March ridership numbers; Expo Line continues to climb and numbers remain strong for Metro Rail

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March ridership graphs

Ridership estimates for Metro buses and rail lines in March have been released; the above charts show the current trends. The takeaway in one sentence: ridership for the Expo Line continues to climb, ridership across the rail system remains strong and bus numbers continue to be flat.

If you would like to see charts with stats recorded in March of the past three years for the rail lines and bus system, please click here.

Metro Rail saw 359,855 average weekday boardings in March 2013 compared to 294,801 in March 2011 — a significant increase. The record for average weekday ridership was 362,091, set in November of last year 362,904 set in June of last year.

Sheriff’s patrols target customer safety and other issues on the Blue Line

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The Blue Line's Willowbrook/Rosa Parks station. Photo by Sean_Marshall via Flickr creative commons.

The Blue Line’s Willowbrook/Rosa Parks station. Photo by Sean_Marshall via Flickr creative commons.

Earlier this month, from April 8 to 10, the Transit Bureau Service of the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department began a new operational concept to improve safety on the Blue Line.

The concept is called TRUST (Transit Rail Urban Saturation Team) and it consists of deputies saturating parts of the Blue Line and conducting conducting zero tolerance patrols on the trains and station platforms. It’s a combination of fare enforcement, train patrols, fixed posts for police and mobile, random foot patrols — and the LASD is saying more of these type of operations will be done in the future.

During the three days that the operation took place: 895 citations were issued as well as 142 misdemeanor arrests and 11 felony arrests, according to the LASD. This initial iteration focused on the part of the line between the Firestone and Rosa Parks stations. 

“Our goal is to reduce the conditions that breed crime, disorder and insecurity. Operation TRUST is the first in a series of targeted enforcement efforts to improve security and enhance the riding experience for transit patrons and transit employees,” wrote the Sheriff’s Department in a news release.

The Blue Line had an average of 88,023 weekday boardings in February, the latest ridership statistics available. Also from the Sheriff’s news release:

Each day 350,000 passengers ride the Metro Rail system in Los Angeles and 1.2 million passengers ride Metro Buses. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department (LASD) is responsible for securing the Metro system and is committed to ensuring a low level of crime and disorder.

Partner to prevent or report crime by contacting your local sheriff’s station or police department. Or, if you wish to remain anonymous, call “LA Crime Stoppers” by dialing 800-222-TIPS (8477), texting the letters TIPLA plus your tip to CRIMES (274637), or using the website http://lacrimestoppers.org

Please remember, if you SEE SOMETHING that you believe is suspicious or doesn’t look right to you, SAY SOMETHING by calling: (888) 950-SAFE (7233), or your local police department.

@Metrolosangeles Twitter Tuesday, April 16 edition

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Welcome to Twitter Tuesday, our roundup of the latest Metro related tweets. To get our attention, add the #MetroLosAngeles tag to your tweets and subscribe to our feed if you haven’t already. For specific complaints and customer service, please use the Customer Comment Form on metro.net.

If having problems viewing this post on your browser, please see part one and part two on the Storify website.


Many more tweets posted after the jump!


This Sunday: Go Metro and Go CicLAvia to the sea!

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Click above to see larger version.

Click above to see larger version.

The 6th CicLAvia is from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. this Sunday, April 21, so time to oil your bike chains, lace up your walking/running shoes or break out the rollerblades! The route this time around is 15 miles and is strikingly different from earlier CicLAvias — this time it will be possible to travel back and forth between Venice and downtown Los Angeles, largely on Venice Boulevard.

Some highlights:

Longest route ever: Because this is the longest CicLAvia route so far, we encourage participants to approach the event with careful planning. Keep track of the time, noting that streets will begin re-opening to automobile traffic at 3:00 p.m.. You may not want to find yourself too far from where you started when the event ends.

Getting to CicLAvia on Metro: It is also worth noting that the Festival of Books is happening at USC this weekend so if you plan to take the Metro Expo Line, leave yourself plenty of time as trains will likely have large crowds (Expo trains will be operating every six minutes). The Long Beach Grand Prix is also happening this weekend, meaning the Blue Line will likely be even busier than usual.

With CicLAvia running through downtown Los Angeles, the course is accessible from the Metro Red/Purple Lines (Union Station, Civic Center, Pershing Square or 7th/Metro Center stations), the Metro Gold Line (Union Station or Little Tokyo stations), the Blue Line (Pico or 7th/Metro Center stations) or Expo Line (Pico or 7th/Metro Center stations). The Expo Line also has a station along Venice Boulevard in Culver City — as mentioned above, the Expo Line will be very busy this weekend.

Continue reading →

New Metro website stresses safety

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Here’s the news release from Metro:

New Metro Web Site Stresses Safety

Riders Should Be Aware of their Surroundings Following Boston Bombings

Heightened transit security remains in effect a day after a pair of bombs exploded near the finish line of the Boston Marathon killing at least three and injuring scores. Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) officials continue intensifying patrols and encouraging riders to be aware.

