SHREVEPORT, La. — SporTran Transit says more riders used their service in 2024 than in any year in the city-based service’s history.

According to ridership data shared by SporTran, 2024 saw 4.2 million rides on the service’s buses and vehicles.

The 2024 ridership data shows a sharp uptick compared to 2023, where SporTran says 3.2 million rides were taken.

SporTran, which Metro Management Associates manage, says the growth since the agency implemented its “Zero Fare” program in 2022 has been vast, up 423% compared to 2021.

Federal aid previously covered most of the costs associated with the “Zero Fare” program. However, according to the City of Shreveport, about 60% of SporTran’s 2024 revenues, or $11,525,000, come from the City of Shreveport as federal funding has dwindled.

With the approval of the 2025 fiscal budget, the City of Shreveport decided to continue the “Zero Fare” program without Federal assistance.

“We’re thrilled with our 2024 SporTran and SporTran OnDemand ridership and performance numbers,” states CEO Dinero’ Washington. “With 1 million additional trips in just 12 months, the 2024 numbers show another massive year-over-year increase since we eliminated fare in 2022. These stats highlight how vital public transit is to the daily lives of our riders. Plus, Federal funding for transit systems is based on ridership, so when SporTran’s numbers increase, our funding increases.”

SporTran says their “OnDemand” ride-share service is also growing with 91,292 trips completed in 2024.