LA Metro reports increased ridership and enhanced services

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LA Metro) leadership, featuring L.A. City Mayor Karen Bass, former Metro Board Chair Ara J. Najarian and CEO Stephanie Wiggins, has recently revealed the agency’s report, highlighting its increasing ridership and improved services.

In the previous fiscal year, LA Metro had achieved impressive milestones, driven by a surge in ridership and an expanded scope of rail and bus services. Initiatives geared towards ensuring safety, cleanliness, equity and customer satisfaction were also a priority. 

Under Najarian’s stewardship in FY 2023, LA Metro had seen a significant transformation of transit alternatives for Angelenos. Noteworthy achievements encompassed the inauguration of the K Line in South Los Angeles and Inglewood, coupled with the introduction of the Regional Connector in downtown Los Angeles. The agency has also restored bus schedules to pre-pandemic levels, achieving cancellation rates as low as 1-2%.

In addition, LA Metro’s fare programmes have gained traction, with 89,036 additional participants joining the LIFE programme, offering economically favourable fares to low-income individuals. Furthermore, the GoPass initiative has facilitated over 16.7 million free rides for K-14 students.

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Simultaneously, LA Metro has embarked on an innovative safety-focused strategy, which led to a significant 53% reduction in rail system crimes. The pilot Metro Ambassador programme introduced visible unarmed staff, collaboratively supporting transit customers and augmenting safety, in collaboration with security, law enforcement and maintenance units. 

Stephanie Wiggins, LA Metro’s CEO, said: “Metro aims to revolutionise the way Los Angeles moves and establish Metro as the preferred choice for transportation among Angelenos. We have a long way to go to reach that goal, but because of all the progress we made in the last fiscal year and because of the hard work of the 11,000 members of the Metro family, I have faith that we can get there. In the next year, we’ll continue putting people first by making our system faster, cleaner, friendlier and safer.”

The annual report echoes LA Metro’s commitment to advancing public transportation, prioritising safety, accessibility and service quality.