Connecticut is investing in modernizing and improving the public transit system. Understanding how riders engage with the transit system is important for assessing performance and making decisions for improvements. Let’s see what the Connecticut transit rider engagement and state efforts are to improve it.
Transit Rider Engagement
When you plan to transform or improve the public transit system, it’s important to clear the facts from the people who will be using it the most. It’s a two-way relationship between passengers and public transit authorities to gain feedback and work for a better system.
Authorities typically examine transit engagement to identify areas of failure and determine how to enhance the user experience. This process helps them design a system that meets real-world needs, ensures that investments are justified, and promotes transparency.
In recent years, the State of Connecticut has taken the initiative to build a sustainable, modern, and transparent public transit system. After the pandemic era, the riders’ density has decreased, and people are preferring their private vehicles more.
What does the current Connecticut transit rider engagement say?
The Connecticut transit rider engagement shows an upward trend since 2022, but it is still low from the era before the pandemic. The engagement of users increased in 2022 after the decrease between 2019 and 2021 due to COVID-19.
According to reports, the state has recovered 85% of the riders’ density from pre-pandemic times in 2025. The trips are improving thanks to the state’s efforts to improve public transit and modernize it. Here you can check the transit rider density recovered over the years after the pandemic:
| Year | Rider Density Recovered |
| 2021 | 42% |
| 2022 | 52% |
| 2023 | 76% |
| 2024 | 79% |
| 2025 | 85% |
The reports say people are still driving to commute to work in the state, hence it’s important to make the public transit system more reliable for the citizens, not only for work commute but other purposes. The number says that the Metro-North New Haven line has secured the highest engagement in 2022.
What is Connecticut doing to enhance the Transit Rider Engagement?
The State of Connecticut is working to improve transit rider engagement over the years and return to the figure that we used to have before the pandemic. Let’s see what efforts the state has taken to increase the riders’ engagement:
- Transit is a Trip Campaign:
- The CT DOT started the campaign statewide in 2022 to encourage people to take the CT rail and bus transit systems.
- The department used various communication channels, social media, billboards, digital ads, and many more, to connect with the residents.
- Train stations ADA Accessibility:
- The DOT started the 08 train stations renovation or relocation to improve the services and ensure the stations are ADA-compliant for disabled people.
- Transit App:
- The DOT started providing free subscriptions to Transit Royale in February 2023, which helped users track their bus and train trips, their real-time location, and others.
- The CTtransit, CTFastrack, CTHartford Line, and others are available on the Transit App, which makes things easy for commuters.
- Transportation development:
- The Governor has allocated more than $55 million for transportation in the February 2025 budget.
- The CT DOT has begun many projects related to the bus, rail, and other public transit to improve infrastructure, install new technologies, and many other things.
- Rail Service Improvements:
- With the federal and state efforts, the CT DOT has started projects on various rail lines, such as the Hartford Line and others.
- The project’s line, NHHS, and double track bring new stations, improving connectivity, enhancing the tracks, and many more.
- Microtransit:
- The CT DOT has piloted microtransit options on public demand in various municipalities, such as Milford, Ansonia, New Haven, and others.
- This provides the cheapest option to the residents through the ITMP program, where they can pay for the rides through a contactless payment option, too.
What more is Connecticut doing on the ground level for rider engagement?
The state of Connecticut has launched public meetings or events to gauge the public opinion on certain decisions. The Connecticut Public Transportation Council is the voice of the people to listen to their concerns and help them fight with the authorities.
Apart from the advisory councils, the state has also started multi-lingual outreach programs to support everyone and listen to their problems. The more the department makes the public transit system approachable and accountable for residents’ problems, the more people are attracted to the public transit.
The state has proposed some legislation for better connectivity and services for the public, such as restoring the Shore Line East service as it was before the pandemic, to improve the ridership density.
The state, DOT, and other organizations are making an effort to increase the transit riders’ engagement, so that it can reduce traffic, the state can reach environmental goals, and it will also help the economy.
