LA Metro’s February Ridership Advances as Customer Experience Improves
The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) announced that the agency saw a 9.4 percent increase in total system ridership in February 2024 compared to February 2023 with more than 23 million boardings. February 2024 marked the 15th consecutive month of year-over-year ridership growth.
In February 2024, Metro had 23,031,303 boardings on its bus and rail services. An average of 872,167 rides were taken each weekday with Saturday boardings averaging 662,561 and Sunday boardings averaging 516,388. Metro’s February bus and rail ridership combined was at 80.8 percent of its February 2019 pre-pandemic level. Average weekend ridership in February was 97.2 percent of pre-pandemic (February 2019) levels and average February weekday ridership was 73.8 percent of its February 2019 pre-pandemic level.
Ridership continues to grow after the 2023 launch of Metro’s human-centric, multilayered approach to safety, improved cleanliness, improved reliability and frequency of service as well as fully restored bus service.
Bus Ridership: Metro bus ridership saw a 10.6 percent year-over-year increase over February 2023. More than 18 million (18,073,168) rides were taken on Metro buses, with total bus ridership in February 2024 at 86.5 percent of its pre-pandemic (February 2019) level. Metro recorded an average of 688,956 bus boardings on weekdays in February, an average of 514,337 boardings on Saturdays and an average of 386,936 boardings on Sundays.
Rail Ridership: February 2024 marked the ninth month of operation for the newly reconfigured A and E Lines. The A Line, which serves customers from Azusa to Long Beach, saw 1,642,226 boardings. The E Line welcomed 1,057,112 users travelling on the line that services East L.A. to Santa Monica. The B/D subway lines saw the largest number of rail boardings during the month with 1,727,895 trips taken. Ridership on the A/E Lines combined was 2,699,338 during the month signaling riders are benefiting from the new Regional Connector A/E Line stations for more convenient one seat rides to and from downtown LA.
Leisure Travelers: Weekends continue to show the greatest ridership recovery as leisure travelers are increasingly turning to Metro. Average boardings on Saturdays reached 98.4 percent of February 2019 levels and on Sundays during the month average boardings reached 95.5 percent of February 2019 levels.
During February, weekend activities such as the Skyline LA music and art festival at Grand Park, the Firecracker Run and Festival in Chinatown, CicLAvia Melrose, and sporting events such as Los Angeles Football Club (LAFC) versus the Seattle Sounders at Exposition Park all welcomed riders to the system boosting weekend ridership recovery.
Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority: Second Year of Strong Ridership Growth
Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) ranked in the top 5 among the nation’s largest transit agencies in ridership growth last year, welcoming some 25-million riders aboard buses and light rail trains last year. The rankings are reported by the American Public Transportation Association (APTA.) The growth is a huge rebound toward reaching the full levels of ridership seen before the Covid pandemic began in early 2020.
VTA bus ridership increased by 22% in 2023, to 21.4 million riders, above the nation’s average increase of 18%. VTA light rail ridership increased 25% in 2023 over the year before with 4.5 million riders. The national average for light rail growth was 15% in 2023.
“This is significant, most importantly because our passengers are benefiting from the public transportation they rely on, but it tells us we’re making the right decisions about how we design and operate our service,” said Service Planning Manager Jay Tyree.
VTA overhauled its transit service plan to create a network of frequent bus and rail routes to the most transit-supportive areas of the county, rolling out the new service in December of 2019, just three months before the pandemic brought most public transit to drastically low service and ridership levels. Now that people are starting to settle into their normal lives, ridership is heading in the direction when the new service plan was first introduced, with more frequent service along higher ridership routes, including the 522 Rapid along Alum Rock Ave and El Camino Real highway, and several other routes.
Bay Area Rapid Transit Invites Small Business Owners to its 2024 Small Business Summit
Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) is held its 2024 Small Business Summit event on Monday, April 29 on the first floor of its headquarters located at 2150 Webster St. in Oakland.
Attendees will have the opportunity to hear tips from small business owners who have been awarded BART contracts, network with prime contractors, hear about upcoming contracts, learn about BART’s equity program and certifications process and learn about resources available to small businesses from community partners and other regional transit agencies.
BART is committed to ensuring that small businesses are afforded equal opportunities to participate on District contracts and agreements. Small businesses include Disadvantaged Business Enterprises, Disadvantage Veteran Business Enterprises, Minority-Owned Business Enterprises, Women-Owned Business Enterprises and Micro Small Business Entities.
Representatives from several departments and groups at BART will be available at the event to answer questions about upcoming contracts, programs and resources for small businesses. These include representatives from BART’s Infrastructure Delivery and Procurement departments along with staff from BART’s Office of Civil Rights and Small Business Support Services. April 29-May 3 is National Small Business Week. Visit bart.gov/ocr for a list of scheduled events during the week.
Metropolitan Transportation Commission, Association of Bay Area Governments Take a Fresh Look at Equity Priority Communities
Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) and the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) released a draft update to the Bay Area’s roster of Equity Priority Communities (EPCs). The agencies invite partners and technical stakeholders to provide comments, ask questions or offer other feedback about the updated draft EPC maps and related materials. The final update will be incorporated into Plan Bay Area 2050+(link is external), currently slated for adoption in fall 2025.
