Transit system rankings

20 ranked lists · 2024 report year

The same questions come up over and over: which subway runs cheapest per rider, which bus system carries the most people, which commuter railroad covers most of its cost at the farebox. Each list below answers one of them from 2024 National Transit Database reporting, and links through to a full profile for every agency that has one.

Lists of the cheapest and most expensive systems carry a ridership floor, so a two-vehicle operation cannot top a national ranking on a rounding error. And cost per rider is a starting point, not a verdict: a system covering long distances or running below the demand it was built for will look expensive without anybody having wasted anything.

Bus 4

• Cheapest Bus Systems by Cost per Rider 40 systems · leader: Anaheim Transportation Network — $1.94
• Most Expensive Bus Systems by Cost per Rider 40 systems · leader: Snohomish County Public Transportation Benefit Area Corporation — $20.02
• Highest-Ridership Bus Agencies 40 systems · leader: MTA New York City Transit — 648 million trips
• Best Farebox Recovery Among Large Bus Systems 40 systems · leader: Anaheim Transportation Network — 65%

Commuter Rail 4

• Cheapest Commuter Rail Systems by Cost per Rider 24 systems · leader: Utah Transit Authority — $12.98
• Most Expensive Commuter Rail Systems by Cost per Rider 24 systems · leader: Rio Metro Regional Transit District — $82.35
• Highest-Ridership Commuter Rail Systems 27 systems · leader: MTA Long Island Rail Road — 97.2 million trips
• Best Farebox Recovery Among Commuter Rail Systems 24 systems · leader: Pennsylvania Department of Transportation — 88%

Heavy Rail 4

• Cheapest Heavy Rail Systems by Cost per Rider 16 systems · leader: MTA New York City Transit — $2.95
• Most Expensive Heavy Rail Systems by Cost per Rider 16 systems · leader: City and County of Honolulu — $71.61
• Highest-Ridership Heavy Rail Systems 16 systems · leader: MTA New York City Transit — 2.21 billion trips
• Best Farebox Recovery Among Heavy Rail Systems 16 systems · leader: MTA New York City Transit — 44%

Light Rail 3

• Cheapest Light Rail Systems by Cost per Rider 22 systems · leader: San Diego Metropolitan Transit System — $3.58
• Most Expensive Light Rail Systems by Cost per Rider 22 systems · leader: Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority — $28.88
• Highest-Ridership Light Rail Systems 22 systems · leader: Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority — 43.3 million trips

Demand Response 2

• Most Expensive Demand-Response (Paratransit) Services by Cost per Rider 40 systems · leader: Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority — $161.25
• Highest-Ridership Demand-Response (Paratransit) Services 40 systems · leader: Access Services — 4.2 million trips

Bus Rapid Transit 1

• Highest-Ridership Bus Rapid Transit Systems 20 systems · leader: MTA New York City Transit — 35.0 million trips

Ferryboat 1

• Highest-Ridership Ferry Systems 39 systems · leader: Washington State Ferries — 18.9 million trips

Streetcar 1

• Highest-Ridership Streetcar Systems 25 systems · leader: Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority — 13.5 million trips

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.