Overall/youth rider numbers see big increase
RAPID CITY, SD—Ridership on Rapid Transit System (RTS) buses increased by a whopping 22 percent last month over the same month a year ago with over 25,000 passenger trips recorded.
Overall ridership for the RapidRide and Dial-A-Ride programs totaled 25,369 trips, a significant increase over the 19,683 trips recorded in March 2024. The March numbers were an 18 percent increase over February’s ridership numbers of 20,699.
By comparison, March’s overall ridership total increased more than 9,000 trips over the total recorded four years ago in March 2021 (16,357).
Youth ridership numbers also experienced a major spike in March. A total of 6,308 youth trips were recorded in March, a 24 percent increase over March 2024 when 4,795 trips were recorded and a 12 percent jump over February’s youth ridership total of 5,521.
“March was a busy month both for overall ridership and for our ‘Youth Ride Free’ program,” said RTS Manager Megan Gould-Stabile. “We are definitely seeing the increased numbers on our daily routes as confidence in our community’s public transportation system continues to grow and evolve.”
In January, Rapid Transit System began its RapidRide Route Refresher, restructuring some routes with small adjustments and others with additional locations.
MARCH RIDERSHIP TOTALS (Overall):
Year Ridership Total
2025 25,369
2024 19,683
2023 20,986
2022 18,788
2021 16,357
For more information about the RTS program, visit www.rapidtransitsystem.org or call 605-394-6631.
