Coronavirus is taking a big bite out of public transportation ridership in the US

Public transportation ridership is down sharply in some major cities, with many residents opting to work from home or avoid taking transit to minimize their exposure to COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. Meanwhile, the public agencies that run subways and buses are mulling service cuts and fare increases to keep finances afloat, which could dampen ridership even more and threaten their financial stability. It’s a worst-case scenario with no obvious solution in sight.

The Verge requested ridership data from most major transit agencies in the US to get a sense of how they were faring in the initial stages of the pandemic. The response from some cities was grim, while others appeared to be holding steady in these early...

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