Metro Transit
Minneapolis, MN · NTD ID 50027 · 2024 report year
Metro Transit carries 47.6 million passenger trips a year across three modes — bus, light rail and commuter rail — making it the 24th-busiest transit operator in the United States, and the largest in Minnesota. It is based in Minneapolis, MN.
It spends $516 million a year running that service, or $10.85 per trip. Its bus service, the largest of its modes, costs $12.54 per rider — 10% below the $13.86 median for the 1,162 US agencies reporting bus.
Over the 10 years reported, ridership remains 39% below its 2019 level, the last full year before the pandemic, and up 6% 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#23 of 1,162 nationally | 31,941,893 | $400 million | $12.54 | -10% | 8% | 501 |
| Light Rail#9 of 22 nationally | 15,489,194 | $100 million | $6.46 | -44% | 13% | 66 |
| Commuter Rail#26 of 27 nationally | 127,368 | $15.5 million | $121.32 | +173% | 3% | 20 |
Ridership, 2015–2024
| Year | Annual trips | Operating expense (2024 $) | Cost per rider (2024 $) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 47,558,455 | $516 million | $10.85 |
| 2023 | 44,977,111 | $463 million | $10.30 |
| 2022 | 38,794,641 | $442 million | $11.39 |
| 2021 | 32,861,129 | $475 million | $14.46 |
| 2020 | 35,904,964 | $501 million | $13.94 |
| 2019 | 77,927,237 | $523 million | $6.71 |
| 2018 | 80,653,405 | $503 million | $6.23 |
| 2017 | 81,927,425 | $482 million | $5.89 |
| 2016 | 82,624,619 | $499 million | $6.03 |
| 2015 | 85,832,184 | $499 million | $5.81 |
Where Metro Transit ranks
- Cheapest Light Rail Systems by Cost per Rider #2 of 22
- Most Expensive Light Rail Systems by Cost per Rider #21 of 22
- Highest-Ridership Light Rail Systems #9 of 22
- Highest-Ridership Commuter Rail Systems #26 of 27
- Most Expensive Bus Systems by Cost per Rider #20 of 40
- Highest-Ridership Bus Agencies #23 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 Metro 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.