Because Caltrain uses a proof-of-payment system and has no fare gates, Caltrain has historically used the following methods of ridership estimation and reporting:
Monthly Total Ridership and Average Weekday Ridership (AWR) are estimated based on sales data from the various methods passengers pay for Caltrain fares (“Fare Media”). For more information and to view monthly ridership estimates, please visit https://www.caltrain.com/about-caltrain/statistics-reports/ridership/fare-media-based
Caltrain provides Monthly and Fiscal Year (FY) end ridership to the NTD. Monthly ridership and FY end reported to the NTD is reported as Unlinked Passenger Trips (UPTs). Federally mandated on-board passenger counts are conducted to fulfill NTD requirements which require a random selection of statistically-valid ride checks to represent the transit agency’s sample group. Caltrain Fiscal Year (FY) end ridership is statistically-valid as the quarterly sampling plan utilizes the NTD Sampling Template. The NTD profile for the Peninsula Corridor Joint Power Board (PCJPB), the governing body for the Caltrain, can be found on the NTD webpage.
Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, Caltrain performed an extensive onboard ridership count once a year in the January/February timeframe. The Annual Passenger County was discontinued in 2020 due to cost and pandemic-induced changes in ridership patterns. Ridership reports for the years 2002-2019 were based on the Annual Passenger Count and can be found at https://www.caltrain.com/about-caltrain/statistics-reports/ridership/annual-count
Starting in Fiscal Year 2024, Caltrain transitioned to summarizing its monthly ridership data for its annual ridership reports.