Central Ohio Transit Authority

Demand Response at Central Ohio Transit Authority

Central Ohio Transit Authority carried 520,881 demand response boardings in FY2025 at $44.37 per ride. Ten years of National Transit Database figures for this service, with safety, reliability and the national comparison.

Demand Response Columbus, OH
FY2025 boardings
520.9K
+4.9% vs FY2024
Cost per ride
$44.37
+6.1% nationwide $52.35
Subsidy per ride
$42.40
+3.8% operating cost less fares
Fare recovery
4.5%
+86.2% nationwide 6.7%
Passenger miles
3.6M
average trip 6.91 miles
Operating cost
$23.1M
Vehicles in service
93
at maximum service
Rides per revenue hour
2.25
231.7K hours operated

Ridership

Monthly data through August 2026.

This year against the last five

Same months on one axis, so seasonality does not read as a trend

Annual boardings

Ten-year series

Cost

This service against every demand response operator in the country.

Cost per ride

This agency against the national figure for the same mode

Fare recovery

Share of operating cost covered by fares

Directly operated and purchased service, FY2025

NTD reports these separately. An agency that contracts a service out reports the contract price, which bundles costs a directly operating agency reports line by line.

Service Boardings Passenger miles Revenue hours Operating cost Cost / ride Subsidy / ride Fare recovery Vehicles
Purchased transportation 270,098 3,004,625 176,875 $19,336,333 $71.59 $68.57 4.2% 67
Directly operated 250,783 593,197 54,776 $3,776,811 $15.06 $14.21 5.6% 26

Safety and reliability

For this service alone.

Events by year

Complete calendar years only

Miles between failures

Revenue miles divided by mechanical failures. Higher is better.

Full series

Every year Central Ohio Transit Authority reported this service.

Year Boardings Passenger miles Revenue miles Revenue hours Operating cost Fares Cost / ride Subsidy / ride Fare recovery
2025 520,881 3,597,822 4,049,565 231,651 $23,113,144 $1,029,134 $44.37 $42.40 4.5%
2024 496,458 3,506,040 4,074,677 225,850 $20,771,029 $496,598 $41.84 $40.84 2.4%
2023 397,584 3,151,021 3,716,975 203,919 $18,978,754 $541,727 $47.74 $46.37 2.9%
2022 327,789 2,818,776 3,322,139 189,479 $16,175,633 $613,334 $49.35 $47.48 3.8%
2021 242,445 2,468,989 2,918,655 174,087 $12,911,044 $648,080 $53.25 $50.58 5%
2020 169,856 1,942,776 2,232,231 138,036 $14,391,962 $200,487 $84.73 $83.55 1.4%
2019 288,690 3,017,345 3,511,803 188,273 $11,139,754 $822,880 $38.59 $35.74 7.4%
2018 291,455 3,031,477 3,551,774 182,865 $10,105,324 $845,027 $34.67 $31.77 8.4%
2017 287,242 3,066,136 3,542,978 180,302 $9,950,304 $871,821 $34.64 $31.61 8.8%
2016 278,379 3,000,810 3,480,344 179,844 $9,982,492 $861,896 $35.86 $32.76 8.6%
2015 282,515 2,975,485 3,495,999 178,039 $10,000,650 $868,254 $35.40 $32.33 8.7%