“We are reminding rail passengers that if they see something they should say something,” Sheriff’s Commander Pat Jordan of the Metro Transit Services Bureau said. “We want every rider to know they are empowered to help keep our system safe.”

To give riders tools for increasing transit awareness, the L.A. County Sheriff’s department has launched a new web site, TransitWatchLA.org. It is full of up to date information on safety and security enhancements. TransitWatchLA.org was funded by a grant from the Department of Homeland Security and uses a wealth of the department’s resources.

“Our signature initiative is See Something Say Something,” Jordan said. “It means involving every passenger in safety and security efforts.”

Most travelers keep their luggage near them. “If you see a bag left unattended, that is when you should say something,” Jordan noted.  “Also, if a stranger asks you to watch a bag while they go somewhere else. You should report that.”

If riders see a suspicious package or witness a crime, the easiest way to contact the sheriff’s department is to call 9-1-1. You can also contact Metro sheriff’s deputies and security personnel by calling (888) 950-SAFE (7233). Be ready to give the dispatcher a description of the unattended item or suspicious behavior, the exact location, the bus or train number and direction you are traveling. Riders can also alert Metro security by pushing the button at the emergency intercom in stations or on trains.

Transportation headlines, Tuesday, April 16

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Here is a look at some of the transportation headlines gathered by us and the Metro Library. The full list of headlines is posted on the Library’s Headlines blog, which you can also access via email subscription or RSS feed.

The Boston T's Park Street station. Photo by Dylan Pech, via Flickr creative commons.

The Boston T’s Park Street station in a photo taken last month. Photo by Dylan Pech, via Flickr creative commons.

Anxiety, heightened security on the ‘T’ (Boston Globe) 

The Globe’s story posted today about the city’s transit system on the day after the bombing of the Boston Marathon. Excerpt:

For many of the day’s commuters, the sight of Boston police officers, SWAT teams, National Guardsmen, and police dogs at MBTA stations around the city — and especially downtown and the Back Bay — brought a small measure of relief to a region trying to go about the business of downtown life the day after a tragedy.

At stations around the city, law enforcement officers paced up and down train platforms, rifles in hand. At Arlington Station, National Guardsmen asked commuters heading into the station to open their duffels and purses for a security check. “No guns, no bombs?” asked one as he pulled back the zipper of a backpack.

Joe Pesaturo, spokesman for the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, said federal, state, and local law enforcement personnel were conducting random baggage checks throughout the subway system.

“Customers have been very cooperative, and we greatly appreciate their patience and understanding,” Pesaturo said this morning.

Thwart terrorism, experience CicLAvia (L.A. Streetsblog) 

From Streetsblog editor Damien Newton:

So when I look at yesterday’s tragedy and say that there’s a peaceful way Angelenos can fight back against whoever plotted and executed that attack and, it’s not something I say lightly. Think about it for a second. Terrorism is using force in some form to scare people and keep them apart. Keep people in their houses and behind closed doors. Keep people from meeting and understanding their neighbors. Keep people angry.

The idea of Livable Streets is the exact opposite.

Livable Streets is about breaking down barriers our society has accidentally (and not accidentally) created that keep people apart now. There’s no greater example of the power of Livable Streets than our own CicLAvia.

This Sunday, somewhere between 100,000 and 150,000 of your neighbors will take to the streets in Downtown and Mid-town Los Angeles and West Los Angeles. Tree Hugger might think that nobody in L.A. rides a bicycle, but we know better.

You won’t know many of the participants. But one of the many great things about CicLAvia, is you’ll probably know more of them by the end of the day. And that gives all of us a chance to make Sunday about more than a car-free trip to the beach.

Doubling efforts on Metro fare studies? (L.A. Streetsblog) 

Dana Gabbard posts a Metro staff PowerPoint given to the agency’s Citizen Advisory Committee last month on different fare scenarios. As Dana points out, Metro Board Vice Chair Diane DuBois has requested a staff report on fare structures — and that will be given as an oral report at the Metro Board’s full meeting on April 25. Just to emphasize: this report, written in February, looks at some different and obvious fare structures, including distance-based fares, time-based fares and fares based on type of payment.

I do want to emphasize that the report doesn’t propose any imminent changes to the current fare system, nor is there anything on the table at this time. Changing Metro’s fares is a long process that involves public hearings and ultimately a vote by the Metro Board of Directors.

Heightened security on Metro today in wake of explosions in Boston

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In the wake of today’s explosions at the finish line of the Boston Marathon, Metro security is on a heightened state of alert while normal Metro bus and rail service continues.

Metro passengers are likely to see or encounter extra patrols by the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department, which provides security for the Metro system. This may include bomb sniffing dogs at Los Angeles Union Station and other Metro facilities.

Metro reminds the public: “See Something, Say Something” to report any suspicious activity or unattended packages. In order to contact the Sheriff’s Department, call 323-563-5000 or press the intercom in rail stations to speak to law enforcement. Passengers can also seek Metro personnel who are present on many rail platforms.