D.C. Leads the Nation for Transit Recovery

Transit ridership in the D.C. region is growing faster than in any other part of the country, reports Dan Malouff in Greater Greater Washington, with a 67 percent increase in ridership in the last year.

As Malouff explains, “Riding a 67% ridership increase over the past year, Metro grew faster than any other heavy rail public transportation in the United States during that time. DC Streetcar led all nationwide light rail systems, up 140%. And VRE led all US commuter rail systems, up 114%.”

The regional commuter rail agency, MARC, also saw a 69 percent increase in ridership, but didn’t lead the nation. Similarly, Metrobus ridership was up 41 percent. The figures come from a American Public Transit Association (APTA) ridership report. New York City’s subway system remains, by far, the nation’s most popular, with a ridership of six million in the first quarter of 2023.

Malouff notes that bus systems show less impressive ridership rebound numbers in part because buses lost fewer riders during the pandemic, when the transit-dependent workers who largely rely on buses to get to jobs deemed ‘essential’ continued to use public transit more than white-collar office workers who switched to remote work and who make up a higher proportion of rail riders.