Mecklenburg Transportation System

Demand Response at Mecklenburg Transportation System

Mecklenburg Transportation System carried 274,734 demand response boardings in FY2025 at $27.54 per ride. Ten years of National Transit Database figures for this service, with safety, reliability and the national comparison.

Demand Response Charlotte, NC
FY2025 boardings
274.7K
-29.8% vs FY2024
Cost per ride
$27.54
+3.5% nationwide $52.35
Subsidy per ride
$14.84
-34.9% operating cost less fares
Fare recovery
46.1%
+221.1% nationwide 6.7%
Passenger miles
5.15M
average trip 18.73 miles
Operating cost
$7.56M
Vehicles in service
135
at maximum service
Rides per revenue hour
1.02
269K 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 - taxi 240,478 4,011,927 248,693 $5,181,933 $21.55 $8.99 58.3% 115
Directly operated 34,256 1,133,725 20,312 $2,382,959 $69.56 $55.89 19.7% 20

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 Mecklenburg Transportation System reported this service.

Year Boardings Passenger miles Revenue miles Revenue hours Operating cost Fares Cost / ride Subsidy / ride Fare recovery
2025 274,734 5,145,652 4,163,024 269,005 $7,564,892 $3,488,030 $27.54 $14.84 46.1%
2024 391,165 6,068,221 5,493,220 355,147 $10,404,842 $1,494,229 $26.60 $22.78 14.4%
2023 349,575 3,143,856 2,764,299 264,172 $7,677,494 $1,168,428 $21.96 $18.62 15.2%
2022 293,369 2,824,339 2,473,637 249,793 $6,597,901 $1,147,275 $22.49 $18.58 17.4%
2021 273,672 2,365,547 2,256,496 266,348 $6,371,860 $1,467,294 $23.28 $17.92 23%
2020 347,222 3,061,237 2,612,736 284,542 $6,969,745 $1,620,560 $20.07 $15.41 23.3%
2019 410,864 3,322,275 3,105,104 291,143 $7,636,706 $116,290 $18.59 $18.30 1.5%
2018 412,899 3,379,157 3,064,368 97,572 $6,925,683 $114,603 $16.77 $16.50 1.7%
2017 380,950 3,132,848 2,882,072 80,074 $6,741,340 $101,299 $17.70 $17.43 1.5%
2016 348,077 — 2,638,841 189,850 $8,181,761 $76,129 $23.51 $23.29 0.9%
2015 340,101 — 2,485,633 155,515 $8,221,616 $219,741 $24.17 $23.53 2.7%