Meeting_Body
EXECUTIVE MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE
JUNE 18, 2025
Subject
SUBJECT: GENDER ACTION PLAN UPDATE
Action
ACTION: RECEIVE AND FILE
Heading
RECOMMENDATION
Title
RECEIVE AND FILE a status report on the Gender Action Plan (GAP) strategies.
Issue
ISSUE
This report updates the progress of Metro's Gender Action Plan (GAP), which outlines short-to-medium term strategies (one-to-three-year implementation timeframe). Adopted by the Metro Board of Directors in October 2022, the GAP was developed in response to the 2019 Understanding How Women Travel (UHWT) study. It reflects Metro's ongoing commitment to creating an equitable and safe transit system that addresses women's specific mobility needs.
Background
BACKGROUND
In 2019, Metro released the UHWT study, a first-of-its-kind report that provided foundational insights into the unique challenges women face when using public transit and how these tradeoffs shape their experience on Metro's system. As an early initiative of Metro’s Women and Girls Governing Council (WGGC), the study explored women's travel patterns, pinpointing key areas for improvement and demonstrating Metro's commitment to enhancing their transit experience in LA County.
The study identified numerous barriers women face on the Metro system, particularly related to safety, comfort, affordability, and service design, and revealed the daily choices that women make to use transit.
Key findings from the UHWT study included:
• Safety concerns, including lighting, harassment, and the lack of non-law enforcement staff presence, especially during off-peak hours.
• The challenges of caregiving travel, such as navigating transit with children, strollers, and belongings.
• Financial strain, with women making short but multiple trips during midday, leading to longer wait times and more often paying for these short trips.
• A lack of real-time information and service challenges that disproportionately affect household-serving trips: errands, childcare, and school travel
The UHWT study offered a clear call to action and has served as a foundation for long-term change. More importantly, the study did more than inform the development of the GAP, it helped begin to weave a gender equity lens into how Metro evaluates service design and customer experience overall. While not all initiatives inspired by the study were formally adopted into the GAP, several strategies took early shape during the UHWT process and have since advanced independently, reflecting a broader cultural shift within Metro.
Several program initiatives were inspired by or directly informed by findings from the UHWT, including:
• Introduction of Transit Ambassador Program, identified during the UHWT engagement as a potential strategy to increase safety and rider support through a visible, non-law enforcement presence
• Informing midday frequencies, based on ridership patterns and expressed needs.
• Installation of courtesy seating decals to encourage riders to offer their seat to people with disabilities, pregnant women, and parents with young children,
• Amending the fare policy allowing children under 6 to ride free with a fare-paying adult, an adjustment shaped by feedback from women caregivers.
These efforts demonstrated how the UHWT study shifted internal practices to consider barriers that disproportionately impacted women and caregivers. This shift is one of the most meaningful outcomes of UHWT and represents a broader goal to ensure Metro is proactively examining programs and services through the lens of lived experience and gender equity.
The GAP established a framework and implementation plan with several strategies across four key themes: 1. Safety, 2. Station, Stop & Vehicle Design, 3. Fare Policy, 4. Service Frequency and Reliability, and introduced the Gender Analysis Tool (GAT). Attachment A summarizes the strategies detailed in the GAP presented to the Board in 2022.
The GAT aims to institutionalize Metro’s commitment to gender equity in all future policies, programs, and investments. This standardized tool facilitates the assessment of how projects, plans, and policies serve women through gender-specific data collection, early community engagement, and implementation oversight.
Discussion
DISCUSSION
The primary goals of the GAP are to:
•
• Raise awareness of the gender differences in travel
• Ensure diverse gender perspectives are considered in Metro’s policies, projects, programs, and services
• Address gender gaps related to Metro’s policies, projects, programs, and services
• Improve the quality and accessibility of Metro’s services for women
• Create measurable progress toward the GAP goals
The GAP is not a standalone initiative. It is a framework designed to guide the entire agency in advancing a more equitable transit system. While many of the strategies identified in the GAP are being implemented and led by departments across Metro, the GAP team plays a critical role in helping move this work forward through a gender equity lens. Close collaboration with teams such as Station Experience, Customer Experience, Safety, Security, and Law Enforcement, Planning, and Operations is essential to ensure that gender considerations are meaningfully embedded into project design, service delivery, and policy development. Metro has made meaningful progress across the GAP’s four key themes: Safety, Stop & Vehicle Design, Fare Policy, and Service Frequency and Reliability.
Safety
The following initiatives illustrate key safety goals under the GAP, along with current implementation status and next steps.
1. Lighting Improvements at Transit Stations: The Station Experience Team is working on lighting improvements at various stations.
Goal: Improve visibility and reduce safety concerns through upgraded lighting at key high-ridership stations.
