The Wall Street Journal reports that bus riders on the Los Angeles County Transportation Authority system has declined significantly in recent years.
"There were about 276 million total bus rides in the system run by the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, known as LA Metro, last year. That is down 24% since 2013, significantly bigger than drops in public-transit usage in other major cities like New York, Chicago, Denver and Phoenix. Ridership on L.A.’s rapidly expanding but significantly smaller rail system declined 5% in the same period," reports Ethan Millman in a paywalled article for the Wall Street Journal.
Laura Nelson has been keeping close tabs on ridership for the Los Angeles Times. First breaking news of declining transit ridership on Metro in 2016 and continuing in-depth coverage through July 2019.
FULL STORY: As Bus Ridership Plummets in Los Angeles, Efforts to Boost It Hit Speed Bumps [paywall]
The Environmental Costs of Slow, Empty Buses
Flagging ridership on Metro buses in Los Angeles redoubles the need to speed buses up with dedicated lanes, hopefully recovering lost riders and finding some news ones along the way, too.
Driver Shortage Undercuts the Potential of L.A.’s Recent Bus System Redesign
The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority implemented a complete overhaul of its bus system in three waves over the course of 2021. A shortage of drivers for the system has made it impossible to implement that vision.
Thinking Outside of the Transit Box in L.A.
Metro is analyzing new geolocational data to look beyond conventional understandings of travel behavior.
Alabama: Trump Terminates Settlements for Black Communities Harmed By Raw Sewage
Trump deemed the landmark civil rights agreement “illegal DEI and environmental justice policy.”
Study: Maui’s Plan to Convert Vacation Rentals to Long-Term Housing Could Cause Nearly $1 Billion Economic Loss
The plan would reduce visitor accommodation by 25% resulting in 1,900 jobs lost.
Why Should We Subsidize Public Transportation?
Many public transit agencies face financial stress due to rising costs, declining fare revenue, and declining subsidies. Transit advocates must provide a strong business case for increasing public transit funding.
Wind Energy on the Rise Despite Federal Policy Reversal
The Trump administration is revoking federal support for renewable energy, but demand for new projects continues unabated.
Passengers Flock to Caltrain After Electrification
The new electric trains are running faster and more reliably, leading to strong ridership growth on the Bay Area rail system.
Texas Churches Rally Behind ‘Yes in God’s Back Yard’ Legislation
Religious leaders want the state to reduce zoning regulations to streamline leasing church-owned land to housing developers.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Caltrans
Smith Gee Studio
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions
Salt Lake City
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service