MTA Bus Company
New York, NY · NTD ID 20188 · 2024 report year
MTA Bus Company carries 127 million passenger trips a year on bus service — making it the 9th-busiest transit operator in the United States. It is based in New York, NY.
It spends $974 million a year running that service, or $7.69 per trip. Its bus service, the largest of its modes, costs $7.69 per rider — 45% below the $13.86 median for the 1,162 US agencies reporting bus.
Over the 10 years reported, ridership remains 6% below its 2019 level, the last full year before the pandemic, and up 6% on 2023. Fares cover 19% of operating cost.
Service by mode, 2024
| Mode | Annual trips | Operating expense | Cost per rider | vs national median | Farebox | Vehicles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bus#5 of 1,162 nationally | 126,616,665 | $974 million | $7.69 | -45% | 19% | 1,136 |
Ridership, 2015–2024
| Year | Annual trips | Operating expense (2024 $) | Cost per rider (2024 $) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 126,616,665 | $974 million | $7.69 |
| 2023 | 119,571,794 | $939 million | $7.85 |
| 2022 | 100,411,771 | $849 million | $8.46 |
| 2021 | 82,347,804 | $882 million | $10.72 |
| 2020 | 72,562,171 | $863 million | $11.89 |
| 2019 | 135,080,070 | $1.05 billion | $7.76 |
| 2018 | 137,618,503 | $920 million | $6.69 |
| 2017 | 122,214,328 | $1.04 billion | $8.51 |
| 2016 | 125,617,038 | $900 million | $7.16 |
| 2015 | 125,399,521 | $850 million | $6.78 |
Where MTA Bus Company ranks
- Cheapest Bus Systems by Cost per Rider #33 of 40
- Highest-Ridership Bus Agencies #5 of 40
- Best Farebox Recovery Among Large Bus Systems #10 of 40
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Ask NTD about MTA Bus Company →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.