Metropolitan Council
Saint Paul, MN · NTD ID 50154 · 2024 report year
Metropolitan Council carries 4.4 million passenger trips a year across three modes — demand response, bus and vanpool — making it the 123rd-busiest transit operator in the United States. It is based in Saint Paul, MN.
It spends $146 million a year running that service, or $33.48 per trip. Its demand response service, the largest of its modes, costs $54.03 per rider — 42% above the $38.06 median for the 1,920 US agencies reporting demand response.
Over the 10 years reported, ridership remains 17% below its 2019 level, the last full year before the pandemic, and up 13% on 2023. Fares cover 5% of operating cost.
Service by mode, 2024
| Mode | Annual trips | Operating expense | Cost per rider | vs national median | Farebox | Vehicles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Demand Response#5 of 1,920 nationally | 2,220,041 | $120 million | $54.03 | +42% | 5% | 571 |
| Bus#165 of 1,162 nationally | 2,066,150 | $25.3 million | $12.27 | -11% | 2% | 66 |
| Vanpool#48 of 113 nationally | 77,806 | $787,676 | $10.12 | +43% | 76% | 53 |
Ridership, 2015–2024
| Year | Annual trips | Operating expense (2024 $) | Cost per rider (2024 $) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 4,363,997 | $146 million | $33.48 |
| 2023 | 3,873,061 | $135 million | $34.98 |
| 2022 | 3,377,942 | $122 million | $36.19 |
| 2021 | 3,074,531 | $125 million | $40.61 |
| 2020 | 2,644,787 | $128 million | $48.26 |
| 2019 | 5,244,395 | $128 million | $24.32 |
| 2018 | 2,763,230 | $30.0 million | $10.84 |
| 2017 | 2,950,005 | $29.2 million | $9.91 |
| 2016 | 3,097,691 | $30.7 million | $9.92 |
| 2015 | 2,995,161 | $28.0 million | $9.36 |
Where Metropolitan Council ranks
- Most Expensive Demand-Response (Paratransit) Services by Cost per Rider #24 of 40
- Highest-Ridership Demand-Response (Paratransit) Services #5 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 Metropolitan Council →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.