The Los Angeles Department of Transportation (LADOT), in partnership with the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro), is expanding the Universal Basic Mobility (UBM) pilot with Phase II of the Mobility Wallet program.

The Mobility Wallet, the largest program of its kind in the nation, aims to address systemic barriers to safe, efficient, and reliable transportation faced by low-income Los Angeles residents.

L.A.’s Mobility Wallets

Mobility Wallets provide subsidies that can be used for transportation services including public transit, rideshare, micromobility, taxis, and purchases at bike shops.

Phase I of the program, which ran from May 2023 to April 2024, provided 1,000 low-income residents in the South LA UBM pilot area a prepaid debit card with $150 per month to spend on transportation needs.

Phase II of the Mobility Wallet program will identify 1,000 new, low-income residents within the South LA pilot zone, as well as an additional 1,000 low-income residents across LA County to receive the Mobility Wallet subsidy.

“LADOT is proud to continue advancing mobility equality with a new round of Mobility Wallets as part of our Universal Basic Mobility pilot program,” said LADOT GM Laura Rubio-Cornejo. “Mobility Wallets empower individuals to choose the transportation solutions that work best for them. We’re excited to double participation in South LA — LADOT’s UBM pilot area — and expand this opportunity to residents across the county.”

Mobility Wallet Eligibility

To be eligible for Phase II, applicants must be 18 years old, live in LA County, and may not have participated in Phase I.

The annual household income requirement is based on Metro’s LIFE (Low Income Fare is Easy) program.

Phase I garnered positive feedback from participants, who praised the program’s flexibility and reported that it made it easier to get to work, school, doctor’s appointments, and to explore Los Angeles.

Participants in Phase I purchased over 140,000 trips with their mobility wallets, including 80,800 public transit rides; 60,700 rideshare trips; 2600 scooter or bike share rides; and 169 bike shop purchases.

Increasing Mobility Options in L.A.

The Mobility Wallet is part of a $30 million Universal Basic Mobility pilot program, launched by the City of Los Angeles in 2021 to provide various mobility options to increase mobility, access to opportunity, and transportation equity in South Los Angeles.

The Mobility Wallet Phase II is funded by the City of Los Angeles in combination with a grant from the California Air Resources Board’s Sustainable Transportation Equity Project awarded to the City of LA in 2021, and by a Southern California Association of Governments grant awarded to Metro in 2024.