In This Blog
- Transit ridership is rebounding, reaching 85% of pre-pandemic levels in early 2025, with buses leading the recovery due to their essential role for frontline and younger workers.
- Smaller cities are recovering faster than major metros, driven by fewer alternatives to transit and more in-person job returns.
- Agencies that retained riders focused on safety, clear communication, and flexible service—practices that remain vital today.
- Technology like Vontas OnRoute supports real-time tracking, disruption management, and rider communication, helping agencies modernize and build trust.
- Future planning must be data-driven, agile, and responsive to local trends, with investments in tools that boost reliability, transparency, and customer service.
Public transit has always been a vital thread in the fabric of community life, offering millions access, mobility, and opportunity. But in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, that thread was stretched thinner than ever. Now, more than five years later, new data from the American Public Transportation Association (APTA)’s “On the Horizon: Planning for Post Pandemic Travel” report offers encouraging signs that ridership is rebounding and reveals where agencies should focus to continue moving forward.
Bus Ridership Leads the Way
According to APTA, transit ridership has reached 85% of pre-pandemic levels in the first four months of 2025. That’s a remarkable recovery from April 2020, when ridership fell to just 20% of typical numbers. But not all modes of transit have recovered at the same pace. The most consistent driver of recovery? Buses.
During the pandemic’s early days, bus ridership dropped to 28% of normal levels, less severe than the 90% drop in rail ridership. That’s largely because bus systems have always served a higher proportion of essential workers, late-shift employees, and people with fewer transportation alternatives.
APTA data shows that 22% of bus riders are under 25, twice the share of younger riders on rail. These younger passengers are more likely to work in restaurants, hospitality, and other non office sectors that have bounced back faster than traditional white-collar industries. This is especially evident in smaller and mid sized cities, where telework hasn’t taken hold as firmly as it has in larger metros.
Why Smaller Cities Are Recovering Faster
APTA’s ridership data also reveals a surprising trend: smaller cities are rebounding more quickly than larger ones. This is likely due to a combination of factors. First, smaller urban areas generally serve populations with fewer alternatives to public transportation. Second, more workers in smaller cities are returning to physical job sites compared to those in major metropolitan areas.
These findings suggest that transit agencies need to closely monitor local travel patterns rather than rely on national assumptions. What works in New York or Chicago may not apply in Omaha or Richmond. The future of transit planning will require even more data- driven decision-making.
Safety, Community, and Flexibility are Key
Agencies that successfully retained riders during and after the pandemic had a few things in common. APTA’s report highlights several best practices: clear and consistent communication with the public, proactive adjustments to service, a focus on essential riders, and a visible commitment to rider and employee safety.
These lessons remain as important today as they were in 2020. Riders want to know what’s happening and feel confident in the reliability and safety of their journey. That means modernizing the systems that keep people informed and connected.
Where Vontas Fits In
For many agencies, upgrading legacy systems to better serve today’s needs is part of the path forward. With helpful features like real-time vehicle tracking and efficient disruption management, solutions like Vontas OnRoute help agencies increase visibility across operations. It’s a powerful tool that enables dispatchers, operators, and riders alike to respond quickly to route changes or unexpected events.
Vontas also enables better communication with riders by integrating real-time
information into digital signage, mobile apps, and customer service tools. When riders know when the next bus is coming (and that it’s safe and reliable), they’re more likely to keep coming back.
As agencies work to rebuild trust and meet new expectations, technology plays a central role. The right CAD/AVL platform can help teams plan more effectively, improve on-time performance, and adapt to shifting travel patterns with speed and precision.
Planning for What Comes Next
APTA’s research makes one thing clear: transit agencies must learn from the last five years and institutionalize what worked. Here are a few of the benefits that have developed over the last five years that agencies should implement:
- Embracing more agile planning and operations
- Doubling down on communications and customer service
- Investing in technology that enhances safety, reliability, and transparency
- Keeping a close eye on emerging trends, from demographic shifts to remote work
patterns
Ridership may not return in exactly the same form, but with the right tools, data, and strategies, public transit can emerge stronger, more resilient, and more essential than ever.
Read the full report here.