ORT ridership exceeds 315,000 in 2024

Springdale-based transit provider Ozark Regional Transit posted total annual ridership exceeding 300,000 passengers for the first time since 2016, a record year.

In 2024, ridership rose by 15.8% to 315,027 from 272,023 in 2023. The 2024 number was below the ridership of 317,448 in 2015 and 319,060 in 2016. Ridership also exceeded 300,000 in 2014.

Fixed-route passengers increased by 48.8% to 221,880 in 2024 from 149,085 in 2023. Over the same period, on-demand passengers fell by 27.7% to 79,839 from 110,403. Paratransit passengers rose by 6.2% to 13,308 from 12,535.

Last year, ORT established a $1.25 per trip fare for on-demand transit, while fixed-route transit remained zero-fare. In April, ORT launched the area’s first intercity route. The Bentonville/Rogers Exchange started with six buses running during the busiest hours of the day, 84 bus stops and a 30-minute headway.

ORT has 40 vehicles and 85 full- and part-time staff. Of its 40 vehicles, 25 are in daily use, including 12 fixed-route transit vehicles, seven on-demand transit vehicles and six paratransit vehicles. At peak times, ORT has 18 vehicles in service simultaneously.