MBTA Ridership Trends Compared to Public Transportation Agencies Nationwide
The COVID-19 pandemic had a devastating effect on our economy, and Greater Boston’s transit agency — the MBTA — also took a hit. Using Pioneer Institute’s MBTA Analysis Database, one can compare MBTA ridership trends to those of other U.S. public transportation agencies.
Table 1: Bus, Unlinked Passenger Trips
| Agency | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 to Date |
| Chicago Transit Authority | 21,144,867 | 6,822,850 | 9,197,725 |
| City and County of San Francisco | 9,502,636 | 2,566,978 | 3,725,217 |
| County of Miami-Dade | 4,122,990 | 1,643,751 | 3,199,822 |
| Dallas Area Rapid Transit | 3,276,271 | 1,637,090 | 1,680,878 |
| Denver Regional Transportation District | 4,074,112 | 1,370,794 | 1,643,250 |
| King County Department of Metro Transit | 9,280,947 | 2,607,899 | 3,331,400 |
| Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority | 22,668,594 | 8,490,691 | 13,271,318 |
| Maryland Transit Administration | 5,821,031 | 2,524,203 | 2,861,492 |
| Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority | 8,728,580 | 2,597,139 | 4,545,543 |
| Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority | 3,772,621 | 2,183,036 | 2,260,359 |
| Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County, Texas | 4,348,583 | 2,122,327 | 2,191,765 |
| MTA Bus company | 12,054,314 | 3,300,163 | 6,560,525 |
| MTA New York City Transit | 64,205,814 | 21,043,547 | 29,275,125 |
| New Jersey Transit Corporation | 12,510,336 | 3,484,958 | 6,571,013 |
| Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority | 13,918,477 | 2,595,666 | 5,394,643 |
| Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District of Oregon | 5,090,800 | 1,599,090 | 2,333,180 |
| Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority | 11,069,739 | 1,830,330 | 4,896,042 |
Table 2: Bus, Unlinked Passenger Trips
| Agency | Percent Decrease in Ridership, 2019 to 2020 | Percent Increase in Ridership, 2020 to 2021 |
| Chicago Transit Authority | -68% | 35% |
| City and County of San Francisco | -73% | 45% |
| County of Miami-Dade | -60% | 95% |
| Dallas Area Rapid Transit | -50% | 3% |
| Denver Regional Transportation District | -66% | 20% |
| King County Department of Metro Transit | -72% | 28% |
| Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority | -63% | 56% |
| Maryland Transit Administration | -57% | 13% |
| Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority | -70% | 75% |
| Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority | -42% | 4% |
| Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County, Texas | -51% | 3% |
| MTA Bus company | -73% | 99% |
| MTA New York City Transit | -67% | 39% |
| New Jersey Transit Corporation | -72% | 89% |
| Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority | -81% | 108% |
| Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District of Oregon | -69% | 46% |
| Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority | -83% | 167% |
Table 1 illustrates the number of riders from 2019 to 2021 that used unlinked passenger bus trips, and Table 2 shows the percent change in ridership. In all agencies nationwide, and in all modes of transportation, the data shows that ridership steeply declined in 2020. In 2021 however, ridership has somewhat rebounded; this adjustment in ridership likely correlated with the pandemic easing as vaccines became more widespread.
In each of the examples above, public transportation is run by the state, and each state government took individualized precautions to minimize the spread of COVID-19 on public transportation. Here, the MBTA installed barriers in trains and buses, mandated mask wearing on all modes of transportation and in stations, and implemented more frequent cleaning measures. The MBTA saw a decrease in ridership of 70 percent in unlinked passenger bus rides from 2019 to 2020, and has not seen pre-COVID levels of public transportation usage. This data suggests that Massachusetts residents are still apprehensive about using public transportation.
In addition to unlinked passenger bus trips, one can look at other modes of transportation such as heavy rail and light rail rides.
Table 3: Heavy Rail, Unlinked Passenger Trips
| Agency | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 to Date | Percent Decrease in Ridership, 2019 to 2020 | Percent Increase in Ridership, 2020 to 2021 |
| Chicago Transit Authority | 19,206,970 | 2,235,078 | 5,724,705 | -88% | 156% |
| County of Miami-Dade | 1,531,597 | 337,696 | 887,111 | -78% | 163% |
| Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority | 3587400 | 1325313 | 1666691 | -63% | 26% |
| Maryland Transit Administration | 605,342 | 107,465 | 140,168 | -82% | 30% |
| Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority | 14,286,641 | 1,323,557 | 4,515,871 | -91% | 241% |
| Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority | 5,719,882 | 1,081,891 | 1,803,754 | -81% | 67% |
| MTA New York City Transit | 235,967,209 | 25,405,507 | 102,449,895 | -89% | 303% |
| San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District | 10,801,006 | 771,234 | 1,840,185 | -93% | 139% |
| Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority | 7,962,202 | 1,451,975 | 2,699,782 | -82% | 86% |
| Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority | 20,980,630 | 1,270,947 | 4,079,597 | -94% | 221% |
Table 4: Light Rail, Unlinked Passenger Trips
| Agency | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 to Date | Percent Decrease in Ridership, 2019 to 2020 | Percent Increase in Ridership, 2020 to 2021 |
| City and County of San Francisco | 4,274,103 | 0 | 815,593 | -100% | 0% |
| Dallas Area Rapid Transit | 2,336,500 | 1,054,559 | 1,187,774 | -55% | 13% |
| Denver Regional Transportation District | 2,109,224 | 585,862 | 716,790 | -72% | 22% |
| Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority | 4,496,537 | 1,682,011 | 2,072,159 | -63% | 23% |
| Maryland Transit Administration | 594,223 | 52,784 | 222,564 | -91% | 322% |
| Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority | 4,460,943 | 327,073 | 1,334,607 | -93% | 308% |
| Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County, Texas | 1,411,051 | 691,777 | 668,109 | -51% | -3% |
| New Jersey Transit Corporation | 475,215 | 111,317 | 226,293 | -77% | 103% |
| Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District of Oregon | 3,429,260 | 1,089,850 | 1,235,040 | -68% | 13% |
Compared to unlinked bus trips, heavy rail and light rail suffered a greater loss in ridership. Tables 3 and 4 put forth the number of riders and percent change in ridership from 2019 to 2021. As evidenced by the data, other cities took more drastic measures than the MBTA; the City and County of San Francisco shut down its light rail transportation system completely during 2020. Another trend in the data is that Massachusetts and the Northeast experienced a greater shock to public transportation usage. For example, the MBTA and the MTA in New York lost 91 and 89 percent of riders respectively from 2019 to 2020.
As the MBTA releases 2021 ridership data, it will be interesting to see if the MBTA, and other public transportation systems, are able to woo back riders in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Nathan Bornstein is a Roger Perry Intern at Pioneer Institute. He is a rising senior high school student at the Buckingham Browne & Nichols school in Cambridge, Massachusetts. His favorite subjects at school are history, math, and foreign language.
