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Regional Transportation Commission of Washoe County

Reno, NV · NTD ID 90001 · 2024 report year

Annual trips6.2 million #99 in the US
Operating expense$49.6 million 2024, as reported
Cost per rider$8.01 all modes combined
Farebox recovery16.7% fares ÷ operating cost

Regional Transportation Commission of Washoe County carries 6.2 million passenger trips a year across four modes — bus, vanpool, demand response and commuter bus — making it the 99th-busiest transit operator in the United States. It is based in Reno, NV.

It spends $49.6 million a year running that service, or $8.01 per trip. Its bus service, the largest of its modes, costs $6.62 per rider — 52% below the $13.86 median for the 1,162 US agencies reporting bus.

Over the 10 years reported, ridership remains 21% below its 2019 level, the last full year before the pandemic, and up 8% on 2023. Fares cover 17% of operating cost.

Service by mode, 2024

ModeAnnual tripsOperating expense Cost per ridervs national median FareboxVehicles
Bus#87 of 1,162 nationally 5,290,863 $35.0 million $6.62 -52% 10% 53
Vanpool#8 of 113 nationally 656,232 $3.7 million $5.63 -20% 127% 334
Demand Response#108 of 1,920 nationally 229,271 $10.5 million $45.62 +20% 2% 59
Commuter Bus#102 of 153 nationally 20,169 $494,362 $24.51 -15% 9% 3

Ridership, 2015–2024

8.6 million 4.4 million 2024 2015
YearAnnual trips Operating expense (2024 $)Cost per rider (2024 $)
2024 6,196,535 $49.6 million $8.01
2023 5,753,148 $49.4 million $8.59
2022 4,389,202 $39.2 million $8.93
2021 5,813,350 $49.1 million $8.44
2020 7,510,475 $51.5 million $6.86
2019 7,863,626 $47.1 million $5.98
2018 8,016,900 $43.9 million $5.48
2017 7,950,302 $43.8 million $5.51
2016 8,176,302 $42.0 million $5.13
2015 8,559,590 $42.0 million $4.91

Where Regional Transportation Commission of Washoe County ranks

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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.