Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority

Demand Response at Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority

Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority carried 960,871 demand response boardings in FY2024 at $161.25 per ride. Ten years of National Transit Database figures for this service, with safety, reliability and the national comparison.

Demand Response Boston, MA
FY2024 boardings
960.9K
-4.7% vs FY2023
Cost per ride
$161.25
+50.8% nationwide $50.62
Subsidy per ride
$158.35
+52.8% operating cost less fares
Fare recovery
1.8%
-42.3% nationwide 6.8%
Passenger miles
7.69M
average trip 8 miles
Operating cost
$154.9M
Vehicles in service
454
at maximum service
Rides per revenue hour
1.2
797.9K 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 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, 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
Purchased transportation 960,871 7,691,017 797,866 $154,937,895 $161.25 $158.35 1.8% 454

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 960,871 7,691,017 8,764,765 797,866 $154,937,895 $2,782,451 $161.25 $158.35 1.8%
2023 1,008,547 7,243,948 8,408,318 742,674 $107,873,650 $3,358,860 $106.96 $103.63 3.1%
2022 930,174 7,518,032 8,723,274 709,084 $99,595,993 $2,718,009 $107.07 $104.15 2.7%
2021 758,764 5,646,101 9,610,603 684,902 $99,896,936 $2,258,209 $131.66 $128.68 2.3%
2020 1,397,996 10,710,752 12,048,450 1,137,343 $120,782,662 $4,129,568 $86.40 $83.44 3.4%
2019 1,862,279 14,589,884 15,610,789 1,417,991 $128,696,163 $6,045,296 $69.11 $65.86 4.7%
2018 1,955,578 15,540,423 16,315,237 1,438,886 $113,410,825 $5,737,517 $57.99 $55.06 5.1%
2017 1,985,115 17,077,017 17,667,292 1,350,443 $103,493,764 $6,070,760 $52.13 $49.08 5.9%
2016 2,187,785 17,047,364 17,828,666 1,273,984 $102,005,012 $6,004,661 $46.62 $43.88 5.9%
2015 2,149,718 17,868,150 19,141,547 1,270,369 $101,724,181 $6,006,987 $47.32 $44.53 5.9%