A Decade In, Metro’s Senior Transit Expo Sells Out Pasadena Convention Center

For the 10th straight year, the Pasadena Convention Center filled with older adults learning how to read a route map, tap a fare card, and board a bus — skills that sound simple until you are 75 and have never ridden transit alone.

More than 500 seniors from across Los Angeles County registered for Friday’s 10th Annual Older Adult Transportation Expo, a free, sold-out event organized by Metro’s On the Move Riders Program, according to Metro. The expo, open to adults age 55 and over, marks a decade of the program’s work training older adults to navigate public transit through breakout workshops, volunteer mentoring, and on-site TAP-card enrollment — arriving at a moment when Metro is extending its A and D rail lines and preparing to move spectators to the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games, according to the event’s Eventbrite listing.

The Pasadena connection runs deeper than the venue’s address. Pasadena Transit operated a free shuttle from the Memorial Park A Line Station at Raymond Avenue and Holly Street beginning about 8:15 a.m., and Metro maintains two active travel clubs in Pasadena where volunteer “travel buddies” take older adults on practice trips, according to Lilly Ortiz, manager of the On the Move Riders Program, speaking on Pasadena Media’s On the Move podcast in April.

“We’re expecting over 500 older adults from all over the county to come and join us,” Ortiz said.

The morning schedule included two breakout sessions tailored to riders of varying experience — from first-timers who have never used a TAP card to seasoned riders seeking new destinations — followed by an “appy hour” demonstrating transit apps, a public safety presentation, and a closing keynote, Ortiz said. About 60 volunteer travel buddies systemwide were expected to lead practice trips and a transit champions parade through the convention center, she said.

A mobile customer center was on site to process senior TAP-card applications, photograph applicants, and issue a temporary card for immediate use, with permanent cards arriving by mail in 10 to 15 working days, Ortiz said. Senior TAP-card holders pay no more than $2.50 per day or $5 within seven days on Metro; after that, rides are free, according to Metro.

Metro CEO Stephanie Wiggins has said the annual expo equips aging riders to use the system independently. “Through our annual Older Adult Transportation Expo, we’re giving our senior riders tools, tips, and strategies to become power users of our system and to benefit from all the investments we’ve made in public transportation,” Wiggins said in a Metro press release for the 2025 expo.

The On the Move Riders Program has operated since July 2013, offering one-on-one and group travel training, workshops, and regional transit events, according to Metro’s website. The program was recognized with Access Services’ Spirit of Accessibility Award in 2023 for its work improving mobility for seniors in Los Angeles County, according to Metro. The annual expo has returned to the Pasadena Convention Center repeatedly over the past decade, making it a fixture of the city’s civic calendar.

Wiggins said at the agency’s 2025 State of the Agency event that Metro is also preparing transit service for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the 2027 Super Bowl, and the 2028 Olympics and Paralympics. Metro has already announced direct bus service to World Cup matches at SoFi Stadium this June and July, with the A Line connecting Pasadena riders to SoFi with a single transfer, according to Visit Pasadena and NBC Los Angeles.

The expo opened at 8:30 a.m. with registration and a continental breakfast, followed by a welcome session at 9:15 a.m. and a keynote at 9:30 a.m. The event was scheduled to conclude at 2 p.m.

Need to Know: The 10th Annual Older Adult Transportation Expo took place Friday, May 15, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Pasadena Convention Center, 300 E. Green St., Pasadena, CA 91101. The event was sold out; a waitlist was available through Eventbrite. Pasadena Transit operated a free shuttle from Memorial Park A Line Station (Raymond Avenue and Holly Street). Parking is available in the convention center’s subterranean garage (entrances on Euclid Avenue and Marengo Avenue; $15–$20 daily flat rate; credit card and contactless payment only). For information about the On the Move Riders Program, call 213-922-2002 or email onthemove@metro.net. Website: metro.net/riding/move-riders-club.

The doors opened at 8:30 on a Friday morning, and by 9 the seats were full — 500 people learning to go somewhere new.