After data reporting was required by Congress in 1974, the FTA's National Transit Database (NTD) was set up to be the repository of data about the financial, operating and asset conditions of American transit systems. The NTD records the financial, operating, and asset condition of transit systems helping to keep track of the industry and provide public information and statistics. The NTD is designed to support local, state and regional planning efforts and help governments and other decision-makers make multi-year comparisons and perform trend analyses. It contains a wealth of information such as agency funding sources, inventories of vehicles and maintenance facilities, safety event reports, measures of transit service provided and consumed, and data on transit employees.

FTA uses NTD data to apportion funding to urbanized and rural areas in the United States. Transit agencies report data on a number of key metrics including Vehicle Revenue Miles (VRM), Vehicle Revenue Hours (VRH), Passenger Miles Traveled (PMT), Unlinked Passenger Trips (UPT), and Operating Expenses (OE). This website provides reference materials to support reporting to the NTD and links to NTD data products. 

New in 2024

FTA has released the 2023 National Transit Database (NTD) Annual Data Products. This series of files include data on ridership, safety, operating expenses, service levels, funding sources, and more from transit providers nationwide. Established in 1974, the NTD has collected service, performance, safety, and financial information from all FTA-funded transit agencies. See the NTD Data page to view the full set of publications and documentation.

The data release includes:

• 2023 National Transit Summary and Trends, which presents an overview of U.S. transit that highlights key transit metrics over the last decade in an easy-to-read format with infographics and summary tables.
• 30 interactive datasets and visual summaries on data.transportation.gov, the DOT's open data platform
• For the first time, an interactive map of facilities and stations
• 27 database files for detailed analyses of the latest NTD data
• 6 updated time-series files for year-over-year analyses of NTD data

Proposed Changes to Reporting Requirements for 2025-2026

This month, building on the historic funding of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, FTA is proposing improvements to National Transit Database (NTD) reporting for notice and comment. The proposed changes will ensure that NTD reporting collects accurate and comprehensive data that benefits the transit industry, riders and communities.

Proposed improvements include:

• Refinements to Geospatial Data Reporting. FTA recently began collecting geospatial data from transit agencies in the form of General Transit Feed Specification (GTFS) feeds. This data helped build the National Transit Map; supports trip planning for transit users; and standardizes information collecting on routes and schedules. This year, FTA is proposing to standardize agency identification within GTFS and begin requiring shapes.txt files for visual route information.
• Enhanced Safety Reporting for Cyber Security and Rail Collisions. FTA is proposing to clarify guidance on reporting cybersecurity events to better monitor and mitigate risks for transit agencies. For rail collisions, FTA is proposing alternatives to address events involving disabling damage, in line with FTA's recent rulemaking on State Safety Oversight.
• Asset Data Improvements. To better track ADA accessibility of passenger stations and simplify NTD reporting, FTA is proposing to consolidate stations and facility reporting into a single form and adding three asset categories to improve state of good repair estimation and modeling.
• NTD System Improvements. FTA is proposing to expand waivers for NTD full reporters who predominantly serve rural areas. This will lower reporting requirements for eligible agencies, particularly those affected by changes in the 2020 Census. In addition, FTA will add a self-certification for those who report to the NTD voluntarily.

These proposals will open for notice and comment for 60 days, closing on December 29th, 2024. FTA welcomes comments from any interested parties - transit users, agencies, labor unions, and all others with an interest in NTD reporting. See the Federal Register Notice here: Federal Register :: National Transit Database: Proposed Reporting Changes and Clarifications for Report Years 2025 and 2026

Frequently Asked Questions

Have questions about NTD reporting? Check out the list of frequently asked questions to answer remaining questions not addressed by the webpage's resources.