Metro ridership increases with Sunday data exceeding pre-pandemic levels

Metro ridership levels rose in June, reaching almost more than 25.2 million boardings on bus and rail services and about 85.5% of ridership during the same month in 2019 -- amid continued efforts to bolster public safety and encourage more people to ride transit, officials announced Monday.

The transit agency reported nearly 18.8 million boardings on weekdays, reaching 82.1% of its pre-pandemic levels. Weekends in June saw almost 6.4 million boardings, or about 97.7% pre-pandemic weekend ridership from June 2019.

Metro officials cited an increase in ridership due to weekend and leisure trips. With the start of the summer season, more people took Metro to weekend concerts, parades, festivals and sporting events.

Weekend ridership was up 32.2% over weekend ridership in June 2023 with combined bus and rail boardings reaching 97.7% of its June 2019 pre- pandemic level. Saturday boardings on bus and rail combined reached 94.6% of June 2019 levels, as well as Sundays, with an average combined boardings exceeding 101.6% of June 2019 levels.

Events such as LA Pride in the Park Concert saw a 197% ridership increase compared to other Saturday outings, and the Hollywood/Vine Station saw a 188% ridership boost, as well as the Hollywood/Highland Station, because of the LA Pride Parade and Block Party.

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Metro's K Line saw a 10% increase in ridership as riders headed to CicLAvia South LA, and drove a 5% increase overall across the entire transit system that day of the event.

There were about 19.5 million rides taken on Metro's bus system in June, a 4.6% year-over-year ridership increase over the same month last year. Weekend bus ridership stood at 14.7 million trips taken.

Weekday rail boardings stood at 5.6 million in June with more than 4 million trips taken on weekdays, a 79% increase of June 2019 ridership.

In an effort to make the transit system safer, the agency has implemented a plan, including more visible presence of uniformed personnel, station improvements, new fare gates, and partnering with cities and other agencies to address homelessness, drug addiction and untreated mental illness.

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