FLINT, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – Flint’s Mass Transportation Authority (MTA) is struggling to get back to pre-COVID ridership.

The bus transportation agency had annual ridership of 2.41 million in 2024, short of the 3.95 million passengers in 2019, a 39% reduction. But the transit agency did show growth in ridership from 2023 to 2024. Ridership increased from 2.19 million in 2023 to the 2.41 million last year, a 10% increase.

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The transit authority submitted their annual audit to the state of Michigan on March 27.

Flint’s transit agency is following a nationwide trend as many transportation agencies have yet to return to pre-COVID ridership due to remote working, something that was made popular during the pandemic.

Mass Transportation Authority’s operating expenses have increased from $47.7 million in 2019 to $60.6 million in 2024. The transit agency’s expenses in 2024 increased by $3.8 million from the previous year. The agency attributed that to staffing costs and benefits as well as expanding services. Riders were able to use a “contactless” fare system for the first time in 2024 where they could use tap cards or a mobile app to pay in lieu of cash or coins.