by The San Diego Metropolitan Transit System said Wednesday that its ridership has risen 7.1% in the last year and is now close to pre-pandemic levels.
According to MTS, ridership increased by 5.5 million over fiscal year 2024 to surpass 80 million trips in the most recent fiscal year.
More San Diegans are using transit than ever before, as seen by the 80 million trips that have been made, according to a release from MTS Board Chair and San Diego City Council member Stephen Whitburn.
It’s a credit to our investments in dependability, security, and service excellence as well as to the hardworking MTS staff that keeps our region running every day.
Public transportation drastically declined when the COVID-19 epidemic struck because so many individuals chose to stay at home or travel less. Since then, MTS vehicle traffic has increased steadily, reaching 95.1% of the pre-pandemic peak of 85,357,495 rides in fiscal year 2019.
MTS CEO Sharon Cooney stated, “We’ve recovered more than 95% of our pre-pandemic ridership, which speaks volumes about the trust our riders place in MTS and the value of public transit in San Diego.”
This milestone demonstrates the progress we’ve made since the pandemic’s lowest point, and we’ll keep accelerating to reach even more riders in the years to future.
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The government claims that MTS’s efforts to expand bus lines, boost service frequency, and bolster security have helped the recovery.
MTS had 7,720,681 passenger trips in October 2024, which was the most in a single month during the previous fiscal year. The agency recorded the largest weekly passenger volume since the start of the pandemic, with an average of 281,972 passengers per day during a week in the same month.