Status: Lighting upgrades are complete at the Vermont/Santa Monica B Line South Plaza and the Pershing Square B/D Line 5th St portal plaza. At these high-ridership locations, lights were retrofitted to LED to boost visibility. Additionally, lighting improvements are planned for the Vermont/Athens C Line station (both street and platform levels) to enhance safety for riders and frontline personnel. The Fall 2024 Onboard Survey shows a dramatic increase in rail satisfaction levels for female riders since 2022. Overall satisfaction is up 16%. Specifically, safety while waiting during the day is up 8%, safety while waiting at night is up 13%, safety while riding during the day is up 10%, and safety while riding at night is up 13%.
Next Steps: Additional improved lighting projects are initially proposed for up to 21 stations systemwide.
These lighting upgrades are a foundational element of Metro’s systemwide safety strategy. They improve visibility for riders and frontline staff, especially during early morning and late evening hours.
2. Station/Stop Design and Safety Assessment:
Goal: Gather regular and measurable feedback from women riders on safety and design elements that can be used to guide future station and stop design choices.
Status: In 2024, a pilot safety audit was conducted by the GAP team with women who were enlisted via support from Central City Neighborhood Partners, a nonprofit serving LA Westlake and Pico-Union Communities. The group was comprised of current women transit riders who use various lines.at the 7th & Metro station.
Next Steps: With the establishment of the Station Experience Department, Metro has a dedicated structure in place to support ongoing evaluation of station conditions. The GAP team aims to continue working closely with this department to embed gender-sensitive safety assessments into station planning. The goal is to conduct regular audits, particularly following major design or capital improvements, to ensure that women riders' experiences and safety concerns remain central to station design and experience strategies.
By embedding regular feedback loops into station design, this effort ensures that safety improvements reflect the lived experiences of riders and are sustained over time through ongoing collaboration.
3. Metro Employee Travel Partner Program: GAP is collaborating with Commute Services and the Office of Strategic Innovation (OSI) to pilot a no-cost program that builds on existing employee commute options by making transit-based pairings easier and more accessible.
Goal: Enhance the commuting experience for employees by expanding the existing Rideshare Program to include Metro Bus and Rail trips, allowing staff with similar routes to connect and ride together. In addition to promoting convenience and peer engagement, increased visibility of Metro employees on the system further supports a welcoming and safe environment for all riders.
Status: Program design is underway, including the development of a simple matching process based on commute patterns and preferences.
Next Steps: A small-scale pilot will launch in the coming months, with insights informing broader implementation. The program will also be adapted for external business partners to encourage shared transit use among their employees, further strengthening system safety and ridership.
This program enhances the commute experience for employees and contributes to a safer system by increasing the visibility of Metro staff across the transit network, particularly during off-peak hours.
4. Night Owl Service/Courtesy Request-a-Stop Service: Metro offers a late-night courtesy service that provides additional flexibility and supports personal safety for riders traveling during late-night hours.
Goal: Enhance rider safety and convenience between midnight and 5:00 a.m. by allowing passengers to request drop-off at non-designated stops along the regular bus route, as long as the location is deemed safe by the operator.
Status: The service is active, operators use their professional judgment to accommodate these requests, adhering to the criteria as outlined in Standard Operating Procedure 6.06. and safety protocols that require front-door exiting and limiting drop-offs to safe, accessible locations along the route.
Next Steps: Metro will explore opportunities to increase awareness of the service among riders targeting women and girls, particularly those who travel during late-night hours, and evaluate whether updates to training or communications are needed to ensure consistent implementation systemwide.
5. Sexual Harassment Prevention Program: Metro is advancing a sexual harassment prevention strategy focused on understanding rider experiences, addressing safety concerns, and fostering a culture of zero tolerance across the system.
Goal: Prevent sexual harassment on the Metro system by centering rider experiences, strengthening awareness and education, and embedding gender-responsive practices into Metro’s safety and customer experience efforts.
Status: In alignment with California State Bill 434 (SB 434), Metro completed a street harassment study in late 2024 that provides critical insights into the experiences of women and other marginalized rider groups. An on-board survey of more than 7,000 riders was conducted, along with four focus groups engaging Spanish-speaking women, Asian women, women under 30, and transgender and non-binary riders. While the study focused broadly on street harassment, many of the findings directly inform Metro’s strategy to address sexual harassment. Key findings include:
• Perceived Safety: 46% of riders reported feeling unsafe riding at night, compared to 20% during the day.
• Precautionary Behavior: 29% of riders reported avoiding night hours, certain routes, or carrying personal protection items like pepper spray.
• Harassment Trends: 99.8% of respondents had witnessed or experienced harassment in the past six months, with perceived motivations including gender/gender expression, race, and religion.
