Metro ridership held steady in September, boosted by weekend and event travel as well as the recent A Line extension to Pomona, marking continued recovery despite regional challenges, agency officials announced Friday.
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Metro recorded 26.2 million total boardings last month, down just 1.9% from September 2024.
"This represents a significant improvement from the 6% year-over-year decline reported in June when federal law enforcement activity began impacting travel," the agency said in a statement.
Metro noted ridership has rebounded following 30 consecutive months of growth through May 2025, with overall ridership in the past 12 months up 1.1% compared with the previous year.
Metro opened the A Line extension from Azusa to Pomona on Sept. 19, restoring light-rail service to the San Gabriel Valley for the first time since 1951. The new stations in Glendora, San Dimas, La Verne and Pomona logged nearly 3,000 boardings in their first 12 days of operation, the agency stated. The expansion connects Pomona to Long Beach, linking more communities ahead of major regional events such as the 2026 World Cup and 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Officials said the E Line remains one of Metro's strongest-performing rail lines, with 1.5 million boardings in September -- a 6.7% year-over-year increase. Event and leisure travel were key drivers, particularly near major venues such as Crypto.com Arena, the Los Angeles
Convention Center, BMO Stadium and Exposition Park. During LA Comic Con, held Sept. 26-28 at the Convention Center, boardings at Pico Station jumped 65% compared with non-event days.
Officials said Metro continues to implement its public safety plan, which focuses on maintaining a visible presence of uniformed personnel, improving station infrastructure and bus safety measures, enforcing fare policies, and partnering with regional agencies to address homelessness, mental illness and substance abuse.
Violent crime decreased 16% in August compared with the previous year, while customer satisfaction related to safety rose from 52% to 58%, the agency reported.
Metro also installed new fare gates at eight additional stations -- including Wilshire/Vermont, Vermont/Santa Monica, Hollywood/Western, North Hollywood and the new San Gabriel Valley stops -- bringing the total to 11. The gates include motion sensors, reinforced locks and paddle-style doors to deter fare evasion while improving accessibility.
According to Transit Watch App data, incidents at stations with new fare gates have dropped 75% compared with the same period in 2024.
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