Memphis' transit system ranks among the worst in the country, according to a new report from Consumer Affairs published Sept. 16.
The city ranked 45th in the country with an overall score of 35.35 out of 100.
Consumer Affairs is a consumer news and advocacy platform that provides information for purchasing decisions for consumers. The publication scored 50 cities on their transit system and ranked them in order, using data from the Federal Transit Administration's National Transit Database and the U.S. Census Bureau, and assembled the results into a map of best and worst cities for public transit.
The data is from 2024, the most recent year available, according to Consumer Affairs.
Memphis transit was ranked 49th for usefulness and accessibility,
behind only Oklahoma City, which also ranked last overall. Memphis also scored 48th for operational safety rank, behind Indianapolis at 49th and New Orleans at 50th.
"The challenges identified in this report are real, and they are challenges MATA is actively addressing," said Rae Lyn Hartley, a spokesperson for the Memphis Area Transit Authority. "The Consumer Affairs analysis is based on 2024 federal data. Since then, MATA has been making significant investments in fleet, reliability, safety, and ridership to build a transit system Memphians can depend on every day."
MATA did land at #6 for affordability — last year, the transit authority launched a free fare pilot program, which was renewed and is still in effect.
Hartley said the transit authority plans to bring 56 new buses into service over the next 12 months as part of a $48 million investment in MATA’s fixed route fleet. MATA has also installed 16 new shelters and plans to add 30 more, and safety numbers are improving, she said.
Ridership is up 23% with more than 2.2 million passenger trips since the program began, Hartley said.
Jack Armstrong covers breaking news and the environment for The Commercial Appeal. He can be reached at jack.armstrong@commercialappeal.com and followed on X @jca2902.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Where does Memphis rank nationally for public transit? See the data
