Sound Transit

Streetcar at Sound Transit

Sound Transit carried 992,082 streetcar boardings in FY2024 at $18.11 per ride. Ten years of National Transit Database figures for this service, with safety, reliability and the national comparison.

Streetcar Seattle, WA
FY2024 boardings
992.1K
+161.1% vs FY2023
Cost per ride
$18.11
-46.4% nationwide $7.99
Subsidy per ride
$17.79
-46.8% operating cost less fares
Fare recovery
1.8%
+75.4% nationwide 6.5%
Passenger miles
1.62M
average trip 1.63 miles
Operating cost
$18M
Vehicles in service
6
at maximum service
Rides per revenue hour
45.9
21.6K 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 streetcar 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 992,082 1,621,374 21,614 $17,967,031 $18.11 $17.79 1.8% 6

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 Sound Transit reported this service.

Year Boardings Passenger miles Revenue miles Revenue hours Operating cost Fares Cost / ride Subsidy / ride Fare recovery
2024 992,082 1,621,374 201,739 21,614 $17,967,031 $321,168 $18.11 $17.79 1.8%
2023 380,000 623,418 114,159 13,346 $12,836,006 $130,825 $33.78 $33.43 1%
2022 267,722 228,101 60,824 7,898 $7,962,930 $29.74
2021 371,932 338,406 72,772 9,485 $6,686,079 $17.98
2020 439,271 390,115 75,549 9,811 $5,598,887 $12.75
2019 936,957 849,182 76,003 9,866 $5,583,038 $5.96
2018 897,642 795,888 75,698 9,829 $5,527,548 $6.16
2017 972,998 858,993 75,604 9,816 $5,054,541 $5.19
2016 938,315 823,782 75,983 9,868 $4,411,476 $4.70
2015 973,412 864,716 75,567 9,814 $4,143,179 $4.26