A comparison to peer public transit organizations finds the Ann Arbor Area Transportation Authority's cost per passenger trip is about 17 percent below the median cost of similar organizations. The lower cost is thanks to The Ride having about 50% more passenger trips per service hour, and despite a higher cost per service hour than the median of their peers.
The study looked at 20 transit authorities selected through a methodology developed for the National Transit Cooperative Research Program. It included Lansing and Kalamazoo.
Chair of the AAATA board Charles Griffith says the study is done every few years and the information will be useful as service expansion is contemplated. Griffith says the board is now asking staff to dig deeper into the report and find areas The Ride can do better.