LA Metro's Low-Income Fare is Easy (LIFE) Program Hits Over 250,000 Enrollments
The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) announced that its Low-Income Fare is Easy (LIFE) program has achieved over 250,000 enrollments. The LIFE program helps qualifying Los Angeles County residents save money by providing free rides or deeply discounted fares on 13 transit systems across Los Angeles County.
Metro launched an improved LIFE program in 2019, which has provided more than 17 million free or discounted rides on 13 transit systems since late 2021. To qualify for LIFE, an applicant must be 18 years or older and earn $44,150 a year or less, as defined by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
“Public transportation is an everyday lifeline for Angelenos, and as a result of the LIFE program, we’re helping make Metro more accessible and affordable for L.A. County residents,” said Los Angeles Mayor and Metro Board Chair Karen Bass. “Whether riders are headed to school, the office, visiting friends and family or to a favorite destination, we want to ensure that everyone has the means to access public transportation.”
“Transportation is the second largest household expense behind housing, and we’re committed to reducing those costs for families,” said Metro CEO Stephanie Wiggins. “We’ve focused on expanding LIFE Program participation over the last two years, nearly tripling participation in the last two years. Our work continues as we strive to enroll even more people in the LIFE program through partnerships with community-based organizations and local governments.”
Santa Cruz Metro Expands ‘One Ride at a Time’ with Striking New Wildlife Buses
Photographer Jodi Frediani Joins Agency’s Conservation Campaign
Santa Cruz Metropolitan Transit District (METRO) has unveiled a new wildlife bus as part of One Ride at a Time, its acclaimed campaign to showcase the environmental benefits of transit, encourage bus ridership and protect Santa Cruz County’s extraordinary natural resources. The new bus joins the 15 photo-wrapped buses already carrying passengers throughout the region.
With this new wave of buses, METRO also welcomes a new partner to the One Ride at a Time campaign: Jodi Frediani, an award-winning photographer and humpback whale researcher.
“We are delighted to welcome Jodi Frediani to the One Ride at a Time team,” said METRO CEO/General Manager Michael Tree. “Her stature in the conservation community, as both a photographer and a researcher, demonstrates the significance of this campaign in the effort to protect our Monterey Bay.”
By the end of 2024, about 30 wrapped buses will be traveling throughout Santa Cruz County and featuring inspiring images of whales, sea otters, mountain lions, redwoods and more.
Through One Ride at a Time, every ride on a METRO bus donates to METRO’s partners in protecting the environment, the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary Foundation and the Bay of Life Fund.
Every ride on a METRO bus takes cars off the road and significantly reduces greenhouse gas emissions. Moreover, METRO is converting its entire bus fleet to zero-emissions buses (ZEBs). By the end of 2023, METRO will have nine ZEBs deployed in the county with more coming every year. To date, seven of the wrapped One Ride at a Time buses are ZEBs.
SFMTA: Reimagine Potrero Yard: View Latest Designs
The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency's (SFMTA) Potrero Yard is the nation’s first known joint development of a bus maintenance facility with integrated housing and retail.
Located at Bryant and Mariposa Streets, Potrero Yard is an over 100-year-old bus yard, which is long past its lifespan and does not meet current seismic safety standards. The new state-of-the-art bus facility will not only improve maintenance and storage capabilities but support a greener, more sustainable and reliable transportation system for our community.
The Potrero Yard Modernization Project also gives San Francisco a unique opportunity to address a critical housing need. The project proposes up to 513 units of affordable and workforce housing, subject to funding sources and market feasibility. Plus, it includes retail opportunities at three key intersections with space for street vendors along 17th Street. This design is rooted in being a good neighbor by minimizing shadowing on Franklin Square Park, providing a public restroom, offering views into the yard of Muni operations and including a strategy to achieve a LEED Gold rating.
