APTA: Transit-ridership levels continue post-pandemic recovery

Public transit ridership has recovered to 79% of pre-pandemic levels after falling to 20% of pre-pandemic levels in April 2020, the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) announced this week.

Transit riders took 7.1 billion trips in 2023, a 16% increase over 2022's level, APTA officials said in a press release. Public transportation ridership levels increased throughout last year, even though office occupancy rates remained stagnant, according to an APTA policy brief.

"Success in ridership recovery has been dependent on transit-service delivery and reliability and external factors, such as the makeup of local economies," said APTA President and CEO Paul Skoutelas. "As clearly illustrated during the pandemic, public transportation provides mobility to essential workers, which has sustained transit ridership over the past four years. Public transit agencies continue to develop innovative solutions that are powering this ridership recover."