Roaring Fork Transportation Authority
Glenwood Springs, CO · NTD ID 80289 · 2024 report year
Roaring Fork Transportation Authority carries 4.8 million passenger trips a year across four modes — bus, commuter bus, bus rapid transit and demand response — making it the 113th-busiest transit operator in the United States. It is based in Glenwood Springs, CO.
It spends $55.7 million a year running that service, or $11.68 per trip. Its bus service, the largest of its modes, costs $8.63 per rider — 38% below the $13.86 median for the 1,162 US agencies reporting bus.
Over the 10 years reported, ridership remains 9% below its 2019 level, the last full year before the pandemic, and up 4% on 2023. Fares cover 9% of operating cost.
Service by mode, 2024
| Mode | Annual trips | Operating expense | Cost per rider | vs national median | Farebox | Vehicles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bus#172 of 1,162 nationally | 1,986,538 | $17.1 million | $8.63 | -38% | 8% | 37 |
| Commuter Bus#5 of 153 nationally | 1,654,599 | $22.5 million | $13.60 | -53% | 9% | 31 |
| Bus Rapid Transit#11 of 20 nationally | 1,109,421 | $14.7 million | $13.28 | +110% | 12% | 21 |
| Demand Response#1212 of 1,920 nationally | 14,476 | $1.3 million | $90.48 | +138% | — | 8 |
Ridership, 2015–2024
| Year | Annual trips | Operating expense (2024 $) | Cost per rider (2024 $) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 4,765,034 | $55.7 million | $11.68 |
| 2023 | 4,567,155 | $54.0 million | $11.82 |
| 2022 | 4,011,246 | $49.5 million | $12.34 |
| 2021 | 3,019,908 | $48.5 million | $16.06 |
| 2020 | 2,548,332 | $45.4 million | $17.82 |
| 2019 | 5,212,525 | $42.7 million | $8.20 |
| 2018 | 4,969,920 | $40.4 million | $8.13 |
| 2017 | 5,264,091 | $39.8 million | $7.56 |
| 2016 | 4,839,502 | $39.8 million | $8.23 |
| 2015 | 4,600,209 | $38.6 million | $8.40 |
Where Roaring Fork Transportation Authority ranks
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 Roaring Fork 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.