SacRT Awarded $4.4 Million for Three Projects to Improve Transportation and Focus on Climate Change
The Sacramento Regional Transit District (SacRT) is thrilled to announce that it has been awarded a total of $4.4 million in state grant funding for three projects aimed at enhancing transportation infrastructure and addressing climate change impacts within the Sacramento region. These grants underscore SacRT’s commitment to sustainable and accessible transit options across the region.
The grant awards are as follows:
Strategic Growth Council Affordable Housing Sustainable Communities (AHSC) Grant – $3.2 Million
These enhancements will improve the overall transit experience for riders while contributing to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. In addition, as part of the AHSC award, BRIDGE Housing will transform the vacant land and unoccupied buildings into a vibrant mixed-use development including 124 affordable homes. The ground floor will include a commercial childcare center available to residents of the broader neighborhood, a resident services suite, community room, and a multipurpose room, surrounding a courtyard with playgrounds and community gardens.
Caltrans Climate Adaptation Planning Grant – $730,209
In a collaboration effort with the City of Sacramento and SacRT funds were secured to address the impacts of climate change. The project involves a comprehensive multi-hazard risk assessment of transportation systems, the development of adaptation solutions, and the creation of a prioritized list of transit projects using a multi-criteria analysis.
Caltrans Climate Adaptation Grant – $470,000
SacRT, in partnership with the City of Elk Grove, has received funding to further plan and conceptual design for extending the Blue Line light rail and/or bus rapid transit from the city of Sacramento to the city of Elk Grove. This project encompasses an existing conditions report, alignment and station location recommendations, ridership projections, technical analysis, traffic modeling, and station area plans.
“These grants mark a significant milestone in our efforts to enhance transit accessibility, increase housing and reduce our region’s carbon footprint,” said SacRT General Manager/CEO Henry Li. “We are committed to delivering sustainable and innovative solutions that will not only improve transit services but also contribute to a greener and more resilient future for the Sacramento region.”
BART: Celebrating Bay Area Transit Month in September
September 1, 2023, marked the official start of the Bay Area’s 8th Annual Transit Month. Hosted by San Francisco Transit Riders and Seamless Bay Area with support from local transit agencies, including BART, Transit Month toasts the many trains, buses, and ferries that connect the region and uplift its communities, economies, and cultures.
During Transit Month, riders are encouraged to explore the region by taking local transportation. This month is hallmarked by a multitude of free events, a Ride Contest, ride-a-longs with transit leaders, a Rider First Awards ceremony, and more.
Last year, riders logged more than 3,000 regional transit trips during the monthlong celebration, and we’re hoping to see even more rides logged this year!
“It’s no secret that the past few years have been hard on our transit, and though we scraped by a budget win recently, it’s not enough. That’s why we need to uplift transit all September long and highlight how necessary it is to keep our city equitable, equal, and fun,” said Thea Selby, Board Co-Chair of San Francisco Transit Riders, which created Transit Month. “It is more important than ever before that we show our elected leaders how important transit is to our city, and that we need to continue funding it. Let’s prove that to them this Transit Month by getting out and taking transit!”
Transit Month prizes are awarded to riders who log the most trips during the Ride Contest. But logging the most rides isn’t the only way to get a prize; this year, when a rider logs a trip, their name will be entered into a raffle.
BART: Not One More Girl Safety Events
BART officials will be joined by community partners at two safety events as part of the Not One More Girl initiative to educate riders about safe bystander intervention tactics and preventing sexual harassment on BART. The first event was held this week.
Event Details
- Thursday, October 5, 2023, at Lake Merritt BART Station from 12pm-3pm. View the Flyer.
The Not One More Girl team will host these "Bystander Safety Zone" events to hand out our new bystander intervention safety cards and other informational material from the campaign, while speaking to riders about tangible things we all can do to make BART safer for youth.
Not One More Girl is a BIPOC youth-led initiative in partnership with community-based organizations and BART to end gender-based violence. Phase II of the campaign launched last month.