From food lines to free rides: How the LIFE program stepped up for LA families 

A few days ago, 51-year-old Yudy Aguilar stood in line outside a local food bank, hoping to bring home groceries for her family. She doesn’t own a car and relies on Metro to get around – to doctor’s appointments, the supermarket, to church. Most weeks, she takes up to ten total bus trips. At $1.75 a ride, that’s nearly $70 a month – a significant expense for a single mother of three, where every fare and every dollar matters.   

What she didn’t expect that morning was to walk away not just with food, but with free transit rides through Metro’s LIFE program, which offers unlimited free rides for the first 90 days to new enrollees. After that, riders can receive 20 free rides every month on Metro or a discounted pass on another participating transit agency (the entire list of participating transit operators is here).  

For families like Yudy’s, LIFE makes an immediate difference. “I can save the little cents that matter,” she says —the ones that become an extra tomato, an onion, money for laundry or a few more dollars towards rent. “This program helps a lot.” At the food bank, she received water, cookies and vegetables. “They even gave us a piece of meat,” she says. “That’s the most expensive nowadays.”  

The LIFE program is available to LA County residents whose income meets the eligibility limits (see table below.) Applying is simple: applicants provide their name, address, phone number and a photo ID, plus proof of income – such as paystubs or documentation from assistance programs like EBT, Medi-Cal or SNAP. Don’t worry, you can also choose to self-certify your income on the application.   

Since 2021, LIFE had enrolled over 475,000 people, resulting in 25 million Metro rides and additional 14 million rides on partner transit agencies. Behind those numbers is a team that works nonstop, maintaining a busy outreach schedule across the county by partnering with community-based organizations and attending more than 150 events each month – from resource fairs to school campuses to parent centers – while also deploying Street Teams that host up to 80 pop-ups  monthly at bus stops and train stations to sign up participants where they ride.   

Recognizing that many families were also experiencing interruptions in accessing essential services, like SNAP, LIFE expanded its outreach in November to include food banks across Los Angeles County. One of those sites was the Dream Center Foundation in Echo Park, where Yudy enrolled and where dozens of others did too.   

Among them was also Gloria Cauch, who learned about LIFE while picking up food. “When the SNAP benefits were cut, a lot of people were left out without food, including my two kids”, she says, adding that her husband is the only one working. She takes Metro every day to take her child to school, and although the family has a car, parking near their home is so scarce that her husband often prefers to leave the car parked and take Metro instead. “All that adds in fares,” she says. Now, both are enrolled in LIFE.  

Beyond the Dream Center, LIFE teams have visited more than 30 food bank locations in Pacoima, Long Beach, Palmdale, Inglewood, El Monte, and other communities, contributing to a 25% increase in enrollment from October to November compared to 2024.    

Seniors and the LIFE program  

Also at the Dream Center was Yolanda Henriquez, who approached the LIFE table after receiving some groceries. The 64-year-old already had Metro’s senior fare discount, but didn’t know she could combine it with LIFE for additional free rides. “This is an excellent program and help us riders a lot.”  

Yolanda has used Metro for 20 years. After a car accident three years ago, she began feeling anxious behind the wheel and stopped driving. Her work in guest services at various stadiums takes her far across the county — sometimes requiring up to four bus rides a day.   

She appreciated how accessible the enrollment process felt. “I’m bilingual, but I love seeing flyers in Spanish too,” she says. ” Having the LIFE table there made everything simple, too.” She says that as a senior it is difficult for her to manage the application online. “It was easy and people who helped me were really nice. They explained everything.”  

These stories reflect what thousands of Angelenos experienced this fall. For many, LIFE isn’t just a program, it’s relief and a reminder that Metro is committed to meeting people where they are. As December begins, LIFE will continue its outreach at community toy drives and holiday giveaways across the county.   

Upcoming LIFE enrollment events  

• HLAT Food Distribution  
  When: Wednesday, December 10  
  Time: 12:00 pm – 2:00 pm  
  Where: 11001 Crenshaw Blvd, Inglewood, CA 90303    

• Mend Food Distribution  
  When; Friday, December 12  
  Time: 9:00 am – 12:00 pm   
  Where: 10641 N, San Fernando Road, Pacoima, CA 91331   

• 6th Annual “Tis the Season” toy Drive  
  When: Saturday, December 13  
  Time: 10:00 am – 4:00 pm   
  Where: 3650 W Martin Luther King Jr Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90008   

• Holiday Toy Drive  
  When: Sunday, December 14  
  Time: 10:00 am – 2:00 pm  
  Where: 1000 E. 60th Street, Los Angeles, CA 90001   

• Sunday Meals Program  
  When: Sunday, December 21  
  Time: 12:00 pm – 2:30 pm  
  Where: 625 N. Schrader Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90028   

Did you register in LIFE, but lost your TAP card? Not a problem! Simply buy a new TAP car for $2 and call the number in the back of the card 1(866)-TAP-TOGO / 1(866) 827-8646 to request a transfer of your LIFE benefits.   For more information contact out LIFE Program’s Administrator International Institute of Los Angeles (IILA) at lifeinfo@iilosangeles.org