VA: Ridership on the Tide has not bounced back to pre-pandemic levels, but continues growth

Ridership on the Tide continues to claw its way back after annual ridership dropped over 50% from 2019 to 2021 during the onset of the coronavirus pandemic.

Passengers took almost 1.34 million rides on the 7.4-mile light rail system in Norfolk in 2019, according to data provided by Hampton Roads Transit.

Monthly ridership topped 121,000 and 123,000 respectivelyin April and October in 2019. However, the impact of the pandemic can be seen as numbers started to drop notably beginning in February 2020. By April 2020, the first full month the COVID-19 public health emergency was declared, passengers took just 25,617 rides.

Even as discussion over potential expansion of the light rail system has stalled, ridership has made some strides at bouncing back. The Tide finished 2021 with 620,000 rides. That grew to almost 727,000 rides in 2022 and over 780,000 rides last year. The highest monthly ridership since the pandemic was June 2023, with 83,000 rides — one of only two months last year when ridership was above 80,000. ..............(more)

https://www.masstransitmag.com/management/news/53095873/va-ridership-on-the-tide-has-not-bounced-back-to-pre-pandemic-levels-but-continues-growth