LACMTA Logs 11th Consecutive Month of Ridership Growth
Written by Marybeth Luczak, Executive Editor
LACMTA’s monthly bus and rail ridership is now at 79% of its 2019 pre-pandemic level, with average weekend and average weekday ridership at 92% and 78% and of pre-pandemic (October 2019) levels, respectively. (LACMTA Photograph)
More than 26.5 million riders boarded the Los Angeles County (Calif.) Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s (LACMTA) bus and rail services in October 2023—up nearly 12% from October 2022 and marking the 11th straight month of year-over-year ridership growth, the agency reported Nov. 27.
Monthly bus and rail ridership is now at 79% of its 2019 pre-pandemic level, with average weekend and average weekday ridership at 92% and 78% and of pre-pandemic (October 2019) levels, respectively. In October, an average of 956,754 rides were taken each weekday, highlighting the second consecutive month that weekday ridership has surpassed 900,000 boardings, according to LACMTA, while Saturday boardings averaged 667,506 and Sunday boardings averaged 562,017. Weekends continue to show the greatest gains in post-pandemic ridership recovery, the transit agency said, noting that sporting events such as college football and Rams and Chargers games are contributing factors. Average boardings on Saturdays reached 89% of their pre-pandemic (October 2019) level and average boardings on Sundays reached 95% of their pre-pandemic (October 2019) level.
“The increased focus on safety, and the resulting 43% decrease in crime across the system since April, improved reliability and frequency of service, plus more Metro Ambassadors helping customers navigate the system, are all helping to drive increased ridership,” LACMTA reported.
October 2023 also marked the fourth full month of operation for the A (Blue) and E (Gold) lines. The A (Blue) Line, which serves customers from Azuza to Long Beach, saw a 9.5% increase in month-over-month ridership with 1,737,608 boardings in October 2023 and 1,586,470 boardings in September 2023. The E (Gold) Line, which serves customers from East Los Angeles to Santa Monica, had a 7% increase in month-over-month ridership with 1,208,838 boardings in October 2023 and 1,130,105 boardings in September 2023. July 2023 marked the first full month of operation for the newly reconfigured A and E lines, thanks to the opening of the Regional Connector project in June. The Regional Connector project consolidated three of LACMTA’s legacy rail lines—A (Blue), E (Expo), and L (Gold)—into two. The project also opened three new stations in downtown Los Angeles.
LACMTA bus ridership in October 2023 saw a 12.5% year-over-year increase. Nearly 21 million rides were taken, with total bus ridership at 80% of its pre-pandemic (October 2019) level.
Additionally, the GoPass pilot program saw nearly 2 million student boardings with 1,777,199 student bus boardings and 194,424 student rail boardings, according to the transit agency. To date the program has 340,000 registered students from 1,570 participating schools in 115 participating school districts. LACMTA’s Low-Income Fare is Easy (LIFE) program saw 1,437,046 boardings in October 2023 from the nearly 300,000 people enrolled in the program, which provides free rides and reduced fares to low-income customers on 13 transit systems across Los Angeles County.
Separately, LACMTA reported that it will add more frequent light rail service on the A, C, E and K Lines beginning Dec. 10, as part of its program of twice-yearly service changes. For the A Line and E Line, weekday peak-hour trains will operate every eight minutes instead of 10 minutes; weekday midday and Saturday/Sunday 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. trains will operate every 10 minutes instead of 12 minutes; and two additional trains will be added at the end of the nightly schedule each direction, extending service by an extra 40 minutes each night, weekdays and weekends.
For the C Line (Norwalk to Redondo Beach, weekday midday and Saturday/Sunday 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. trains will operate every 10 minutes instead of every 15 minutes; weekday peak hour service will remain every 10 minutes. For the K Line, which opened in October 2022, midday trains during the week will operate every 10 minutes instead of every 12 minutes, and weekday peak-hour service will remain every 10 minutes; weekend trains will operate every 20 minutes to accommodate construction and testing work to connect the C and K lines and construction of the new LAX/Metro Transit Center Station, both of which are slated to open in late 2024, LACMTA said.
