Pittsburgh Regional Transit
Pittsburgh, PA · NTD ID 30022 · 2024 report year
Pittsburgh Regional Transit carries 37.9 million passenger trips a year across four modes — bus, light rail, demand response and inclined plane — making it the 29th-busiest transit operator in the United States. It is based in Pittsburgh, PA.
It spends $504 million a year running that service, or $13.32 per trip. Its bus service, the largest of its modes, costs $11.48 per rider — 17% below the $13.86 median for the 1,162 US agencies reporting bus.
Over the 10 years reported, ridership remains 41% below its 2019 level, the last full year before the pandemic, and flat on 2023. Fares cover 13% of operating cost.
Service by mode, 2024
| Mode | Annual trips | Operating expense | Cost per rider | vs national median | Farebox | Vehicles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bus#22 of 1,162 nationally | 33,269,678 | $382 million | $11.48 | -17% | 13% | 504 |
| Light Rail#19 of 22 nationally | 3,397,749 | $82.3 million | $24.24 | +110% | 3% | 47 |
| Demand Response#20 of 1,920 nationally | 945,351 | $38.7 million | $40.88 | +7% | 25% | 213 |
| Inclined Plane#2 of 2 nationally | 263,736 | $1.6 million | $6.19 | +10% | 19% | 2 |
Ridership, 2015–2024
| Year | Annual trips | Operating expense (2024 $) | Cost per rider (2024 $) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 37,876,514 | $504 million | $13.32 |
| 2023 | 37,908,532 | $497 million | $13.12 |
| 2022 | 32,328,532 | $486 million | $15.04 |
| 2021 | 22,468,100 | $515 million | $22.91 |
| 2020 | 51,787,150 | $527 million | $10.17 |
| 2019 | 64,007,925 | $532 million | $8.31 |
| 2018 | 63,463,854 | $517 million | $8.14 |
| 2017 | 63,230,618 | $512 million | $8.10 |
| 2016 | 63,823,513 | $520 million | $8.14 |
| 2015 | 65,202,493 | $499 million | $7.66 |
Where Pittsburgh Regional Transit ranks
- Cheapest Light Rail Systems by Cost per Rider #21 of 22
- Most Expensive Light Rail Systems by Cost per Rider #2 of 22
- Highest-Ridership Light Rail Systems #19 of 22
- Most Expensive Bus Systems by Cost per Rider #24 of 40
- Highest-Ridership Bus Agencies #22 of 40
- Best Farebox Recovery Among Large Bus Systems #23 of 40
- Most Expensive Demand-Response (Paratransit) Services by Cost per Rider #32 of 40
- Highest-Ridership Demand-Response (Paratransit) Services #20 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 Pittsburgh Regional 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.