Farebox recovery: how 14 systems compare

Railway Age, July, 2004

Passenger fares covered 67.3% of the operating costs of New York City subways in 2002, the highest farebox recovery ratio among the nation's 14 heavy rail transit systems, according to a Brookings Institution study.

Close behind were WMATA, 61.6%; PATCO, 61.4%; SEPTA, 58.6%; and BART, 58.4%. CTA came in at 44.3%; MBTA, 43.7%; PATH, 41.0%; MARTA, 39.2%; Maryland Mass Transit, 26.3%; Greater Cleveland RTA, 21.5%; LACMTA, 19.6%; Miami-Dade Metrorail, 16.1%; and the Staten Island RTOA, 15.2%.

The recovery ratio comparison was part of a wide-ranging Brookings study of the funding needs of WMATA. The study found that only 2.34% of WMATA's operating budget was covered by dedicated funds, compared with 30.08% for NYCT, 25.20% for NJ Transit, and 49.29% for MBTA.