Metro Youth Council: How We Plan to Get Around as Adults

The Metro Youth Council is made up of 27 young people from across Los Angeles County.

The Metro Youth Council was started last year and is made up of 27 young people from across Los Angeles County—i.e. Metro’s future riders and stakeholders. The Council helps give them a voice in an agency that will be serving them for many years to come (learn more about the Council here).

We recently asked Youth Council members: “How do you plan to or want to get around as an adult?” Below are some of their responses.

• “Presently and in the future, I hope to use transportation that doesn’t warrant a negative response onto our world. Of course, in the eyes of the general public, cars are more convenient and reliable than your standard old bus. However, I hope to indulge in public transportation as it has become a more dependable service and aids into leaving a better world for our future generations.”—Juliana Domingo, South Bay
  
• “Later in life as an adult my plans for getting around places would be by a car hopefully for most places but I have and still plan to use public transportation like Metro. I have used Metro as my way of transportation right now and would like to keep it up.” —Christian Recinos, San Fernando Valley
  
• “My transportation style would probably be a mix of taking the bus and driving a car. Sometimes a schedule could be in a time crunch, or if an area isn’t accessible for public transportation, I’d go for a car. In most situations, I would try to use Metro Rail and Metro Buses, especially when visiting Downtown Los Angeles, because overall it would be really nice to not need to drive. Also, not worrying over parking would be really beneficial. Similar to that, I would likely opt for Amtrak not just because of rising gas prices, but also that it’s a really fun way to travel and see some beautiful sights and neighborhoods when traveling longer distances.”—Amir King, San Gabriel Valley
  
• “I want to use trains to travel when I’m an adult. New York is one of the cities I’d most like to reside in, and given the heavy traffic, the subway seems to be the best method to travel around the city. Additionally, I value environmental responsibility greatly, thus I would like to not use a car as my primary source of transportation.”—-Catherine Chan, South Bay
  
• “I envision myself getting around using public transportation like subways and buses. I also want to see biking as a main form of transportation in my future! I feel as though car usage and car culture will not be as prominent in the near future as public transportation becomes more accessible and eco-friendly.”—Orisha Lamon, North County
  
• “When the time of me having my driver’s license and possibly even my own car arrives, I will not place total faith and reliance on it as my main source of transportation. I will continue to capitalize on the Metro’s usefulness, convenience, and environmentally friendly impact.”–Evan Wilson, Gateway Cities
  
• “In my adult life, I definitely plan to combine multiple methods of transportation depending on the commuting distance and the routes that are available to reach my destination. I do plan on decentralizing the use of a private vehicle in my life. I believe that to act as a proponent for a better and more inclusive public transportation system, people must also commit to using it to learn its benefits and shortcomings—so they can diligently advocate for its improvement. The most appealing forms of public transit for me are Metrolink trains, low-fare and local public ride share services like Metro Micro, and accessible bike share systems like Metro Bike Share! With a combination of these services and hopefully the expansion of them, I am hopeful that I will be able to commute to most destinations around the Los Angeles County region quite safely and conveniently.”—San Ly, San Gabriel Valley
  
• In the near future, I envision using transportation that is suited to the eco-friendly revolution that is responding to global warming and increased urbanization. For example, I plan to take rides in electric vehicles, aerial drones, and car sharing schemes —and I hope to utilize autonomous buses and light rails. Similarly, for Metro, I intend to capitalize on the incorporation of smart technology and big data on its mobility services. Going even further, I want to use hyperloop train systems that travel at supersonic speeds for transatlantic or intercontinental trips. The implementation of petrol-alternative fuels, such as biogas and hydrogen, will become the primary sources of energy. Overall, these optimistic envisionings of transportation that are sustainable, cost-efficient, and will accomplish reality by the time I reach adulthood.–Noah Suboc, Arroyo Verdugo
  
• “As an adult I plan to commute to work with a personal vehicle if I am in need to carry something or have somewhere non-accessible by public transport. If not, I will use my resources and commute to work via train or bus. As that is the more logical and resource saving way.”––Brian Medrano, Gateway Cities
  
• As an adult, my main goal is to get around sustainably. This means steering away from a personal car and adopting more environmentally friendly options. In the future, I want to ride trains, buses, and even bikes to get around the city.–Chris Jun, Westside Cities
  
• In the future, I want cities to be walkable for daily errands and I hope to rely more on public, environmentally friendly transportation options for longer-distance travel.–Allen Yamin, Las Virgenes
  
• As an adult I could use resources from Metro like the trains or buses unless I save money till I’m able to buy a vehicle that would be my method of transport. But I’d probably most likely get around using Metro to get places as an adult.–Wilmer Roblero, Central LA
  
• “Once I’m an adult, as the oldest from a big family, I’ll likely be paying for my own livelihood so I’ll definitely be relying on more cost-effective ways of traveling. In my case, I’ll be biking to places and using Metro for longer commutes, like visiting family or attending an event! In general, any simple way of commute that isn’t too hefty on my wallet would be my to-go!–Sheyla Aviles, North County
  
• The way I would like to get around as an adult would be mainly bus and train. Bus has been my main comfort zone to use whenever I need to go somewhere like the market while I use train whenever I need to go long distance. I’m used to traveling by car—and if there were any way that cars can be sustainably eco friendly I would feel more comfortable with traveling by car. –Paulette Nava, Gateway Cities