Metro Ridership in 2024 Soars to More Than 311 Million Boardings

More L.A. County residents are deciding to ride Metro to get to school, work, services and enjoy weekend activities with the agency reporting Friday more than 311 million boardings occurred in 2024, representing an 8% increase compared to 2023 figures.

Metro reported it had a total of 311,261,332 boardings in 2024, and for the first time the agency has reached this level since COVID-19. Weekday boardings were at their highest, surpassing an average of 1 million in September and October.

Weekend ridership has surpassed pre-pandemic ridership levels for the past 25 months, as well.

Overall, weekend ridership grew 8.7% year-over-year and weekend ridership grew by 5.8%.

“As more and more people put their trust in Metro to get where they’re going, making our system safe, clean, and reliable has to remain our absolute priority,” Los Angeles County Supervisor and Metro Board Chair Janice Hahn said in a statement. “Our buses, trains and stations have to serve hundreds of thousands of people every day all year round, and those numbers are increasing.”

Metro CEO Stephanie Wiggins expressed pride in her team for putting people first and for prioritizing what matters most to riders — safety, cleanliness, reliability, comfort and ease.

“For more than two years, transit ridership has been growing in L.A. County,” Wiggins said. “To me, that speaks to the fact that our efforts are making positive differences. We’re excited to welcome more riders in 2025, as we expand our system to LAX Airport, the San Gabriel Foothills and the Wilshire Boulevard Corridor.”

The transit agency cited improved service on bus and rail systems for the increase in ridership, noting the reconfiguring of bus lanes and the transfer of two bus lines to Pasadena Transit as the service provider, among other things.

Additionally, Metro celebrated the reconfiguration of the A and E rail lines, which marked their first full year in operation in June 2024. The lines resulted in a 33.4% increase in ridership by December 2024 compared to the same month in 2023.

The agency also touted how more people are taking Metro for weekend events such as Hard Summer Musical Festival; college football, Rams, Chargers and Dodgers games, as well as for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day celebrations.

Metro has several programs to make public transportation more affordable for riders.

Students can receive a reduced-price pass through the GoPass program, which offers free transit to K-12 and community college students. The LIFE program is also available for low-income customers, who may ride transit for free or at a reduced fare-rate.

In 2024, Metro saw 19,665,051 total boardings versus 17,720,181 in 2023, an 11% increase through its GoPass program. Meanwhile, the LIFE program resulted in a 27% increase in ridership in 2024 with 20,873,250 boardings compared to 16,411,583 boardings in 2023.