Ridership Down Compared to Pre-Pandemic Levels, Service Demand is Rising and Costs are Skyrocketing
The Missouri Public Transit Association (MPTA) released the findings of its 2025 Statewide Transit Needs Assessment Study as part of a virtual forum held on May 15. The study examined public transit access across Missouri and was completed by the Lochmueller Group – a full service, survey, planning, engineering and environmental firm. It found that while ridership is still down compared to pre-pandemic levels, there is significant unmet demand for transit across all system types compared to 2022 and the cost to meet those demands has increased significantly. These and other findings will aid the state’s 30 transit providers, along with the Missouri Department of Transportation and state policy makers, in understanding the critical need for federal, state and local transit funding prioritization in order to ensure future mobility enhancements and more effective delivery of public transit services to customers and communities.
The 2025 report analyzed data from 2019 to 2023 and serves as a refresh of the original Statewide Transit Needs Assessment Study conducted in 2022 that looked at numbers from 2015 to 2019. The study concludes that transit ridership across the state increased in 2022 and 2023, but the five-year average ridership has decreased 33 percent since the previous study and is still well below 2015 levels (Note: numbers include 2020 and 2021 at the height of the pandemic). Yet, when comparing the 2022 and 2025 study results, demand for transit has increased, leading to an increase in unmet demand for all system types. Inflation has significantly increased the cost of service and, consequently, the cost to meet unmet demand. The total unmet demand is up 55 percent and the estimated cost of providing the additional service has increased by 119 percent.
“It is important to understand this is a rolling, five-year average as it relates to ridership levels,” said Kim Cella, Executive Director of the Missouri Public Transit Association. “Trends show transit ridership was at a high in 2015, then started slowly declining before plunging during the COVID-19 pandemic because of lockdowns and people avoiding enclosed, crowded spaces due to health concerns. Workforce dynamics then shifted and remote and hybrid work became common place. This, coupled with a nationwide transit operator shortage, had a profound impact on ridership. The findings show ridership is rebounding – and we know it has continued to increase over the past two years. The critical area of focus for transit providers is the unmet transit trip needs that exist in nearly every corner of the state and the skyrocketing cost of meeting those demands.”
Demand is especially acute for rural transit providers, as they are only meeting 17 percent of the demand. This leaves an 83 percent unmet demand, which equates to more than 8.9 million trips per year that are needed yet go unfulfilled. To meet 100 percent of the unmet demand in rural parts of the state it is estimated to cost more than $218 million.
“This report reinforces what we’ve always known – that reliable transportation infrastructure enhances quality of life and is not just an urban issue,” said Dorothy Yeager, Executive Director of OATS Transit, which is based in Columbia and provides service in 87 counties in Missouri, and At-Large MPTA Board Member. “OATS Transit was founded in 1971 as a way to allow people to remain independent and in their rural homes by improving connectivity, mobility, and access to jobs, shopping, and services like education and healthcare.”
Larger urban areas like St. Louis and Springfield are experiencing similar trends. In St. Louis there is an unmet demand of 52 percent or 27 million transit trips per year, and in Springfield the unmet demand is at 86 percent, or more than 6 million transit trips per year. The cost to meet those unmet demands is more than $299 million and $60 million respectively.
“Transit is an essential function for all of Missouri,” said Taulby Roach, President & CEO of Bi-State Development, which operates Metro Transit in St. Louis, and President of the MPTA Board of Directors. “This study qualifies the value of transit investments and tangibly demonstrates the sweeping influence on Missouri’s economic health.”
Matt Crawford, Transit Director for City Utilities of Springfield, which operates the public transit system for Springfield, and Vice-President of the MPTA Board of Directors, added, “We are proud of the service we provide our community and pleased that this study reflects not only the need and costs of delivering the service but also demonstrates the value of the service to our community. It is also important to note that the findings validate those of our recent transit optimization study Connect SGF.”
The 2025 Missouri Legislative session wrapped the budget process on Friday, May 9, by sustaining the amount of statewide transit investment for the third consecutive year. It includes $10 million in General Revenue plus $1.7 million from the State Transportation Fund for transit operations. The $11.7 million is a retention of the funding levels from 2023 and 2024, a 580 percent increase since 2021. The total amount will be split between that state’s 30 transit providers. This will help provide the non-federal or local match required to enable transit providers to draw down some of the $91 billion in federal funds earmarked for transit as part of the $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. Federal funding support requires a 50:50 match for transit operations and an 80:20 match for capital programming. The budget now goes to Governor Mike Kehoe to sign it into law.
“While we are grateful that the state is once again investing $11.7 million to help fund transit – this amount is split between 30 transit providers – and as the 2025 Statewide Transit Needs Assessment Study underscores it is simply not enough given the rising costs of delivering transit service.”
The 2025 Statewide Transit Needs Assessment Study can be accessed here. To learn more about the Missouri Public Transit Association and access the virtual forum on these findings, visit www.mopublictransit.org.
The Missouri Public Transit Association (MPTA) is a statewide transit advocacy organization established in 1980 to provide a unified voice for the state’s 30 public and specialized transportation providers. The association works to raise awareness about the importance of personal mobility, underscore the economic impact of public transit on Missouri’s bottom-line, build ridership, address challenges and position transit as an investment priority. To learn more, visit www.MOPublicTransit.org or follow the association on Facebook, X, Instagram or LinkedIn.
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For more information, contact:
Kelly Harris
314-436-9090
kelly@hausergrouppr.com