Driven by weekend and event travel and the opening of the Metro A Line extension to Pomona, LA Metro recorded 26,260,796 total boardings in September 2025, which was 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 data indicate a steady recovery, following 30 consecutive months of year-over-year ridership growth through May 2025. Overall ridership in the last 12-month period increased by 1.1% compared to the previous 12-month period, according to the agency.
A Line Adding New Riders, E Line Growing
Metro opened the A Line extension from Azusa to Glendora, San Dimas, La Verne, and Pomona in September, reconnecting light rail service to the San Gabriel Valley for the first time since 1951. In its first 12 days of operations, the new stations saw nearly 3,000 boardings.
The expansion extends service from Pomona to Long Beach, connecting even more communities ahead of major regional events such as the 2026 World Cup and 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
The E Line continues to be one of Metro’s strongest performing rail lines, with 1,508,087 million boardings in September — a 6.7% year-over-year increase. Weekday ridership rose 4.7%, Saturdays 3.5%, and Sundays 10.8%.
Event and leisure travel remain key drivers, particularly near major venues such as Crypto.com Arena, the Los Angeles Convention Center, BMO Stadium, and Exposition Park.
Systemwide Trends
Metro Rail recorded 5,960,493 boardings, representing a 1.7% year-over-year increase. Average weekday ridership decreased by 2% while weekend ridership rose sharply by 6.5% on Saturdays and 9.4% on Sundays.
According to the quarterly pulse survey, rail customer satisfaction increased from 76% to 81% in the three most recent quarterly surveys, compared to the three previous ones.
Metro Bus saw 20,300,303 boardings, down 2.9% from last year. Weekday boardings decreased by 4.9%, while boardings on Saturdays and Sundays decreased by 3.8% and 2.4%, respectively.
Metro officials report that bus customer satisfaction remains high, according to the quarterly pulse survey, increasing slightly from 87% to 88% in the three most recent quarterly surveys, compared to the three previous ones.
