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Ridership

In the context of public transportation, ridership refers to the total number of people using a transit service. By measuring the usage of public transportation services and overlaying demographic information for these riders, ridership can inform planners about how well a public transportation network is meeting the needs of diverse communities, particularly those who are low-income or historically underserved by transit amenities. Ridership integrates the human dimension of who is riding, why they are riding and whether the public transit system is equitably serving all rider populations.

Planners can assess ridership to ensure Metro’s services both operate efficiently and provide equitable public transportation to Equity Focus Communities. By prioritizing infrastructure and service investments in areas with the greatest mobility needs, planners can provide tangible environmental, health and economic benefits to all Angelenos.

Understand Your Datasets

Understanding ridership requires analyzing various types of datasets that provide insights into passenger behavior, transit system performance and external factors influencing public transportation usage. Data sources may be publicly available or include proprietary information available to Metro staff, such as tap card information. By leveraging these insights, planners can track changes in ridership patterns over time, evaluate regional variations and assess the impact of projects or policies on ridership. Key aspects of ridership data and analysis may include:

Ridership totals: Aggregate ridership data for a specific time period (e.g., daily, weekly, monthly, yearly) to identify trends
Boarding counts: Evaluate quantities and locations where passengers board and alight public transit stops
Peak and off-peak usage: Analyze ridership during high-demand and low-demand periods
Route-specific data: Break down ridership by route, line, time of day or day of the week
Demographic analysis: Examine ridership by income level, race/ethnicity, age, gender and/or disability status
Trip purpose: Understand the main activity at the destination of a trip, such as work/commuting, education or healthcare
Low-ridership areas: Identify regions with unmet demand or barriers to access
Mode share: Measure the percentage of trips made by public transportation compared to other transit modes
Traffic congestion data: Assess road conditions and congestion levels that may be impacting transit usage
Urban development data: Evaluate the effects of new housing, commercial developments or infrastructure projects

Ridership can indicate how well a transit system supports mobility for all, particularly those who already or may choose to rely on public transit as their primary means of travel. Planners may choose to measure ridership within the spatial context of connectivity, accessibility and rider demographics through the above metrics in their study area to establish a baseline for a project area. These datasets, when analyzed together, can provide a comprehensive understanding of ridership patterns, enabling planners to optimize services, improve efficiency and better meet passenger needs.

Example Datasets:

1. Metro provides monthly ridership data for bus and rail services, including boarding counts: https://opa.metro.net/MetroRidership/

Instructions: Explore this page to view monthly ridership statistics, line level trends and historical information. Monthly ridership data can also be downloaded directly.

Data Considerations: Ridership Data is available approximately 15 days after the end of the prior month.

2. SCAG Transit Ridership Updates: https://scag.ca.gov/transit-program

Instructions: Scroll to “Reports & Publications” and click on relevant resources including Transportation Trends Updates reports, the Regional Dedicated Transit Lanes Interactive Map and the SCAG-UCLA “Falling Transit Ridership” study.

Data Considerations: Reports and publications feature datasets from 2018 to 2024.

3. National Transit Database (NTD) publishes ridership totals for Metro and other transit agencies in Los Angeles County: https://www.transit.dot.gov/ntd

Instructions: Click on the “NTD Data page” to view the full set of publications and documentation. Filter by “Monthly Ridership” in Data Categories to download monthly ridership data.

Data Considerations: The Federal Transit Administration uses NTD data to allocate funding to urban and rural areas across the United States. Transit agencies report data on various key metrics on a recurring basis.

4. LA County counts and percentages of households with no vehicle by census tract: https://data.lacounty.gov/datasets/without-vehicle-census-tract/explore

Instructions: Explore the online map layer by clicking on individual census tracts to learn what percentage of households do not have a vehicle or download the full dataset.

Data Considerations: US Census Bureau data comes from the American Community Survey. Tract and block group data are updated annually in December of each year with a one-year lag. Current data (October 2024) cover the 2018 to 2022 period.

5. Equity Focus Communities (EFC) Dashboard: https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/738dfea5936f47e09443f810e0d59647/

Instructions: Open the Index Data Tool, Map Overlays Tool and/or the 2019 vs 2022 Comparison Tool and use the blue “How to Use the Tool” button for tips for that specific tool.

Data Considerations: The EFC Map was previously updated in 2022 and will be updated again in 2025. The multitool dashboard displays data from the Metro Equity Need Index (MENI) and considers population percentages of three statistics associated with mobility barriers: low-income households, BIPOC residents and households without a car.

6. The Metro API provides access for developers to retrieve real-time bus and train schedule data, GTFS (General Transit Feed Specification) data and other information related to the Metro system: http://bit.ly/3JS5eNP

Instructions: Follow the “How to Use Key Features” instructions to access real-time, GTFS data, canceled service data and/or static data related to stops, routes and/or schedules.

Data Considerations: GTFS and real-time data are updated at regular intervals and published on GitHub site. Digitization and automation of rail and bus services allows individuals to more easily access, track and log information about Metro’s services. This information also allows Metro to better analyze ridership over time and make actionable plans for improvement.

Community Demographics Profiles Alignment

Transportation Mode by Race/Ethnicity
EFC Census Tracts
Low-Income Households
BIPOC Households
Households with no Access to a Vehicle

Explore the Index of Indicators in Metro’s Community Demographics Profiles Dashboard here.

Coordinate with Community Members

Transit investments do not always immediately result in increased ridership. It is important to supplement technical datasets with direct perspectives from riders about their experience riding transit and how that influences whether they choose to use Metro, which can then be monitored over time. Direct input from community members can be gained through surveys to evaluate the ease of use of a transit system, as well as a community’s motivations and barriers for public transit use. Reference previous Metro surveys (for example, Metro’s 2022 Customer Experience Survey) and tailor questions to a particular community. Planners can supplement this information with focus groups and public meetings to gather qualitative insights into ridership behavior and barriers. Planners can further collaborate with CBOs and hold interviews to strengthen community relationships, foster public transit buy-in and gain further insight into community member suggestions for improving public transit to better meet their needs.

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