The San Diego Metropolitan Transit System reported Thursday that ridership increased more than 10% in the last fiscal year as more people returned to office work.
The agency logged 75.7 million passenger trips in the fiscal year ended June 30, a 10.4% increase from 68.5 million in the previous year.
“We believe the increase in ridership is due to a number of factors,” said Sharon Cooney, MTS chief executive officer. “People are working from home less often or not at all, MTS provides a reliable alternative to driving a car, and taking transit is much more affordable than driving.”
MTS Board Chair Stephen Whitburn, who is also a San Diego City Councilmember, called the increase “a testament to the partnership between riders and the dedicated MTS staff.”
The growth in ridership represents a continued recovery from the pandemic-era low. In May, the agency had a record week with 271,000 passengers a day — the highest since the pandemic.
Other ridership milestones for MTS in the past year include:
- Youth ridership increased by 22.7% over the previous fiscal year with 6.8 million passenger trips
- More than 113,000 riders now use a Youth Opportunity Pass
- Thirteen bus routes experienced increases of 20% or higher
- Eight bus routes surpassed the million-trip mark
The ridership increase is good news for the agency, which suffered a multi-million-dollar deficit during the pandemic. Now weekly ridership is routinely 85% to 90% of pre-pandemic levels and rising.
