Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority

Bus at Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority

Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority carried 88,822,890 bus boardings in FY2024 at $7.60 per ride. Ten years of National Transit Database figures for this service, with safety, reliability and the national comparison.

Bus Boston, MA
← All of Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority
FY2024 boardings
88.8M
+11.7% vs FY2023
Cost per ride
$7.60
-10.4% nationwide $8.24
Subsidy per ride
$6.75
-11.2% operating cost less fares
Fare recovery
11.2%
+7.5% nationwide 11%
Passenger miles
222.9M
average trip 2.51 miles
Operating cost
$674.9M
Vehicles in service
689
at maximum service
Rides per revenue hour
40.62
2.19M hours operated

Ridership

Monthly data through July 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 bus 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, FY2024

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
Directly operated 83,942,889 211,859,427 2,010,222 $607,565,301 $7.24 $6.35 12.3% 547
Purchased transportation 4,880,001 11,075,658 176,394 $67,349,436 $13.80 $13.66 1% 142

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 Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority reported this service.

Year Boardings Passenger miles Revenue miles Revenue hours Operating cost Fares Cost / ride Subsidy / ride Fare recovery
2024 88,822,890 222,935,085 20,688,313 2,186,616 $674,914,737 $75,562,858 $7.60 $6.75 11.2%
2023 79,487,957 204,608,994 21,359,943 2,268,561 $674,196,154 $70,235,370 $8.48 $7.60 10.4%
2022 69,156,864 173,969,864 21,185,746 2,263,411 $532,341,121 $55,239,648 $7.70 $6.90 10.4%
2021 47,812,315 125,603,141 20,985,816 2,211,346 $484,655,715 $32,712,119 $10.14 $9.45 6.7%
2020 81,645,472 210,602,193 20,498,324 2,408,631 $476,435,443 $76,370,133 $5.84 $4.90 16%
2019 100,252,985 257,656,541 22,385,724 2,809,261 $430,149,841 $96,603,803 $4.29 $3.33 22.5%
2018 102,691,333 265,337,833 21,581,546 2,397,323 $414,574,269 $96,662,213 $4.04 $3.10 23.3%
2017 106,326,072 276,815,538 22,049,520 2,240,914 $437,025,236 $98,269,893 $4.11 $3.19 22.5%
2016 113,777,520 298,780,401 23,094,706 2,223,094 $412,610,862 $86,609,704 $3.63 $2.87 21%
2015 122,479,984 316,228,453 22,088,801 2,228,559 $407,939,843 $96,559,750 $3.33 $2.54 23.7%