Report: Fares exceed operating expenses at only 2% of U.S. transit systems

As part of a new report between the Hamilton Project and Brookings, of the more than 1,800 mass transit systems in the U.S. roughly 2% reported fare revenue exceeded operating expenses in 2013, according to U.S. Department of Transportation figures.

In general, average losses per trip are smaller for larger metro systems, while metro rail systems — including heavy rail, such as subways and elevated trains, and light rail, which operates at street level — all operate at a loss, according to the report.

The chart and information was shared as part of a primer for a new discussion paper, “Financing U.S. Transportation Infrastructure in the 21st Century,” in a Hamilton Project blog. To view the blog, click here.