Metro Ridership in November Surpasses Pre-Pandemic Level Amid Holiday Slowdown

November marked a milestone for L.A. Metro with 25,844,065 boardings on its bus and rail, marking its 24th consecutive month of year-over-year ridership growth, it was announced Thursday.

Amid an anticipated slow down due to the holiday season, Metro officials said that November’s combined bus and rail ridership figures reached nearly 88% of its 2019 pre-pandemic levels.

Average weekday boardings reached 84.4% and weekend figures stood at 99.3% of pre-pandemic levels, respectively, according to the transit agency.

Metro reported 20,031,255 bus trips were taken in November, representing a 4.5% increase compared to the same month last year.

Weekday bus ridership stood at 760,985 daily boardings, while weekends saw an average of 528,078 trips on Saturdays and an average of 434,233 trips on Sunday. Weekend bus ridership in November surpassed its pre-pandemic level for the first time, marking a 102.9% increase compared to November 2019, according to Metro.

Rail boardings increased by 11.2% compared to November 2023. Additionally, November 2024’s rail ridership stood at 75.3% over its pre- pandemic level.

Weekday rail boardings increased by 12.2% year-over-year, and it also reached 71.2% of its November 2019 level. Transit officials said weekend rail figures rose by 13% year-over-year and are now at 89.6% of its pre-pandemic levels.

The agency cited weekend and leisure trips as one of the main drivers for its continued growth in ridership.

Weekend rail ridership exceeded its year-over-year ridership by 13% and reached 89.6% of its pre-pandemic level. For example, on Nov. 1 — the day of the Dodgers World Series Parade — the transit agency recorded an estimated 80,000 rides on its public transportation system.

Weekend bus boardings also exceeded pre-pandemic levels by 2.9% for the first time, Metro added.