Miami-Dade Transit Ridership Rebounds With Metromover Leading the Way

Miami-Dade’s public transit system posted a strong rebound in June, with ridership rising 7.6 percent compared with the same month last year, led by a striking surge in Metromover use.

According to county figures, every mode of transit showed a gain in June. Metromover, the free downtown automated people mover, led the pack with a remarkable 54.1 percent increase over its June 2025 use. Metrorail also performed well, with passengers up 8.4 percent from the previous June. Even bus ridership eked out a gain of 0.6 percent, though that figure came with an important caveat.

The bus numbers were buoyed by the South Dade Bus Rapid Transit line, which recorded 163,868 rides in June, a service that did not exist a year earlier. Without that boost, bus ridership would actually have declined 3.2 percent, underscoring how the newer rapid transit corridor is propping up an otherwise softening bus system. Still, the month marked a clear recovery from May, when the system lost 5.6 percent of its passenger trips.

The rebound offers encouragement for a transit system that has struggled with declining ridership across its legacy services in recent years. Officials have long argued that South Florida’s growth and congestion demand robust public transportation, and gains like June’s suggest that investment in newer services and downtown mobility can pay off. The Metromover surge in particular reflects the density and activity of the urban core, where residents, workers, and visitors increasingly rely on the free circulator.

Despite the positive month, challenges remain. The system’s total June ridership of about 6.6 million trips was still roughly 550,000 trips lower than it was last October, the first month of the county’s fiscal year, indicating that the recovery has not yet returned the system to its recent peak. The county is also navigating a difficult budget season, with the mayor’s proposed spending plan calling for the elimination of some bus routes and reductions to early morning and late night service.

For riders and officials alike, June’s figures are a welcome sign that transit can grow when the right services are in place. Sustaining that momentum, while managing budget pressures and the long term financial challenges facing transit, will be the test in the months ahead.