Yesterday we launched our new survey series, asking you – dedicated Source reader, Los Angeles resident and taxpayer – why you ride (or don’t) Metro’s mass transit system.

So far the response has been fantastic. The responses have been smart, thoughtful and candid. We’ve already received enough results to post a story a day for the next two months – but we want to see more. I’d like for every regular reader of The Source to take the time to fill out a survey, and then pass it along to a friend. This is your chance to share your story to the massive local transportation agency you fund. It beats starting your own blog.

We’ve received a lot more “Why You Ride” surveys than “Why You Don’t Ride”, which is lopsided for Los Angeles. Don’t be afraid to share your story with us if you’ve never set foot in a bus or just found out that L.A. has a subway. Oh, and if you’re worried about using your full name, it’s not required – you can use just your first name, initials or whatever you feel comfortable with.

Go ahead and check out our first posted survey from Michelle, a student in the San Fernando Valley. She’s a car-free (by necessity) daily Metro rider who “deals with” the system, thinks Metro worked better under the federal consent decree and feels that a good solution to L.A.’s transportation issues is to integrate light rail into the 405 freeway. Interesting and insightful – just what we’re looking for.

Here’s the links to the surveys:

• Why Do You Ride? Take this survey if you’re a regular transit rider.
• Why Don’t You Ride? Take this survey if you don’t take transit regularly.