EPCs are designated census tracts with a significant concentration of underserved populations, such as households with low incomes and people of color. Leveraging the most recent American Community Survey (ACS) data (2018-2022), the 2024 Draft EPC Update identifies the geographies that would qualify a given census tract to be designated as an EPC moving forward.
By identifying which Bay Area communities are (or historically have been) underserved, MTC and ABAG can direct funding toward projects that promote more equitable access to transportation, housing and other services. The data also helps inform regional funding priorities and long-range planning efforts, including Plan Bay Area 2050+.
The designation of underserved Bay Area communities dates back to 2001, when MTC began using data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s ACS to identify populations that may have historically faced disadvantage and underinvestment due to their background or socioeconomic status. MTC has continually refined the framework definition as part of updates to Plan Bay Area.
Since the last update, census tract boundaries have changed due to shifts in population and development patterns. The 2024 Draft EPC Update includes recalculated thresholds of demographic variables that would qualify a census tract to be designated as an EPC. Though the overall number of EPCs in the nine-county region has increased, there has been a modest decline in the share of tracts identified as EPCs compared to the previous plan.
At a high level, most counties saw a decline in the share of EPCs, except for Marin County, which saw a moderate increase. Notably, all counties saw a decline in the share of low-income residents relative to Plan Bay Area 2050 analyses.
While the share of low-income residents declined, the region's racial diversity has continued to rise, consistent with previous EPC updates. Overall, the share of people of color in the region increased modestly from 58% to 61%.
AC Transit and the City of Oakland Partner to Roll Out Multiple Safety Enhancements
The Alameda-Contra Costa Transit District (AC Transit) in partnership with the City of Oakland are working to design, analyze, and ultimately enhance transit and roadway safety along East Oakland's International Boulevard corridor.
AC Transit initially took the lead and spearheaded transit improvements, known as the International Boulevard Quick Build project, primarily along the corridor's Tempo-Line 1T Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) lanes. Commonly referred to as "Quick Build," the project now spans from 14th to 107th Avenues and has been a close collaboration with the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office, Oakland Fire Department (OFD), Oakland Police Department (OPD), and the Oakland Department of Transportation (OakDOT).
"Since 2020, Line 1T-Tempo Bus Rapid Transit has transformed a near gridlock commute of two hours to a mere 50 minutes between Uptown Oakland and San Leandro,” said AC Transit CEO and General Manager Michael Hursh. "Due to Tempo’s overwhelming success as AC Transit's most heavily utilized bus line, we are currently exploring inventive approaches to strengthen the efficiency and dependability of BRT service and its dedicated bus only lanes. In fact, our transit district launched an exhaustive process to select a general contractor and is now prepared to proceed with the installation of a series of roadway enhancements that have undergone design and development over several months.”
AC Transit initially secured a $400,000 Quick Strike grant from the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) to install several Quick Build safety enhancements along eight blocks of International, from 14th to 42nd Avenues. The City of Oakland is contributing an additional $1.8 million to extend the project to 107th Avenue, prioritizing areas where its data suggests speeding and dangerous driving are concentrated.
The Quick Build safety enhancements include:
- Yellow vertical posts every 10 feet to separate directions of travel.
- White vertical posts every 15 feet between the BUS ONLY lane and general travel lanes.
- White painted text on the pavement to emphasize BUS ONLY lane.
- White painted arrows on pavement to emphasize permissible turns.
- All-new BUS ONLY lane violation and fines signage.
- All-new traffic enforcement Speed Limit signage.
- "BUS" sign installed on transit signals to separate transit-only use.
OakDOT is now partnering with AC Transit to introduce a pilot program for installing speed cushions aimed at curbing and ideally eliminating motorists driving in the bus only lane.
Speed cushions resemble the familiar residential speed bumps found in various Oakland neighborhoods. However, what sets speed cushions apart is their design, which allows for the passage of buses and emergency vehicles, such as fire trucks and ambulances.
OakDOT, OFD, and AC Transit will work together to identify optimal locations within the city's right of way for the placement of the pilot’s speed cushions. This collaborative effort will prioritize the operational needs of each agency.
Orange County Transportation Authority Encourages Public to Join Listening Sessions on Coastal Rail Resiliency
The Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) is seeking additional public input on a study to find solutions for protecting the rail line and preventing additional emergencies along the coast in San Clemente.
Two public meetings are scheduled – one virtually and the second in person – to gather feedback on the Coastal Rail Resiliency Study and an initial assessment that identified sites along the coastal rail line recommended for monitoring and reinforcement.
The goal is to ensure that rail traffic can continue moving without additional interruptions along this vital rail connection that links San Diego County passenger and freight traffic to Orange County and areas farther north.
The OCTA-led Coastal Rail Resiliency Study aims to evaluate and implement strategies to protect the railway in the vulnerable 7-mile stretch between Dana Point and the San Diego County Line, and keep rail traffic moving through the area for up to the next 30 years, while longer-term solutions are explored.
The rail line through this stretch of the coast is sandwiched between privately owned hillsides prone to failure and an eroding beach with rising tides. The immediate goal is to address the areas identified in need of protection as soon as possible before the next storm season arrives.
Because California continues to grapple with the increasing prevalence of storm-related damage to its transportation infrastructure, including rail, freeways and roads, OCTA recognizes the importance of adaptive strategies to maintain safe and efficient transportation.