Agency Surges Public Safety Personnel, Begins Heightened Fare Enforcement on System
The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) today announced that the agency achieved 27,170,160 boardings on its bus and rail services in May. Metro carried an average of 980,865 boardings each weekday, an 8.2 percent increase over last May and the 18th-straight month of year-over-year ridership increases.
Additionally, average weekend ridership in May saw a 7 percent increase in boardings over May 2023 as more people took Metro to special events and leisure activities, with Saturday boardings at 2,706,120 and Sunday boardings at 2,885,010. In May, weekday ridership for bus and rail was at 81.1 percent of the level it was before the pandemic in May 2019. Weekend ridership in May reached 95.9 percent of the pre-pandemic level from May 2019.
Rail Ridership
The total number of May rail boardings was 5,887,366, with 4,573,712 trips taken on weekdays reflecting a 4.5 percent increase over May 2023. Average ridership on the A and E Lines is up 31 percent year-over-year when compared to the A, E, and L line configuration before the Regional Connector project was completed. Weekend ridership on the A and E Lines now exceed their pre-pandemic levels. Saturday ridership in May 2024 on A and E Lines was 0.9 percent higher than Saturday ridership on the A, E, and L Line configuration in 2019. Sunday ridership in May 2024 on the A and E Lines was 5.9 percent higher than Sunday ridership on the A, E, and L Lines in May 2019. In May, the A Line saw the largest total rail boardings with 1,946,782 trips taken, a 4.6 percent increase over April 2024.
Bus Ridership
In May, more than 21 million (21,282,794) rides were taken on Metro buses for a 9 percent year-over-year ridership increase over May 2023 and an 87.4 percent recovery of its May 2019 level. Metro recorded 17,005,318 bus boardings on weekdays in May 2024, up 10.9 percent over May 2023. On Saturdays in May 2,087,816 boardings occurred adding 37,736 riders over April 2024. Sundays in May saw 2,189,660 boardings, an increase of over a half million riders (517,132) over the previous month (April 2024).
Weekend/Leisure Ridership
During May, weekend activities were plentiful, and riders relied on Metro to get to many events taking place throughout Los Angeles County. Riders boosted weekend boardings, which reached 95.9 percent of its May 2019 pre-pandemic level. Saturday boardings on bus and rail combined reached 90.6 percent of May 2019 levels, and on Sundays during the month, average combined boardings reached 101.5 percent of May 2019 levels.
The Cruel World Music Festival on May 11 at Brookside Park at the Rose Bowl saw a 94 percent increase in ridership at the Memorial Park Station on Saturday compared to the previous Saturday. On the following weekend, May 18, The Just Like Heaven Music Festival at Brookside Park saw a 27 percent increase in ridership compared to the Cruel World event the previous Saturday and a 145 percent increase in Saturday ridership compared to a non-event weekend.
Concerts, sports and other special events are all helping to raise Metro’s weekend ridership. Additionally in May, Keinemusik music festival, Long Beach and West Hollywood Pride festivities, as well as LAFC and Angel City FC soccer matches (seven games combined) and 14 LA Dodger games added to weekend ridership.
Fare Programs
Metro continues to provide programs that make riding more affordable for everyone. The agency’s reduced-price transit pass programs, such as the student GoPass program, which offers free transit passes to K-12 and community college students, and its Low-Income Fare is Easy (LIFE) program, which provides free rides and reduced fares to low-income customers, are helping those who need it most.
In May, Metro’s GoPass Program that offers free transit passes to K-12 and community college students had 2,246,144 total boardings, a 10 percent increase over May 2023. In May the GoPass street team participated in numerous events including College Prep Day at Dodgers Stadium, Long Beach Teen Pride and Festival, Fremont High Art and Wellness Fair and Black College Success End of Year Event to share the free fare program with students.
The LIFE Program observed a 29 percent year-over-year increase in May 2024 ridership with 1,659,656 boardings compared to 1,291,153 in May 2023. During May the LIFE team held 51 in-person enrollment events at locations including Metro’s 8th Annual Older Adult Expo, Assembly District 57 Resource Fair, LA Promise Fund Community Resource & Health Fair, Long Beach Pride, and at CalFresh Awareness Month at Mar Vista Park in partnership with DPSS. These and other events in May signed people up for the reduced fare program.
Information on all Metro’s reduced fare programs, including discounts for seniors, persons with disabilities, and students, can be found at: metro.net/riding/fares/
Public Safety on Metro
Metro continues to increase its work to improve public safety with a three-point plan:
- Keep our employees and customers safe and ensure they feel safe through an increased visible presence of uniformed personnel, station improvements and improved bus safety measures;
- Ensure the system is being used only for its intended purpose of transit through fare gate improvements and removal of trespassers; and
- Continue to partner with the County, the Cities and Regional Agencies to address societal issues such as homelessness, untreated mental illness, drug addiction.
As part of this strategy, contracted law enforcement partners expanded their visible presence on the rail system, with the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) expanding its visible presence on the B/D and E Lines within their jurisdiction, the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department (LASD) increasing its presence on the A Line and the C Line, and the Long Beach Police Department (LBPD) increasing its visible presence on the A Line stations within their jurisdiction.
Metro Transit Security (MTS) surged its forces to enforce the rules of the system, also known as the Metro Customer Code of Conduct, on both the bus and rail system. As part of the MTS surge, Metro Transit Security Bus Safety Teams (BSTs) performed end-of-line operations during late-night “Owl” service on some of the busiest bus lines, including Lines 4, 20 and 720.
Metro Ambassadors also surged their deployment on Metro’s six rail lines and five of the busiest bus lines, to provide support to customers and keep a watchful eye out for problems. In May, Metro Ambassadors recorded their 1 millionth customer interaction (i.e., an interaction beyond a standard greeting) since their initial deployment in October 2022.
About Metro
The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) is building the most ambitious transportation infrastructure program in the United States and is working to greatly improve mobility through its Vision 2028 Plan. Metro is the lead transportation planning and funding agency for L.A. County and carries 980,000 boardings daily on six electric rail lines and 117 bus routes utilizing more than 2,000 low-emission buses.
Stay informed by following Metro on The Source and El Pasajero at metro.net, facebook.com/losangelesmetro, twitter.com/metrolosangeles and twitter.com/metroLAalerts and instagram.com/metrolosangeles.
