According to a recent announcement, the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System (MTS) has seen a significant increase in ridership, with annual passenger trips rising past 80 million for the first time since the pandemic hit. In the Fiscal Year 2025, MTS registered 81,181,071 boardings, marking a 7.1% hike compared to the previous year’s 75,663,343 trips. This growth has been linked to the agency’s initiatives to boost service and improve the transit experience. MTS reported that these measures, including enhanced Trolley service frequency and increased security, have been recognized with higher customer satisfaction and community value ratings by riders.
“Surpassing 80 million trips shows that more San Diegans are choosing transit than ever before,” Stephen Whitburn, MTS Board Chair and San Diego City Councilmember, told MTS. The post-pandemic recovery is close to reaching pre-pandemic levels, with the current annual boardings at 95.1% of the pre-pandemic peak in fiscal year 2019. Whitburn attributed the success to investments in reliability and service quality, duly executed by the dedicated MTS team.
MTS ridership declined at the onset of COVID-19 as stay-at-home orders reduced the necessity for public transport. However, since that nadir, there has been a steady increase in the number of San Diegans using the service. Notably, October 2024 saw the highest ridership month for MTS with 7,720,681 passenger trips, while a week within the same month marked the highest average daily ridership since the beginning of the pandemic at 281,972 passengers…