METRO Magazine Logo
MenuMENU
SearchSEARCH

L.A. Metro Highlights Full Year of Ridership Growth

Metro’s ridership in 2023 through November has now exceeded the level it posted for the entire calendar year of 2022.

December 21, 2023
An L.A. Metro Bus

Through the first 11 months of 2023, Metro posted 261.5 million boardings, exceeding the 255.3 million seen in 2022.

Photo: L.A. Metro

3 min to read


The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) announced that the agency saw an 11.3% increase in total system ridership in November 2023 compared to November 2022 with more than 24 million boardings, marking the 12th consecutive month of year-over-year ridership growth.

Metro’s ridership in 2023 through November has now exceeded the level it posted for the entire calendar year of 2022.

Ad Loading...

Through the first 11 months of 2023, Metro posted 261.5 million boardings, exceeding the 255.3 million seen in 2022.

Ridership in November

In November, Metro had 24,218,275 boardings on its bus and rail services, which is 82% of its 2019 pre-pandemic level. Average weekend ridership was at almost 81% of pre-pandemic (November 2019) levels, with Saturday boardings averaging 635,228 boardings (87% of pre-pandemic) and Sunday boardings averaging 524,632 (96% pre-pandemic) boardings.

Average weekday ridership was 907,343 boardings, marking the third consecutive month that weekday Metro ridership surpassed 900,000 boardings, coming in at 82.5% of pre-pandemic (November 2019) levels for the month. 

November 2023 marked the fifth month of operation for the newly reconfigured A and E Lines. The A Line, which serves customers from Azusa to Long Beach, saw 1,633,593 boardings in November 2023.

The E Line, which serves customers from East L.A. to Santa Monica, had 1,136,150 boardings during the month. The subway, which includes the B/D lines, saw the largest number of rail boardings during the month with 1,743,434 trips taken. 

Ad Loading...

Metro bus ridership in November saw a 13% year-over-year increase over November 2022. More than 19 million rides were taken on Metro buses, with total bus ridership in November 2023 at 88% of its pre-pandemic (November 2019) level. Thirty-eight Metro bus lines posted 20% or higher year-over-year ridership growth.

Metro’s reduced-price transit pass programs, such as the student GoPass pilot program, which offers free transit passes to K-12 and community college students, and its Low-Income Fare is Easy (LIFE) program, which provides free rides and reduced fares to low-income customers, are making it easier for many to ride by providing accessible and affordable transit.

In November, Metro’s GoPass pilot program saw a 28% year-over-year increase over November 2022. Student boardings measured 1,772,606 riders with 1,589,336 student bus boardings and 183,270 student rail boardings. To date, the program has 343,980 registered students from 1573 participating schools in 115 participating school districts.

L.A. Metro's Ridership Milestone

In October, Metro announced that the agency saw a 10% year-over-year increase in total system ridership in September 2023 compared to September 2022 with more than 24.5 million boardings.

In September, Metro had 24,671,730 boardings on its bus and rail services. An average of 938,167 rides were taken each weekday, the first time since February 2020 that weekday Metro ridership has surpassed 900,000 boardings.

Ad Loading...

Metro saw a nearly 12% increase in total system ridership in October 2023 compared to October 2022 with more than 26.5 million boardings.

More Management

Managementby StaffMarch 19, 2026

People Movement: The Latest from TARTA, STV, and More

METRO’s People Movement highlights the latest leadership changes, promotions, and personnel news across the public transit, motorcoach, and people mobility sectors.

Read More →
A BART railcar
Managementby StaffMarch 19, 2026

BART Monetizes Empty Parking With New Online Leasing Tool

BART began offering select parking lots to non-BART riders to generate new revenue to help address its FY27 $376M operating budget deficit brought on by remote work.

Read More →
MTA Chair & CEO Janno Lieber sits with a customer service employee and takes calls.
Managementby Elora HaynesMarch 19, 2026

Transit Agencies Nationwide Celebrate 2026 National Transit Employee Appreciation Day

Agencies across the U.S. honored transit workers on March 18, recognizing the essential roles they play in keeping communities moving daily.

Read More →
Ad Loading...
Cover for METROspectives with Inez Evans Benson
ManagementMarch 18, 2026

Inez Evans-Benson on Leadership and the Future of Transportation

Drawing on decades of industry experience, Evans-Benson offered insights into the differences between the two, along with tips for better customer engagement and more.

Read More →
An RTC of Washoe County bus driving down Virginia Street.
Managementby StaffMarch 18, 2026

Keolis Lands 3 Contract Renewals

The renewals include continued operations at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport in Florida; the PRTC in Virginia; and RTC Washoe in Nevada.  

Read More →
A MARTA employee using the new Better Breeze fare ticket machines.
Managementby StaffMarch 17, 2026

MARTA’s New 'Better Breeze' Fare System Nears Launch

The new system introduces tap-to-pay, touchscreen kiosks, and updated Breeze cards, with both old and new systems running through May.

Read More →
Ad Loading...
A wide angle view of two MTA buses with three people walking between them.
Managementby StaffMarch 16, 2026

Proposed Auto Insurance Reform Would Save New York’s MTA Millions Annually

The governor’s proposed auto insurance reforms could save the agency $48 million annually by limiting payouts in crashes where buses are not primarily at fault.

Read More →
paratransit bus
SponsoredMarch 16, 2026

Measuring the True Cost of Paratransit Fleets

What truly drives the cost of a paratransit fleet? Beyond the purchase price, seven operational factors quietly determine maintenance frequency, downtime, and long-term service reliability. This whitepaper explores how these factors shape lifecycle cost and what agencies should evaluate when selecting paratransit vehicles.

Read More →
Cover photo for METROspectives with The Bus Coalition
Busby Alex RomanMarch 13, 2026

Inside The Bus Coalition’s Push for Stronger Federal Transit Investment

In this conversation, TBC’s Executive Director Ed Redfern, President Corey Aldridge, and Washington Representative Joel Rubin outline the coalition’s key policy priorities, the challenges facing transit agencies, and how industry stakeholders can work together to strengthen the voice of bus transit at the federal level.

Read More →
Ad Loading...
Amanda Wanke
Managementby StaffMarch 13, 2026

Des Moines DART CEO Joins Minneapolis Metro Transit

Amanda Wanke, who has worked at DART for 10 years, including the past 2½ years as CEO, will join Metro Transit as deputy chief operating officer, operations administration.

Read More →