Now in its sixth iteration, Mass Transit’s annual Mobility Outlook Survey aims to capture a snapshot of the year ahead—from budgets and vehicle procurements to state of good repair backlogs and cybersecurity initiatives. While a majority of transit agencies report a slightly higher budget compared to 2024, reduced ridership from the pandemic continues to have the largest impact. One agency respondent noted in a comment their “ridership is up due to microtransit, but the fixed routes operated were cut in half due to COVID ridership losses.” Despite this challenge, the majority of responding agencies said they have expanded services during the past year.
As agencies expand services, they’ll need the manpower to support these efforts, but challenges in recruitment and retention continue to be the biggest concern agencies have as we enter 2025. However, they are looking to enhance their service reliability and see opportunities to invest in technology that will improve the rider experience.
On the private sector side, companies anticipate business to be up compared to 2024 numbers, but they expect to deal with challenges related to inflation and a decrease in federal funding and support. Similar to the agencies, companies see opportunities to improve the customer experience and are excited about new collaborations, with one respondent noting they are considering expanding internationally.
How was this information gathered?
Mass Transit queried subscribers who identify as working for a transit agency or for a business supporting transit agencies (suppliers, manufacturers, consultants, engineers) during a two-week period in January 2025. The survey received 337 responses, with 131 from transit professionals and 206 from non-transit agency professionals. The survey included separate questions for the two groups. Responses were aggregated by sector.
While it would be ideal to receive a response from every transit operator in North America, we understand that this is not practical. However, we believe the data from this survey provides compelling insights into what the industry will face in 2025.
The following graphs were generated by aggregating survey responses by sector to create the full 2025 Mobility Outlook report.
Demographics: Location
Demographics: Entity & Services Offered
2025 Budgets: Transit Agencies
2025 Budgets: Business Community
Operations: Transit Agencies
Operations: Business Community
Opportunities for 2025
State of Good Repair Backlog
State of Good Repair Investments
Vehicle Procurements
Zero-emission Fleets
Zero-emission Transition
Changes in Services
Rider Experience
Mobile Apps
Cybersecurity Challenges
Cybersecurity Attacks
Recovery from Cybersecurity Attack
Check out previous editions of the Mobility Outlook Survey
2024 Mobility Outlook
2023 Mobility Outlook
2022 Mobility Outlook
2021 Mobility Outlook
2020 Mobility Outlook
Megan Perrero | Editor in Chief
Megan Perrero is a national award-winning B2B journalist and lover of all things transit. Currently, she is the Editor in Chief of Mass Transit magazine, where she develops and leads a multi-channel editorial strategy while reporting on the North American public transit industry.
Prior to her position with Mass Transit, Perrero was the senior communications and external relations specialist for the Shared-Use Mobility Center, where she was responsible for helping develop internal/external communications, plan the National Shared Mobility Summit and manage brand strategy and marketing campaigns.
Perrero serves as the board secretary for Latinos In Transit and is a member of the American Public Transportation Association Marketing and Communications Committee. She holds a bachelor’s degree in multimedia journalism with a concentration in magazine writing and a minor in public relations from Columbia College Chicago.
