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Providing affordable access to transportation, enhancing mobility for everyone, furthering Metro’s commitment to environmental justice are key focus areas for the agency
Providing equitable access to high quality, reliable and affordable transit service for everyone is a civil right, so in honor of Transit Equity Day, the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) will offer free rides on all Metro buses, trains, Metro Bike Share and Metro Micro on Tuesday, Feb. 4.
Transit Equity Day is celebrated annually on the birthday of Rosa Parks, who by refusing to give up her seat on a public transit bus in 1955, helped to launch the civil rights movement in the United States. Transit Equity Day is now a day of action highlighting the efforts of transit providers, labor unions and climate justice advocates to promote equity in public transportation.
“Every single resident of LA County should know that they can step onto a Metro bus or train and expect to get where they’re going safely and reliably. Transit Equity Day is our opportunity to remind even those who are not regular riders that this system is here to serve them, and that we’re committed to providing a world-class service accessible to everyone,” said Metro Board Chair and LA County Supervisor Janice Hahn.
This year, Transit Equity Day highlights the importance of transportation in Los Angeles. In events like wildfires, Metro plays a key role in helping residents evacuate, access services, and stay connected, demonstrating how vital equitable transit is in supporting communities during emergencies. Throughout the year, Metro fosters a more connected, inclusive city through fare programs, equity-focused planning, accessible station design, and a commitment to environmental justice.
“We are proud of our initiatives to ensure affordable and accessible public transit,” said Stephanie Wiggins, Metro CEO. “From offering discounted and free fares for students, seniors, and people with lower incomes, to engaging the public in the design and implementation of our services, Metro strives to ensure that all people, regardless of where they live in LA County or how much money they make, have equitable access to high quality, reliable, and affordable transit services.”
Transit Equity is Every Day
Keeping Fares Affordable
Metro has several free and reduced fare programs, including GoPass, LIFE, senior discounts, fare capping, and a mobility wallet program, to assist people who rely on public transportation to get them where they need to go. These programs are popular, with LIFE riders taking 20.5 million rides in 2024 and 19.6 million GoPass boardings. The programs provide a more affordable alternative to owning and maintaining a car, thereby reducing financial strain on low-income families in a region where approximately 12.5% of households have no vehicles and 55% have a household income of less than $60,000.
Equity-Focused Planning
Metro is committed to making transit accessible and affordable for everyone and has created an Equity Focus Communities (EFC) designation to help us identify where transportation needs are greatest. Since its creation in 2019, the EFC Map considers the concentration of three characteristics including low-income households; Black, Indigenous, and other People of Color (BIPOC) residents; and households with no access to a car.
Metro has also put a renewed focus on ensuring diverse voices are heard when we plan our service and projects. In Dec. 2024 alone, we hosted 479 public events with over 44,000 participants. This engagement ensures diverse voices are heard in service planning and development.
Enhancing Mobility for Everyone
Metro strives to ensure that its services (including over 200 bus and rail routes) are fully accessible to all our customers, ensuring that people with disabilities can travel with dignity and ease. Our Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) standards often exceed state and federal requirements. All stations have at least one accessible entrance, and newer stations include ADA tactile directional guidance and hands-free access. Metro is also working to update our older stations. In addition, Metro provides multilingual resources to serve Los Angeles’ diverse population such as our Transit Watch app, which supports the 14 most commonly spoken languages in LA County.
Commitment to Environmental Justice
Metro strives to ensure clean air, a healthy environment, and protection from the elements for all LA County residents. Key initiatives include reducing greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles and facilities by 79% by 2030; transitioning our 2,000 plus bus fleet to zero emission vehicles by 2035 to help improve air quality in the neighborhoods we serve; and fighting climate change by preventing 496,491 metric tons of carbon dioxide (a greenhouse gas) emissions in 2023 through transit use. Metro is also improving bus stops with more shade and tree canopies and upgrading equipment so that it will work during a variety of weather conditions. For more information on our sustainability work, please visit Sustainability – LA Metro.
Free Rides on Transit Equity Day
In honor of Transit Equity Day, Metro will provide free rides on its bus, rail, bike share and Metro Micro rideshare services on Tuesday, Feb. 4. All Metro rail station turnstiles will be unlocked, allowing unrestricted access to the rail system. On Metro buses, bus riders will not need to TAP their fare cards at fare validators or fare boxes.
Metro Bike Share and Metro Micro will offer free rides that day as well. Users can redeem their Metro Bike Share 30-minute free ride by selecting ‘1-Ride’ at any Metro Bike Share kiosk, online or in the Metro Bike Share app, and use code be 020425. The code may be used multiple times throughout the day.
To redeem a free ride on Metro Micro, the agency’s on-demand rideshare service available in selected L.A. County neighborhoods, riders can book their ride and use code EQUITY25.
Explore Our Efforts Further
For more information on how Metro is identifying and implementing programs that reduce and eliminate disparities in access to opportunities, please visit How We’re Doing | Equity Information Hub. The Hub includes assessment tools, data, maps and engagement resources.
About Metro
Metro is building the most ambitious transportation infrastructure program in the United States and is working to greatly improve mobility through its Vision 2028 Plan. Metro is the lead transportation planning and funding agency for Los Angeles County and carries nearly 1 million boardings daily on a fleet of 2,200 low-emission buses and six rail lines.
Stay informed by following Metro on The Source and El Pasajero at metro.net, facebook.com/losangelesmetro, x.com/metrolosangeles, x.com/metroLAalerts and instagram.com/metrolosangeles.
