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Transit-Accessible Events Continue to Drive Rail Ridership Increases; Customers Report Improved Experience
Riders are increasingly turning to Metro for their weekend and leisure travel, and October weekend ridership on all five of LA Metro’s rail lines is up year over year. Gains on the Metro A, B, C, D and K Lines ranged from 5.9 to 12.8 percent over 2024 levels in October, and boardings at the three Metro K Line stations that served the Taste of Soul Family Festival surged up to 224.5 percent compared to a typical non-event day. Overall, Metro Rail saw modest gains in ridership over 2024 levels, while federal law enforcement activity continues to affect ridership on Metro Bus, which is down slightly year over year. The results of the October quarterly customer experience survey shows that more than half of all Metro riders believe that the customer experience has improved over last year, particularly as related to service, safety and security, and that satisfaction with Metro Rail rose for the third consecutive quarterly survey.
Events Drive Weekend Ridership on Rail
Weekend ridership was up in October on all five Metro Rail lines. The Metro A Line, which serviced events including the Long Beach Marathon, Chappell Roan Concert at the Rose Bowl and CicLaVia, was up 6.3 percent year over year. The 53rd Los Angeles Korean Festival, Dodger home games and CicLAvia drove ridership increases on the Metro B and D Lines, which were up 5.9 percent year over year. Weekend ridership on the Metro E Line was up 11.6 percent year over year, due in part to Los Angeles Football Club and Angel City soccer matches, and college football games at University of Southern California. Finally, the Metro C and K Lines, which serviced Taste of Soul and Los Angeles Chargers and Los Angeles Rams games at SoFi Stadium, saw ridership increase 12.8 percent year over year.
The three Metro K Line stations closest to Taste of Soul Festival saw a dramatic increase of boardings on Oct. 18, the day of the event. The Martin Luther King Jr. Station saw a 629.5 percent increase in boardings as compared to a typical non-event Saturday, while the Leimert Park and Expo/Crenshaw stations saw increases of 224.5 percent and 64.9 percent, respectively. The 2025 event marks the first time that South Bay residents could take a single train to the event due to the opening of LAX/Metro Transit Center and the reconfiguration of the C and K lines.
The October 2025 quarterly customer experience survey found that overall satisfaction with Metro Rail rose to 83 percent, up two percentage points over the previous quarter, marking the third consecutive quarterly increase.
“The data shows that riders are increasingly happy with the Metro customer experience,” said Stephanie Wiggins, CEO of LA Metro. “We are making tangible improvements that help us attract and retain new weekend and event riders, contributing to the establishment of a new culture of transit in Los Angeles.”
October Systemwide Trends
Metro Rail saw 6,324,308 boardings, up 0.3 percent year over year. Average weekday ridership decreased by 1.6 percent while weekend ridership rose sharply by 9.2 percent on Saturdays and 6.2 percent on Sundays.
Metro Bus saw 21,369,279 boardings, down 5.0 percent from last year. Weekday boardings were down 5.5 percent, while boardings on Saturdays and Sundays were down 3.5 percent and 1.9 percent respectively.
Improved Customer Experience
The October 2025 quarterly customer experience survey found that 52% of Metro riders surveyed reported an overall improvement of the customer experience over the previous year. Better transit service related to frequency and reliability and a safer, more secure system were the top two most cited reasons for the improved experience.
Other Milestones
The Dodger Stadium Express, Metro’s free shuttle service to Dodger Stadium for ticketholders, saw record single-game ridership out of Union Station during the 2025 World Series, twice surpassing last year’s record of 6,601 boardings. Total Dodger Stadium Express ridership for the series, which includes both Union Station and South Bay service for all three home games, reached 22,525 total passenger trips.
Metro Micro, Metro’s on-demand rideshare service offering trips within eight designated zones within Los Angeles County, saw record single-day ridership on Oct. 1, with 2,889 completed boardings.
Public Safety on Metro
Metro continues to enhance security improvements to make the system safer for riders and employees. Violent crime per one million boardings has dropped by almost 15 percent in September compared to the same month in 2024, reaching its lowest level in three years. Property crimes also reached a three-year low in September, falling 32 percent compared to the previous year.
About Metro
The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) is building the most ambitious transportation infrastructure program in the United States and is working to greatly improve mobility through its Vision 2028 Plan. Metro is the lead transportation planning and funding agency for L.A. County and carries nearly 1 million boardings daily on a fleet of 2,200 low-emission buses and six rail lines. The latest October 2025 customer experience survey showed that customer satisfaction has risen to 87%.
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