BYD Motors will pledge a donation of $1 million in medical supplies, including PPEs and hand sanitizer to transit agencies and first responders in the U.S. and Canada.
The supplies are arriving at various U.S. distributions centers to be closer to those locations where they are needed most.
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The supplies include FDA-approved adult surgical masks and KN-95 respiratory protective devices as well as hand sanitizer that is 99.999% effective. Several thousand PPEs have already been delivered to agencies that include the City of Los Angeles, the Valley Medical Center in San Jose California, the Toronto Transit Commission, and the LA County Sheriff’s Department.
BYD President for North America Stella Li praised first responders and transit agency employees working to stop the spread of COVID-19.
“BYD wants to help those who are helping all of us and believe this is how we can do it best,” she said. “We will get through this together.”
The region’s fixed-route system finished out the year with a total of 373.5 million rides. Adding 12.3 million rides over 2024 represents an increase that is equal to the annual transit ridership of Kansas City.
The service is a flexible, reservation-based transit service designed to close the first- and last-mile gaps and connect riders to employment for just $5 per day.
The upgraded system, which went live earlier this month, supports METRO’s METRONow vision to enhance the customer experience, improve service reliability, and strengthen long-term regional mobility.
The agreement provides competitive wages and reflects strong labor-management collaboration, positive working relationships, and a shared commitment to building a world-class transit system for the community, said RTA CEO Lona Edwards Hankins.
The priorities are outlined in the 2026 Board and CEO Initiatives and Action Plan, which serves as a roadmap to guide the agency’s work throughout the year and ensure continued progress and accountability on voter-approved transportation investments and essential mobility services.