The Rapid

Bus Rapid Transit at The Rapid

The Rapid carried 421,150 bus rapid transit boardings in FY2024 at $6.08 per ride. Ten years of National Transit Database figures for this service, with safety, reliability and the national comparison.

Bus Rapid Transit Grand Rapids, MI
FY2024 boardings
421.1K
+3.7% vs FY2023
Cost per ride
$6.08
-1.2% nationwide $4.96
Subsidy per ride
$5.19
-2.5% operating cost less fares
Fare recovery
14.6%
+8.6% nationwide 11.6%
Passenger miles
1.66M
average trip 3.93 miles
Operating cost
$2.56M
Vehicles in service
7
at maximum service
Rides per revenue hour
15.12
27.9K 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 bus rapid transit 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 421,150 1,655,120 27,850 $2,558,788 $6.08 $5.19 14.6% 7

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 421,150 1,655,120 337,110 27,850 $2,558,788 $372,623 $6.08 $5.19 14.6%
2023 406,075 1,567,450 331,189 26,856 $2,497,711 $334,844 $6.15 $5.33 13.4%
2022 452,131 1,546,288 330,285 26,750 $2,460,270 $204,779 $5.44 $4.99 8.3%
2021 367,484 1,270,760 327,927 26,584 $2,386,943 $135,450 $6.50 $6.13 5.7%
2020 607,049 1,784,660 324,728 25,071 $2,356,417 $553,359 $3.88 $2.97 23.5%
2019 850,726 2,501,045 370,596 27,614 $2,343,897 $893,262 $2.76 $1.71 38.1%
2018 847,015 2,561,373 370,741 27,625 $2,265,142 $889,366 $2.67 $1.62 39.3%
2017 817,489 2,509,691 372,964 27,793 $2,098,600 $856,900 $2.57 $1.52 40.8%
2016 773,531 2,575,858 372,368 27,743 $2,083,308 $812,208 $2.69 $1.64 39%
2015 689,918 2,345,721 371,395 27,669 $2,139,648 $537,385 $3.10 $2.32 25.1%