.58 |
| 2021 | 194,719,829 | $1.93 billion | $9.90 |
| 2020 | 305,907,039 | $2.23 billion | $7.30 |
| 2019 | 379,718,121 | $2.35 billion | $6.20 |
| 2018 | 394,361,657 | $2.22 billion | $5.63 |
| 2017 | 407,153,682 | $2.23 billion | $5.48 |
| 2016 | 432,985,182 | $2.06 billion | $4.75 |
| 2015 | 457,355,988 | $1.86 billion | $4.07 |
Where Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority ranks
- Cheapest Heavy Rail Systems by Cost per Rider #9 of 16
- Most Expensive Heavy Rail Systems by Cost per Rider #8 of 16
- Highest-Ridership Heavy Rail Systems #9 of 16
- Best Farebox Recovery Among Heavy Rail Systems #13 of 16
- Cheapest Light Rail Systems by Cost per Rider #16 of 22
- Most Expensive Light Rail Systems by Cost per Rider #7 of 22
- Highest-Ridership Light Rail Systems #1 of 22
- Cheapest Bus Systems by Cost per Rider #16 of 40
- Highest-Ridership Bus Agencies #2 of 40
- Highest-Ridership Bus Rapid Transit Systems #4 of 20
- Most Expensive Demand-Response (Paratransit) Services by Cost per Rider #38 of 40
- Highest-Ridership Demand-Response (Paratransit) Services #27 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 Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation 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.