New Jersey Transit Corporation
Newark, NJ · NTD ID 20080 · 2024 report year
New Jersey Transit Corporation carries 222 million passenger trips a year across six modes — bus, commuter rail, light rail, hybrid rail, demand response and vanpool — making it the 6th-busiest transit operator in the United States, and the largest in New Jersey. It is based in Newark, NJ.
It spends $2.95 billion a year running that service, or $13.25 per trip. Its bus service, the largest of its modes, costs $8.91 per rider — 36% below the $13.86 median for the 1,162 US agencies reporting bus.
Over the 10 years reported, ridership remains 17% below its 2019 level, the last full year before the pandemic, and up 12% on 2023. Fares cover 26% of operating cost.
Service by mode, 2024
| Mode | Annual trips | Operating expense | Cost per rider | vs national median | Farebox | Vehicles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bus#4 of 1,162 nationally | 138,844,764 | $1.24 billion | $8.91 | -36% | 27% | 2,010 |
| Commuter Rail#3 of 27 nationally | 60,447,079 | $1.38 billion | $22.80 | -49% | 30% | 854 |
| Light Rail#8 of 22 nationally | 19,738,044 | $134 million | $6.78 | -41% | 9% | 57 |
| Hybrid Rail#1 of 6 nationally | 1,858,550 | $36.4 million | $19.57 | -52% | 2% | 16 |
| Demand Response#12 of 1,920 nationally | 1,390,414 | $159 million | $114.01 | +200% | 2% | 436 |
| Vanpool#31 of 113 nationally | 196,458 | $4.3 million | $21.93 | +210% | 22% | 58 |
Ridership, 2015–2024
| Year | Annual trips | Operating expense (2024 $) | Cost per rider (2024 $) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 222,475,309 | $2.95 billion | $13.25 |
| 2023 | 198,590,133 | $2.86 billion | $14.39 |
| 2022 | 160,287,325 | $2.83 billion | $17.63 |
| 2021 | 109,762,035 | $2.80 billion | $25.49 |
| 2020 | 205,926,687 | $2.82 billion | $13.69 |
| 2019 | 267,270,251 | $2.78 billion | $10.40 |
| 2018 | 264,671,519 | $2.71 billion | $10.24 |
| 2017 | 269,089,006 | $2.67 billion | $9.94 |
| 2016 | 277,012,293 | $2.90 billion | $10.46 |
| 2015 | 276,498,375 | $2.70 billion | $9.78 |
Where New Jersey Transit Corporation ranks
- Cheapest Light Rail Systems by Cost per Rider #3 of 22
- Most Expensive Light Rail Systems by Cost per Rider #20 of 22
- Highest-Ridership Light Rail Systems #8 of 22
- Cheapest Commuter Rail Systems by Cost per Rider #6 of 24
- Most Expensive Commuter Rail Systems by Cost per Rider #19 of 24
- Highest-Ridership Commuter Rail Systems #3 of 27
- Best Farebox Recovery Among Commuter Rail Systems #4 of 24
- Highest-Ridership Bus Agencies #4 of 40
- Best Farebox Recovery Among Large Bus Systems #3 of 40
- Most Expensive Demand-Response (Paratransit) Services by Cost per Rider #3 of 40
- Highest-Ridership Demand-Response (Paratransit) Services #12 of 40
Ask a different question
These are the headline figures. Ask NTD answers the rest in plain English — by mode, by year, against any other agency.
Ask NTD about New Jersey Transit Corporation →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.