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Town of Mountain Village

Telluride, CO · NTD ID 80256 · 2024 report year

Annual trips3.2 million #152 in the US
Operating expense$5.7 million 2024, as reported
Cost per rider$1.78 all modes combined
Farebox recovery— fares ÷ operating cost

Town of Mountain Village carries 3.2 million passenger trips a year across two modes — aerial tramway and bus — making it the 152nd-busiest transit operator in the United States. It is based in Telluride, CO.

It spends $5.7 million a year running that service, or $1.78 per trip. Its aerial tramway service, the largest of its modes, costs $1.68 per rider — 33% below the $2.52 median for the 2 US agencies reporting aerial tramway.

Over the 10 years reported, ridership remains 1% below its 2019 level, the last full year before the pandemic, and flat on 2023.

Service by mode, 2024

ModeAnnual tripsOperating expense Cost per ridervs national median FareboxVehicles
Aerial Tramway#1 of 2 nationally 3,126,851 $5.3 million $1.68 -33% — 71
Bus#772 of 1,162 nationally 52,555 $402,249 $7.65 -45% — 4

Ridership, 2015–2024

3.2 million 2.4 million 2024 2015
YearAnnual trips Operating expense (2024 $)Cost per rider (2024 $)
2024 3,179,406 $5.7 million $1.78
2023 3,173,000 $5.2 million $1.65
2022 3,115,446 $5.1 million $1.63
2021 2,836,760 $4.8 million $1.69
2020 2,425,119 $4.9 million $2.01
2019 3,201,985 $4.6 million $1.44
2018 3,094,448 $4.7 million $1.52
2017 2,884,076 $4.5 million $1.55
2016 2,840,661 $4.5 million $1.60
2015 2,532,599 $5.4 million $2.13

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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.