News

Bay Area transit agencies rode a wave of increasing ridership in the first three months of the year that was felt across the region. Many agencies posted double digit gains in ridership compared with the same period last year. Caltrain led the charge with a 50% ridership increase over the first three months of 2025 fueled largely by the agency’s switch to an all-electric service. The nine agencies reporting gains handled a combined total of 3.24 million more trips from January through March compared with the same period in 2024.

Caltrain was not alone in seeing a major ridership increase during the first three months of the year:

*Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit (SMART) saw a ridership bump of 38%. That increase means SMART’s ridership averaged 134% of pre-pandemic levels.

*San Francisco Bay Ferry had a 21% increase from a year ago. That number is 47% higher than ridership in 2023.

*Golden Gate Ferry ridership increased nearly 16% from last year and 40% from 2023.

*Ridership for Marin Transit jumped 10%, Petaluma Transit was up 7%, and Golden Gate Transit increased 5%.

Larger systems also saw significant ridership growth in the first three months of the year. BART ridership was up almost 6.5% from 2024 while Muni increased by 4%.

“This growth in ridership is happening as transit agencies make major investments in improving the rider experience with an emphasis on boosting safety, cleanliness, and reliability,” said BART General Manager Bob Powers. “BART hosts a weekly meeting with the transit leaders from each agency to coordinate on everything from preparing for Super Bowl 2026 and FIFA World Cup to better synching our schedules.”

These ridership gains come as transit agencies are still recovering from post-pandemic ridership declines and are about to run out of federal and state emergency funds. Agencies have used these funds to invest in quality service for the Bay Area as more people are making trips and choosing transit. Many face the potential of devastating cuts that will have serious impacts on the Bay Area’s quality of life.

The Bay Area’s transit agencies, working with the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, are prioritizing collaboration to make the rider experience more seamless. The goal is to make transit more connected, more efficient, and more user friendly. These efforts include a regional mapping and wayfinding project to provide a unified look and feel for maps and directional signs. Transit agencies have also been working together to identify opportunities to reduce total travel times across services and coordinate schedule changes.