Orange County Transportation Authority
Orange, CA · NTD ID 90036 · 2024 report year
Orange County Transportation Authority carries 36.5 million passenger trips a year across three modes — bus, demand response and vanpool — making it the 30th-busiest transit operator in the United States. It is based in Orange, CA.
It spends $337 million a year running that service, or $9.25 per trip. Its bus service, the largest of its modes, costs $7.22 per rider — 48% below the $13.86 median for the 1,162 US agencies reporting bus.
Over the 10 years reported, ridership remains 10% below its 2019 level, the last full year before the pandemic, and up 12% on 2023. Fares cover 11% of operating cost.
Service by mode, 2024
| Mode | Annual trips | Operating expense | Cost per rider | vs national median | Farebox | Vehicles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bus#19 of 1,162 nationally | 34,960,054 | $252 million | $7.22 | -48% | 11% | 374 |
| Demand Response#14 of 1,920 nationally | 1,192,236 | $82.5 million | $69.23 | +82% | 8% | 360 |
| Vanpool#24 of 113 nationally | 314,313 | $2.3 million | $7.47 | +6% | 105% | 153 |
Ridership, 2015–2024
| Year | Annual trips | Operating expense (2024 $) | Cost per rider (2024 $) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 36,466,603 | $337 million | $9.25 |
| 2023 | 32,674,688 | $332 million | $10.15 |
| 2022 | 27,753,507 | $316 million | $11.40 |
| 2021 | 20,607,369 | $295 million | $14.34 |
| 2020 | 33,009,047 | $325 million | $9.86 |
| 2019 | 40,743,654 | $355 million | $8.70 |
| 2018 | 42,201,857 | $340 million | $8.05 |
| 2017 | 42,863,498 | $348 million | $8.13 |
| 2016 | 46,356,803 | $377 million | $8.14 |
| 2015 | 50,023,219 | $362 million | $7.24 |
Where Orange County Transportation Authority ranks
- Cheapest Bus Systems by Cost per Rider #30 of 40
- Highest-Ridership Bus Agencies #19 of 40
- Best Farebox Recovery Among Large Bus Systems #33 of 40
- Most Expensive Demand-Response (Paratransit) Services by Cost per Rider #12 of 40
- Highest-Ridership Demand-Response (Paratransit) Services #14 of 40
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Ask NTD about Orange County Transportation Authority →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.