New FTA report shows U.S. transit ridership on the rise

Transit ridership in the U.S. continues to rise, growing by more than 17 percent from 2022 to 2023, according to a recent report from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) on transit trends.  

The report notes transit agencies provided 6.9 billion trips in 2023, an increase of 17.3 percent from 2022. Those same transit agencies moved passengers 35 billion miles, an increase of almost 17 percent from 2022. According to the report, with that year-over-year-growth, public transportation grew nearly twice as fast as domestic air travel between 2022 and 2023.  

"Our nation's public transportation systems continue to punch above their weight, providing billions of trips covering billions of miles for millions of people all across our nation," said FTA Deputy Administrator Veronica Vanterpool. "This report shows an upward trend in people using transit, which provides many benefits, including less time wasted in traffic, fewer carbon emissions and better air quality." 

The report notes public transportation is also a jobs generator, as in the past year, 10,000 new workers have entered the transit industry, and salaries have increased more than $1 billion. At the end of 2023, more than 388,000 people worked in public transportation, filling jobs in operations, maintenance and administration. 

According to the report, the growth rate for jobs in the transit industry exceeds other occupations. Between 2022 and 2023, the number of transit jobs grew by four percent while growth in all occupations across the country was two percent for the same period. 

FTA says the 2023 National Transit Summary and Trends report provides an annual snapshot of public transportation based on data submitted by 3,000 transit agencies to the National Transit Database (NTD). Reporting comes from federally supported transit systems, which report metrics regularly during the year for the report that comes out each fall.  

Congress established the NTD in 1974 to support local and state planning efforts. According to FTA, the transit data offers a window into travel trends, workforce data and transit system conditions. 

FTA notes the 3,000 transit providers operate all over the country, from large metropolitan regions to small urban places and rural areas. The report says that while most transit trips occur in large urban regions where transit helps manage traffic congestion and supports walkable communities, nearly a third of transit trips (28 percent) are taken in smaller urban and rural areas. 

According to the report, high-capacity transit systems like light rail and bus rapid transit (BRT) increased substantially between 2013 and 2023. Transit rail miles increased by 12 percent and miles traveled via BRT increased by 44 percent, the largest increase among transit modes, reflecting the introduction of several new BRT systems. 

The report notes that while transit is already an environmentally friendly way to travel, many of the U.S. transit providers are transitioning to greener propulsion systems, particularly for buses. The report, which also analyzes trends over the last decade, found that between 2013 and 2023, the number of zero-emission buses increased four-fold. 

The report also shows a significant increase in improving accessibility for people with disabilities. In 2023, nearly 84 percent of the U.S.’s transit stations were considered fully accessible per the Americans with Disabilities Act, which includes stations that feature modifications such as platforms for level boarding and ramps. The 84 percent is an increase of 4.6 percent during the past decade.