Farebox recovery ratio

The farebox recovery ratio (also called fare recovery ratio, fare recovery rate or other terms) of a passenger transportation system is the fraction of operating expenses which are met by the fares paid by passengers. It is computed by dividing the system's total fare revenue by its total operating expenses.

Fare structures

There are generally two types of fare structures: a simple, flat rate fare structure (pay a fixed fare regardless of time of day and/or travel distance) or a complex, variable rate fare structure (pay a variable fare depending on time of day and/or travel distance). A variable fare structure is typically associated with a higher recovery ratio, though it may simply be the case that such systems are implemented only on more profitable networks or modes such as commuter rail. Variable-rate fares require a higher initial investment in fare ticketing technologies such as the use of contactless smart cards, turnstiles or fare gates, automated ticket machines, as well as IT infrastructure.

Farebox ratios around the world

The farebox recovery ratio is the ratio of fare revenue to total transport expenses for a given system.

{| class="sortable wikitable toccolours"

! Country or Region

! System

! style="text-align: center" data-sort-type="number" | Ratio

! style="text-align: center" | Fare system

! style="text-align: center" | Year

| style="text-align: center" | Hong Kong

| Mass Transit Railway (MTR)

| style="text-align: center" | 106.76%

| style="text-align: center" | Mostly Distance based

| style="text-align: center" | 2021

| style="text-align: center" | Hong Kong

| Hong Kong Tramway

| style="text-align: center" | 48.80%

| style="text-align: center" | Flat rate

| style="text-align: center" | 2021

| rowspan="2" style="text-align: center" | Hong Kong

| Kowloon Motor Bus

| style="text-align: center" | 100.05%

| style="text-align: center" | Route-specific

| style="text-align: center" | 2021

|Long Win Bus

| style="text-align: center" | 77.91%

| style="text-align: center" | Route-specific

| style="text-align: center" | 2021

| style="text-align: center" | Route-specific

| style="text-align: center" | 2021

| New World First Bus

| style="text-align: center" | 76.73%

| style="text-align: center" | Route-specific

| style="text-align: center" | 2021

| style="text-align: center" | Japan

| JR East Rail

| style="text-align: center" | 142.44%

| style="text-align: center" | Distance based

| style="text-align: center" | FY2018

| style="text-align: center" | Distance based

| style="text-align: center" | 2015

| Tokyo Toei Subway

| style="text-align: center" | 171.46%

| style="text-align: center" | Distance based

| style="text-align: center" | FY2018

| style="text-align: center" | 169.74%

| style="text-align: center" | FY2018

| style="text-align: center" | Flat rate

| style="text-align: center" | 2014

| style="text-align: center" | Taiwan

| Taipei Mass Rapid Transit

| style="text-align: center" | 87.64%

| style="text-align: center" | Distance based

| style="text-align: center" | 2021

| style="text-align: center" | Taiwan

| Kaohsiung Mass Rapid Transit

| style="text-align: center" | 52.57%

| style="text-align: center" | Distance based

| style="text-align: center" | 2020

| style="text-align: center" | Singapore

| SMRT Corporation (Singapore)

| style="text-align: center" | 101%

| style="text-align: center" | Distance based

| style="text-align: center" | 2018

| rowspan="2" style="text-align: center" | China

| rowspan="2" | Beijing Subway

| style="text-align: center" | 22%

| style="text-align: center" | Flat rate

| style="text-align: center" | 2013

| style="text-align: center" | 35.08%

| style="text-align: center" | Distance based

| style="text-align: center" | 2021

| style="text-align: center" | China

|Shenzhen Metro

| style="text-align: center" | 82.20%

| style="text-align: center" | Distance based

| style="text-align: center" | 2021

| style="text-align: center" | China

|Guangzhou Metro

| style="text-align: center" | 77.05%

| style="text-align: center" | Distance based

| style="text-align: center" | 2021

| Germany

|Berlin

| Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe

| style="text-align: center" | 70%

| style="text-align: center" | Zone based

| style="text-align: center" | 2010

| Belgium

|Brussels

| Brussels Intercommunal Transport Company

| style="text-align: center" | 35%

| style="text-align: center" |

| style="text-align: center" | 2007

| Czechia

|Prague

| Prague Integrated Transport

| style="text-align: center" | 17%

| style="text-align: center" | Flat rate

| style="text-align: center" | 2022

| Denmark

|Copenhagen

| Copenhagen Metro

| style="text-align: center" | 93.5%

| style="text-align: center" | Zone based

| style="text-align: center" | 2023

| France

|Paris

| Île-de-France Mobilités

| style="text-align: center" | 38%

| style="text-align: center" | Flat rate

| style="text-align: center" | 2018

| Germany

|Munich

| Munich Transport and Tariff Association

| style="text-align: center" | 70%

| style="text-align: center" | Zone based

| style="text-align: center" | 2010

| rowspan="2" | Italy

|Milan

| Milan Transportation System

| style="text-align: center" | 49%

| style="text-align: center" |

| style="text-align: center" | 2016

|Rotterdam

| Rotterdamse Elektrische Tram

| style="text-align: center" | 99%

| style="text-align: center" | Distance based

| style="text-align: center" | 2018

| Poland

|Warsaw

| ZTM

| style="text-align: center" | 37%

| style="text-align: center" | 2019

| rowspan="2" | Spain

|Catalonia

| Metropolitan lines of Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya (Catalonia)

