ridership

[rahy-der-ship]

noun

1. the passengers who use a given public transportation system, as buses or trains, or the number of such passengers.

Word History and Origins

Origin of ridership¹

First recorded in 1965–70; rider + -ship

Example Sentences

A study earlier this year by DePaul University’s Chaddick Institute for Metropolitan Development projected that bus ridership would increase by 4% this year — compared with projected increases of 2.8% for air travel and 2.4% for highway travel.

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According to the MTA’s website, the agency faces a $3 billion recurring budget shortfall when the federal aid it received during the Covid-19 pandemic runs out as “ridership isn’t projected to be back to pre-Covid levels in the foreseeable future.”

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Crime rates have dropped, homeless tent encampments that block sidewalks and bedevil retail businesses have shrunk and foot traffic and transit ridership have risen.

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Get on the stop, and get off the stop, and get a feel for what the ridership is like.

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The Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which runs the city’s bus service, said the pilot’s service performance had mixed results, with ridership increasing but travel speeds slowing.

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