MTA New York City Transit
Brooklyn, NY · NTD ID 20008 · 2024 report year
MTA New York City Transit carries 2.90 billion passenger trips a year across five modes — heavy rail, bus, bus rapid transit, commuter bus and demand response — making it the busiest transit operator in the United States, and the largest in New York. It is based in Brooklyn, NY.
It spends $11 billion a year running that service, or $3.68 per trip. Its heavy rail service, the largest of its modes, costs $2.95 per rider — 72% below the $10.50 median for the 16 US agencies reporting heavy rail.
Over the 10 years reported, ridership remains 16% below its 2019 level, the last full year before the pandemic, and up 10% on 2023. Fares cover 33% of operating cost.
Service by mode, 2024
| Mode | Annual trips | Operating expense | Cost per rider | vs national median | Farebox | Vehicles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heavy Rail#1 of 16 nationally | 2,207,269,846 | $6.50 billion | $2.95 | -72% | 44% | 5,415 |
| Bus#1 of 1,162 nationally | 647,859,171 | $3.47 billion | $5.36 | -61% | 16% | 3,264 |
| Bus Rapid Transit#1 of 20 nationally | 35,007,720 | $126 million | $3.61 | -43% | 16% | 128 |
| Commuter Bus#1 of 153 nationally | 9,053,935 | $315 million | $34.83 | +21% | 16% | 445 |
| Demand Response#4 of 1,920 nationally | 2,828,231 | $272 million | $96.01 | +152% | 2% | 881 |
Ridership, 2015–2024
| Year | Annual trips | Operating expense (2024 $) | Cost per rider (2024 $) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 2,902,018,903 | $11 billion | $3.68 |
| 2023 | 2,632,003,044 | $10 billion | $3.96 |
| 2022 | 2,274,142,359 | $9.73 billion | $4.28 |
| 2021 | 1,727,404,269 | $9.86 billion | $5.71 |
| 2020 | 1,540,475,111 | $10 billion | $6.50 |
| 2019 | 3,451,139,593 | $11 billion | $3.11 |
| 2018 | 3,368,102,551 | $11 billion | $3.12 |
| 2017 | 3,440,643,380 | $10 billion | $3.01 |
| 2016 | 3,464,743,546 | $12 billion | $3.45 |
| 2015 | 3,445,544,725 | $11 billion | $3.31 |
Where MTA New York City Transit ranks
- Cheapest Heavy Rail Systems by Cost per Rider #1 of 16
- Most Expensive Heavy Rail Systems by Cost per Rider #16 of 16
- Highest-Ridership Heavy Rail Systems #1 of 16
- Best Farebox Recovery Among Heavy Rail Systems #1 of 16
- Cheapest Bus Systems by Cost per Rider #8 of 40
- Highest-Ridership Bus Agencies #1 of 40
- Best Farebox Recovery Among Large Bus Systems #16 of 40
- Highest-Ridership Bus Rapid Transit Systems #1 of 20
- Most Expensive Demand-Response (Paratransit) Services by Cost per Rider #6 of 40
- Highest-Ridership Demand-Response (Paratransit) Services #4 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 MTA New York City 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.