METRO Magazine Logo
MenuMENU
SearchSEARCH

WMATA Upgrades Ridership Data Portal

The portal now includes a combined look at rail and bus ridership, adds no-tap rail ridership to the rail dashboard to track the effectiveness of anti-fare evasion efforts, and provides a more complete picture of total ridership.

January 31, 2024
WMATA Upgrades Ridership Data Portal

Some of the trends WMATA riders can look at in the portal include the changing commute patterns, growing weekend ridership, ridership on popular holidays like the Fourth of July, and the busiest day in recent WMATA history.

Photo: Larry Levine

2 min to read


The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) ridership data portal now includes a combined look at rail and bus ridership, adds no-tap rail ridership to the rail dashboard to track the effectiveness of anti-fare evasion efforts, and provides a more complete picture of total ridership. It also includes Metrobus ridership data based on passenger counting devices on board the vehicles to better account for total ridership.

All data is downloadable for independent analysis.

Ad Loading...

WMATA’s Ridership Data Portal

The ridership data portal was launched in 2019 to give customers, journalists, jurisdictional staff, researchers, the business community, and other stakeholders access to data about WMATA’s ridership patterns. Providing open data also promotes transparency and accountability.

Some of the trends riders can look at in the portal include the changing commute patterns, growing weekend ridership, ridership on popular holidays like the Fourth of July, and the busiest day in recent WMATA history.

Riders can also look at where their home station ranks in ridership among other stations. The agency is also developing a ridership dashboard for MetroAccess in the coming months.

WMATA’s Focus on Ridership

The agency’s data portal update comes on the heels of an announcement in January that customers can now visit a new website to get a personalized report of their ridership for an entire year.

The new website, called “Your 2023 Metro” report, gives riders detailed information about their use of public transit last year including:

Ad Loading...
  • Number of bus and rail trips.

  • Number of stations visited.

  • Miles they traveled on transit.

  • Most used bus route.

  • How much carbon dioxide emissions they saved by taking transit instead of driving or ride-hailing.

  • How they rank against other WMATA riders.

“We know how much value transit brings to the region and the lives of our customers and this new tool will give riders a tangible idea of how much they used Metro in 2023,” said WMATA’s GM/CEO Randy Clarke. “Every time you choose to take transit over driving, you're helping the DMV region to make strides toward our climate and safety goals and you’re saving time by not sitting in traffic.”

Clarke added that he hoped the stats bring some friendly competition to social media, too, and that he ranks in the top 1% of WMATA riders in 2023.

More Management

Managementby StaffMarch 19, 2026

People Movement: The Latest from TARTA, STV, and More

METRO’s People Movement highlights the latest leadership changes, promotions, and personnel news across the public transit, motorcoach, and people mobility sectors.

Read More →
A BART railcar
Managementby StaffMarch 19, 2026

BART Monetizes Empty Parking With New Online Leasing Tool

BART began offering select parking lots to non-BART riders to generate new revenue to help address its FY27 $376M operating budget deficit brought on by remote work.

Read More →
MTA Chair & CEO Janno Lieber sits with a customer service employee and takes calls.
Managementby Elora HaynesMarch 19, 2026

Transit Agencies Nationwide Celebrate 2026 National Transit Employee Appreciation Day

Agencies across the U.S. honored transit workers on March 18, recognizing the essential roles they play in keeping communities moving daily.

Read More →
Ad Loading...
Cover for METROspectives with Inez Evans Benson
ManagementMarch 18, 2026

Inez Evans-Benson on Leadership and the Future of Transportation

Drawing on decades of industry experience, Evans-Benson offered insights into the differences between the two, along with tips for better customer engagement and more.

Read More →
An RTC of Washoe County bus driving down Virginia Street.
Managementby StaffMarch 18, 2026

Keolis Lands 3 Contract Renewals

The renewals include continued operations at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport in Florida; the PRTC in Virginia; and RTC Washoe in Nevada.  

Read More →
A MARTA employee using the new Better Breeze fare ticket machines.
Managementby StaffMarch 17, 2026

MARTA’s New 'Better Breeze' Fare System Nears Launch

The new system introduces tap-to-pay, touchscreen kiosks, and updated Breeze cards, with both old and new systems running through May.

Read More →
Ad Loading...
A wide angle view of two MTA buses with three people walking between them.
Managementby StaffMarch 16, 2026

Proposed Auto Insurance Reform Would Save New York’s MTA Millions Annually

The governor’s proposed auto insurance reforms could save the agency $48 million annually by limiting payouts in crashes where buses are not primarily at fault.

Read More →
paratransit bus
SponsoredMarch 16, 2026

Measuring the True Cost of Paratransit Fleets

What truly drives the cost of a paratransit fleet? Beyond the purchase price, seven operational factors quietly determine maintenance frequency, downtime, and long-term service reliability. This whitepaper explores how these factors shape lifecycle cost and what agencies should evaluate when selecting paratransit vehicles.

Read More →
Cover photo for METROspectives with The Bus Coalition
Busby Alex RomanMarch 13, 2026

Inside The Bus Coalition’s Push for Stronger Federal Transit Investment

In this conversation, TBC’s Executive Director Ed Redfern, President Corey Aldridge, and Washington Representative Joel Rubin outline the coalition’s key policy priorities, the challenges facing transit agencies, and how industry stakeholders can work together to strengthen the voice of bus transit at the federal level.

Read More →
Ad Loading...
Amanda Wanke
Managementby StaffMarch 13, 2026

Des Moines DART CEO Joins Minneapolis Metro Transit

Amanda Wanke, who has worked at DART for 10 years, including the past 2½ years as CEO, will join Metro Transit as deputy chief operating officer, operations administration.

Read More →