Best Farebox Recovery Among Large Bus Systems
Large US bus operators ranked by the share of operating cost covered by fares. · 2024 report year
This table ranks 40 US bus operators by farebox recovery for 2024, limited to systems carrying at least 5.0 million trips a year so that a very small operator cannot top the list on a handful of rides. 1,162 agencies reported bus service in total, carrying 3.66 billion trips between them.
Anaheim Transportation Network leads at 65%.
| # | Agency | Location | Farebox recovery | Annual trips | Operating expense | Farebox |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Anaheim Transportation Network | Anaheim, CA | 64.9% | 8,578,126 | $16.7 million | 65% |
| 2 | City of Gainesville, FL | Gainesville, FL | 59.8% | 5,481,555 | $26.8 million | 60% |
| 3 | New Jersey Transit Corporation | Newark, NJ | 27.0% | 138,844,764 | $1.24 billion | 27% |
| 4 | Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada | Las Vegas, NV | 23.5% | 52,203,687 | $242 million | 24% |
| 5 | County of Nassau | Mineola, NY | 22.7% | 21,787,293 | $147 million | 23% |
| 6 | Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority | Buffalo, NY | 21.4% | 12,866,609 | $110 million | 21% |
| 7 | Capital District Transportation Authority | Albany, NY | 19.7% | 15,918,164 | $100 million | 20% |
| 8 | Regional Transit Service | Rochester, NY | 19.6% | 9,763,311 | $85.0 million | 20% |
| 9 | Interurban Transit Partnership | Grand Rapids, MI | 19.4% | 5,765,508 | $37.4 million | 19% |
| 10 | MTA Bus Company | New York, NY | 18.9% | 126,616,665 | $974 million | 19% |
| 11 | City and County of Honolulu | Honolulu, HI | 18.6% | 41,052,559 | $245 million | 19% |
| 12 | San Diego Metropolitan Transit System | San Diego, CA | 18.5% | 35,613,514 | $220 million | 19% |
| 13 | Capital Area Transportation Authority | Lansing, MI | 17.8% | 8,474,506 | $38.0 million | 18% |
| 14 | Chicago Transit Authority | Chicago, IL | 17.6% | 181,733,617 | $1.08 billion | 18% |
| 15 | Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority | Philadelphia, PA | 16.3% | 105,093,533 | $756 million | 16% |
| 16 | MTA New York City Transit | Brooklyn, NY | 16.1% | 647,859,171 | $3.47 billion | 16% |
| 17 | Champaign-Urbana Mass Transit District | Urbana, IL | 16.1% | 9,388,395 | $42.8 million | 16% |
| 18 | Central New York Regional Transportation Authority | Syracuse, NY | 16.1% | 7,095,548 | $67.2 million | 16% |
| 19 | Milwaukee County | Milwaukee, WI | 15.3% | 25,300,648 | $148 million | 15% |
| 20 | Rhode Island Public Transit Authority | Providence, RI | 14.9% | 12,691,566 | $113 million | 15% |
| 21 | Westchester County | White Plains, NY | 14.8% | 24,343,996 | $170 million | 15% |
| 22 | Broward County Board of County Commissioners | Fort Lauderdale, FL | 14.4% | 24,206,791 | $176 million | 14% |
| 23 | Pittsburgh Regional Transit | Pittsburgh, PA | 13.5% | 33,269,678 | $382 million | 13% |
| 24 | City of Madison | Madison, WI | 13.4% | 8,649,646 | $60.1 million | 13% |
| 25 | Board of County Commissioners, Palm Beach County | West Palm Beach, FL | 12.5% | 8,587,166 | $78.5 million | 13% |
| 26 | The Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority | Cleveland, OH | 12.1% | 18,187,961 | $193 million | 12% |
| 27 | Central Florida Regional Transportation Authority | Orlando, FL | 12.0% | 18,217,346 | $156 million | 12% |
| 28 | County of Miami-Dade | Miami, FL | 11.9% | 64,081,459 | $434 million | 12% |
| 29 | Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority | Cincinnati, OH | 11.8% | 13,315,628 | $147 million | 12% |
| 30 | City of Tucson | Tucson, AZ | 11.5% | 15,792,573 | $73.7 million | 12% |
| 31 | Connecticut Department of Transportation - CTTRANSIT - Hartford Division | Hartford, CT | 11.3% | 11,433,409 | $99.6 million | 11% |
| 32 | Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority | Boston, MA | 11.2% | 88,822,890 | $675 million | 11% |
| 33 | Orange County Transportation Authority | Orange, CA | 10.8% | 34,960,054 | $252 million | 11% |
| 34 | Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority | Atlanta, GA | 10.1% | 33,417,833 | $310 million | 10% |
| 35 | Connecticut Department of Transportation - CTTRANSIT New Haven Division | Hartford, CT | 10.1% | 5,988,941 | $57.7 million | 10% |
| 36 | New Orleans Regional Transit Authority | New Orleans, LA | 9.9% | 9,526,069 | $82.4 million | 10% |
| 37 | Delaware Transit Corporation | Dover, DE | 9.7% | 7,371,709 | $81.4 million | 10% |
| 38 | Pioneer Valley Transit Authority | Springfield, MA | 9.6% | 7,830,329 | $49.3 million | 10% |
| 39 | Regional Transportation Commission of Washoe County | Reno, NV | 9.6% | 5,290,863 | $35.0 million | 10% |
| 40 | Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority | Tampa, FL | 9.4% | 11,308,431 | $92.0 million | 9% |
Other rankings
- Cheapest Heavy Rail Systems by Cost per Rider 16 systems
- Most Expensive Heavy Rail Systems by Cost per Rider 16 systems
- Highest-Ridership Heavy Rail Systems 16 systems
- Best Farebox Recovery Among Heavy Rail Systems 16 systems
- Cheapest Light Rail Systems by Cost per Rider 22 systems
- Most Expensive Light Rail Systems by Cost per Rider 22 systems
- Highest-Ridership Light Rail Systems 22 systems
- Cheapest Commuter Rail Systems by Cost per Rider 24 systems
- Most Expensive Commuter Rail Systems by Cost per Rider 24 systems
- Highest-Ridership Commuter Rail Systems 27 systems
- Best Farebox Recovery Among Commuter Rail Systems 24 systems
- Cheapest Bus Systems by Cost per Rider 40 systems
- Most Expensive Bus Systems by Cost per Rider 40 systems
- Highest-Ridership Bus Agencies 40 systems
- Highest-Ridership Bus Rapid Transit Systems 20 systems
- Highest-Ridership Streetcar Systems 25 systems
- Highest-Ridership Ferry Systems 39 systems
- Most Expensive Demand-Response (Paratransit) Services by Cost per Rider 40 systems
- Highest-Ridership Demand-Response (Paratransit) Services 40 systems
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Open this in Ask NTD →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. This table is limited to systems carrying at least 5.0 million trips a year.