The Rapid

Bus at The Rapid

The Rapid carried 5,765,508 bus boardings in FY2024 at $6.48 per ride. Ten years of National Transit Database figures for this service, with safety, reliability and the national comparison.

Bus Grand Rapids, MI
FY2024 boardings
5.77M
+6.7% vs FY2023
Cost per ride
$6.48
-8.9% nationwide $8.24
Subsidy per ride
$5.23
-10.3% operating cost less fares
Fare recovery
19.4%
+6.8% nationwide 11%
Passenger miles
24.6M
average trip 4.27 miles
Operating cost
$37.4M
Vehicles in service
104
at maximum service
Rides per revenue hour
16.71
345K 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 5,765,508 24,618,713 344,997 $37,368,169 $6.48 $5.23 19.4% 104

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 The Rapid reported this service.

Year Boardings Passenger miles Revenue miles Revenue hours Operating cost Fares Cost / ride Subsidy / ride Fare recovery
2024 5,765,508 24,618,713 4,618,913 344,997 $37,368,169 $7,233,882 $6.48 $5.23 19.4%
2023 5,404,380 22,806,484 5,033,949 372,847 $38,467,615 $6,974,888 $7.12 $5.83 18.1%
2022 4,814,645 20,414,095 5,138,612 378,342 $35,880,074 $6,709,739 $7.45 $6.06 18.7%
2021 3,553,108 14,818,237 4,967,690 374,984 $35,888,058 $5,003,846 $10.10 $8.69 13.9%
2020 5,873,513 19,916,134 4,625,964 356,280 $35,884,686 $5,113,052 $6.11 $5.24 14.2%
2019 9,242,401 31,339,489 5,382,177 437,350 $36,609,821 $7,185,968 $3.96 $3.18 19.6%
2018 9,229,723 31,104,166 5,159,397 414,658 $35,426,299 $7,759,079 $3.84 $3.00 21.9%
2017 9,760,315 32,209,039 5,177,056 418,723 $32,775,208 $8,403,906 $3.36 $2.50 25.6%
2016 10,261,173 32,425,307 5,091,378 409,397 $32,534,733 $8,600,521 $3.17 $2.33 26.4%
2015 10,829,995 35,955,563 5,041,551 407,167 $33,422,350 $8,260,827 $3.09 $2.32 24.7%