New data from Fort Bend Transit shows how much monthly ridership dropped during the early part of the coronavirus pandemic.

In March 2020, there were a total of 19,414 riders, a 42.7% drop from the 33,910 total riders in March 2019, per data provided via email May 12.

“Our overall ridership began to plummet beginning on March 6, soon after the first known cases of COVID-19 were discovered within the region,” FBT Community Manager Tennille Jones said. “By the end of March and due in part to the ‘Stay Home Work Safe‘ mandate issued by both Fort Bend County and Harris County, our ridership numbers dropped.” To follow Fort Bend County’s stay-at-home order, the Fort Bend County Public Transportation Department suspended several service routes and reduced passenger capacity on operating routes on April 6. Fare collection was also suspended, but it will begin again May 31 or whenever the Fort Bend County emergency declaration is lifted.

Fort Bend County’s year-over-year March ridership decrease is larger than its counterpart in Harris County. The Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County reported a 25% drop in monthly ridership numbers in March 2020 compared to March 2019, according to a report the transit provider released May 6.