Next Steps: The GAP team will continue to lead Metro’s sexual harassment prevention efforts in close coordination with departments such as System Security & Law Enforcement (SSLE) and Customer Experience. Immediate actions include developing rider-facing anti-harassment campaigns, expanding trauma-informed and bystander training for frontline staff, and improving data collection and feedback tools.
Sexual harassment prevention remains a central pillar of Metro’s gender equity and safety efforts. It requires cross-departmental commitment, informed strategies, and an ongoing focus on creating a safer, more respectful system for all riders.
Station, Stops and Vehicle Design
In alignment with the GAP, Metro is advancing design strategies that respond to the needs of women and other riders whose experiences are shaped by caregiving responsibilities, mobility challenges, or safety concerns. These efforts focus on improving comfort, accessibility, and confidence in the transit environment, ensuring that stations, stops, and vehicles support a more inclusive and equitable experience.
1. Updated Stroller Policy: As part of Metro’s broader focus on station, stop, and vehicle design, the stroller policy was updated in December 2024 to allow unfolded strollers on buses.
Goal: Improve accessibility, comfort, and convenience for parents and caregivers using transit, particularly those traveling with young children. This change supports a more family-friendly system and aligns with Metro’s commitment to inclusive design.
Status: The updated policy is now in effect systemwide. Operators have received training.
Next Steps: Metro will continue monitoring implementation and collecting feedback from riders and operators to assess policy effectiveness. This feedback will help inform any future updates to vehicle design, operator guidance, or customer support efforts aimed at improving the experience for families and caregivers.
2. New Bus Procurement to accommodate unfolded strollers onto buses: According to the UHWT study, women are more likely to travel with strollers and bags. Older women and women traveling with children reported difficulties with maneuvering strollers and carts on buses. Most stroller-related complaints were also made by women. Furthermore, fewer than 40% of women riders reported feeling that transit is comfortable or that transit vehicles have the space they need for their belongings.
Goal: Provide a designated space for strollers to allow passengers with strollers to easily and safely embark and disembark.
Status: To ensure accessibility and space efficiency, new Metro bus procurement specifications include two rows with flip-up seats, situated behind the designated wheelchair area. When needed, these seats can be folded up to accommodate passengers with strollers and walkers. To manage space effectively, a maximum of two open strollers will be permitted per bus. Additionally, all new buses will include bus lowering devices to aid passengers with strollers during boarding.
3. Restroom Design & Access: The lack of restrooms creates additional burdens for those traveling with children, riders who are pregnant, and others in need of more accessible restrooms. Provision of restrooms directly at stations, integrated into other renovations such as those occurring in advance of the Games, would improve women riders’ experience by avoiding the need to exit and reenter the system along the journey
Goal: By increasing access to restrooms, Metro improves the ease of travel for women, families, caregivers, pregnant people, and elderly riders.
Status: Throne: In the summer of 2024, the Metro Board approved the expansion of the Throne bathrooms at up to 64 locations through 2028. The Station Experience team has successfully deployed 15 units across various stations. The new Metro/LAX Transit Center will include public restrooms for passengers with valid fare.
Next Steps: To achieve the goal of reaching a total of 64 locations, the team plans to deploy 5 additional units each quarter.
4. Designated Waiting Area Pilot: Women expressed safety concerns while waiting at transit stations and stops, particularly in underground rail platforms. Increased amenities, such as lighting at stops and along pedestrian access routes, were identified as areas of preference for women riders. These findings highlight the interaction between station design, what we heard and perceptions of safety on the system.
Goal: Create a designated zone on rail platforms where amenities such as seating, lighting, security personnel, and security technology (e.g., emergency call boxes and security cameras) are concentrated. This can provide clear access to these resources if the need arises, while creating a more comfortable place to wait. These amenity zones give women riders a more stress-free travel experience.
Status: Upcoming installations of new station furnishings and Metro Call Points at the A&E line platforms at 7th Street/Metro Center station present a prime opportunity to implement a Designated Waiting Area. The systemwide design team continues to work on implementing the Designated Waiting Area.
To improve safety and cleanliness at bus stops, Metro has launched a regional bus stop improvements initiative. This program engages cities and the county who own and maintain bus stops countywide to prioritize these critical areas. In May 2025, Metro hosted a Regional Bus Stop Improvements Summit, drawing over 40 local jurisdictions. The summit aimed to educate and empower planning and public works staff to enhance safety around bus stops and waiting areas. These efforts directly support the goals of the GAP by addressing the safety and experience of women riders, who make up the majority of our bus customers. By prioritizing improvements to the first and last mile of the transit journey, Metro is reinforcing that bus stops are not just infrastructure they are a critical part of a safe, dignified, and accessible transit experience.
