Ridership, Finance, Health & Safety

Public transportation is an essential service, and COVID-19 hasn’t changed that since the start of the pandemic in 2020. We’re no less dedicated to providing a safe way to keep Clark County moving every day. In 2021, C-TRAN maintained that commitment to safety and service:

SAFETY/HEALTH ■ C-TRAN continues to go above and beyond local, state and federal guidelines to keep our vehicles safe for passengers and employees. While some physical distancing requirements were revised in 2021, masks are still required on public transportation. Transit field service workers are out on transit center platforms seven days per week to clean and disinfect vehicles between trips during the day. All vehicles in our fleet are cleaned every night also.

RIDERSHIP ■ During the early part of the pandemic in 2020, C-TRAN’s ridership was impacted less than many other transit agencies—a testament to the importance of transit in Clark County. In 2021, C-TRAN tallied a total ridership of 3.45 million trips, a decrease from 2020. Many routes have bounced back strongly. Five Local routes saw ridership increases in 2021, including routes 7, 19, 72, 74 and 78. By the end of 2021, some routes were starting to see daily ridership levels that surpassed even pre-pandemic averages at times.

BUDGET ■ C-TRAN continues to operate as a financially healthy, debt-free agency. The vast majority of C-TRAN’s operating revenue comes from local sales tax, which has come in higher than budgeted levels in recent years. The rest of C-TRAN’s operating revenue comes from grants, passenger fares and other sources. About two-thirds of C-TRAN’s operating expenses go toward salaries, wages and benefits—in other words, people. Other expenses go toward supplies, services and other miscellaneous expenditures. C-TRAN remains in a strong position to take on major capital projects in the coming years, including the Mill Plain BRT project and improvements to C-TRAN’s Operations and Maintenance facilities.