| style="text-align: center" | 93%

| style="text-align: center" | Zone based

| style="text-align: center" | 2014

|Madrid

| Madrid Metro

| style="text-align: center" | 41%

| style="text-align: center" |

| style="text-align: center" | 2007

|Kalmar County

| Kalmar länstrafik

| style="text-align: center" | 43%

| style="text-align: center" | Zone based

| style="text-align: center" | 2023

|Östergötland County

| Östgötatrafiken

| style="text-align: center" | 47%

| style="text-align: center" | Zone based

| style="text-align: center" | 2024

| Switzerland

|Zurich

| Zürich S-Bahn

| style="text-align: center" | 60%

| style="text-align: center" | Zone based

| style="text-align: center" | 2014

| style="text-align: center" | Zone based

| style="text-align: center" | 2019

| Turkey

|Istanbul

| Metro Istanbul A.S.

| style="text-align: center" | 90%

| style="text-align: center" | Flat rate

| style="text-align: center" | 2019

| rowspan="2" style="text-align: left" | United Kingdom

| rowspan="2" |London

|London Underground

| style="text-align: center" | 129.50%

| style="text-align: center" | Zone based

| style="text-align: center" | 2022-2023

| style="text-align: center" | Zone based

| style="text-align: center" | 2018–19

|British Columbia Coast

|BC Ferries

|$759,073

|$985,196

|77%

|Brampton

|Brampton Transit

|$125,102

|$233,752

|53.5%

|Calgary

|Calgary Transit

|$147,400

|$437,900

|33.7%

|Edmonton

|Edmonton Transit System

|$123,841

|$623,513

|19.9%

|Mississauga

|MiWay

|$101,400

|$215,800

|Montreal

|Société de transport de Montréal

|46%

|Flat rate

|2016

|Ottawa

|OC Transpo

|$289,773

|$724,386

|40.0%

|Quebec City

|Réseau de transport de la Capitale

|39%

|Flat rate

|2011

|Toronto

|Toronto Transit Commission

|$937,934

|$2,392,245

|39.2%

|Vancouver

|TransLink

|46.4%

|Zone based; transition to distance based upcoming

|2024

|Victoria

|BC Transit (Victoria regional transit system)

| 28.4%

|Flat rate

|2022

|Winnipeg

|Winnipeg Transit

|$92,544

|$218,985

|42.3%

|Regional Municipality of York

|York Region Transit

|$75,000

|$304,291

|24.6%

|Flat rate

|2024

United States

{| class="wikitable sortable"

!Region

!System Operator

!Fare Revenue

!Operating Expenses

!Ratio

!Fare System

!Year

|Nationwide

|Amtrak

|$2,991,500,000

|$3,626,800,000

|81.1%

|Distance & demand based

|2024

|Montgomery County MD, DC

|RideOn

|$5,276,327

|$178,136,970

|3%

|Flat Rate

|2023

|Northern Virginia, DC

|VRE (Virginia Railway Express)

|$28,000,000

|$190,000,000

|15%

|Distance based

|2023

|Boston, MA-NH-RI

|MBTA

|$545,414,783.00

|$1,556,792,859.00

|20.5%

|Flat rate

|2023

| rowspan="10" |New York-Newark, NY-NJ-CT

|NYC Ferry

|29%

|Flat Rate

|2017

|MTA Bus

|$95,403,036.00

|$712,036,903.00

|13.40%

|2020

|MTA Staten Island Railway

|11%

|Flat rate

|2019

|2020

|Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN-WI

|Metro Transit

|$40,804,932.00

|$413,038,880.00

|9.88%

|Flat rate with rush hour and express surcharges

|2025

|Phoenix-Mesa, AZ

|Valley Metro

|$21,292,051.00

|$208,489,994.00

|10.21%

|2020

|2022

|Washington State Ferries

|51%

|Route Based

|2023

|Sound Transit Express Bus

|$14,403,774

|$144,174,454

|10%

|Zone & distance based

|2023

|Sound Transit Link Light Rail

|$32,358,465

|$205,314,451

|16%

|Zone & distance based

|2023

|Albany-Schenectady, NY

|CDTA

|$20,804,704.00

|$93,755,632.00

|22.19%

|2020

| rowspan="2" |Las Vegas-Henderson, NV

|Las Vegas Monorail

|56%

|Flat rate

|2016

|Orlando, FL

|SunRail

|7%

|Distance based

|2018

|Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board (Caltrain)

|70%

|Zone based

|2019

|Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority

|10%

|Express surcharges

|2016

|Southern California Regional Rail Authority (Metrolink)

|34%

|Distance based

|2019

Oceania

{| class="sortable wikitable toccolours"

! Country

!Region

! System

! style="text-align: center" data-sort-type="number" | Ratio

! style="text-align: center" | Fare system

! style="text-align: center" | Year

|Australia

|Canberra

|ACTION

|6.3%

|Flat rate

|2024

|Australia

|Brisbane

|Translink (Queensland)

|24%

|Zone & time based

|2013

|Australia

|Perth

|Transperth

|23%

|Zone & time based

|2013

|Australia

|Sydney

|Sydney Trains

|20%

|Distance based

|2016

|Australia

|Sydney

|Metropolitan Bus System

|25%

|Distance based

|2016

|New Zealand

|Christchurch

|35%

|Zone based

|2012–13