Next Steps: Metro will continue working with departments to implement this at 7th/Metro as a pilot by early 2026. Metro will also modify station design standards for new stations to codify this approach into the design and construction of new stations. Metro will convene a regional working group around bus stop improvements to continue the discussions that were highlighted at the recent summit.
Fare Policy
1. Fare Capping: The UHWT study found that women often engage in trip chaining, making multiple short trips within a short time frame to drop off children, run errands, or manage household responsibilities. This can lead to paying multiple fares for what feels like a single journey, adding to their financial burden.
While the direct impact of fare capping is currently modest, with only 8% of women and 10% of men reaching a daily or weekly fare cap, it is important to view fare capping as just one element of a broader strategy to make transit more affordable.
TAP data shows that 36% of both women and men use Metro transfers to complete their trips. In addition, women show high participation in Metro’s free fare programs: they make up 52% of LIFE riders and 47% of GoPass riders. The GoPass program is especially impactful for women, as it eliminates fares for students, removing what may have previously been an additional financial responsibility for mothers or caregivers.
Together, fare capping, transfer policies, and free fare programs like LIFE and GoPass form a comprehensive approach to reducing fare-related barriers, particularly for women who face unique travel patterns tied to caregiving and household roles.
Goal: Alleviate fare burden from frequent short and multiple trips through the Fare Capping Program.
Status: The fare capping program, introduced in July 2023, is designed to make riding Metro more affordable for all riders, especially women who make multiple trips or take short trips. The program caps fares at $5 per day or $18 within seven days, meaning riders can make unlimited trips without paying more than the cap for that period. One way Metro to Metro transfers are free enabling riders to complete their trips for just one low base fare and no transfer fees.
Next Steps: Implement expanded outreach to ensure all customers are informed about fare capping and free transfers with TAP cards.
2. Partnerships with Healthcare Providers to Promote LIFE: According to data from Metro’s Spring 2018 On Board Survey, 37% of women bus riders and 23% of women rail riders reported receiving a discount on their fare. Of these riders, only 6% received a discount through the Low-Income Fare is Easy (LIFE) Program on bus and 10% on rail, despite the income-eligibility of most Metro riders. Some participants of UHWT study workshops and GAP focus groups were also unaware of the LIFE Program, suggesting it is currently underutilized and underpromoted.
Goal: Leveraging existing partnerships with institutions and connecting with healthcare providers to promote LIFE Program.
Status: The LIFE Program partners with 184 healthcare providers through Los Angeles County that provide women medical, mental health and domestic violence survivor support. In 2021, the program enrolled 5,467 and every year thereafter it has seen total average enrollments of 45,000 into the program. Overall Women make up 51% of the LIFE program participants. The LIFE Program will continue to develop partnerships with health care providers.
Since the launch, 12,439 women are enrolled in this system, making up 44% of active users. Age groups are 38% 18-44, 45% 45-64, and 16% 65+. This has greatly improved monthly utilization numbers and eliminated time customers had to make to access benefits each month.
Next Steps: The LIFE Program will meet with LA County Women and Girls Initiative to further expand and address needs of Domestic Violence Survivors per a County motion.
Safety, Frequency and Reliability
1. Mid-day frequency adjustments: The UHWT study showed that women transit riders in LA County need more midday and weekend bus service and more accurate real-time transit information.
Goal: implement service frequency by prioritizing service during the midday (12pm to 3pm) and weekend periods to allow women who are traveling during off-peak times, like the midday, to have the same level of service that riders receive during typical commute periods (9am to 12pm and 3 to 6pm).
Status: Metro’s NextGen Bus Plan improves bus frequency during the midday, evening, nighttime, and weekend periods by shortening headways to less than 10 minutes on most routes in urban centers, and 16-30 minutes on most routes in outlying areas.
Next Steps: Use the GAT to develop gender-specific evaluation criteria to inform stop locations during future bus route or network redesigns. This would help address feelings of vulnerability that women experience at stops or stations located away from activity centers, especially at night
Gender Analysis Tool
Goal: The GAT aims to institutionalize Metro’s dedication to gender equity across all future policies, programs, and investment. Metro’s approach to achieving gender equity, in part through the application of this GAT, includes:
• Identify Gender Specific Needs and Impacts - Collect and use available gender-disaggregated data, research, and resources to identify gaps and incorporate the needs and travel trends of different genders.
• Support & Engage - Engage stakeholders and representative groups so that their unique perspectives and input are incorporated into the process.
• Implementation and Accountability - Review implementation processes to identify ways to report measurable progress towards gender equity goals. Create performance metrics that could be achieved through the action
Status: Metro piloted GAT on three key projects of different scopes:
• 2028 Games Mobility Concept Plan
• 7th Street/Metro Station Systemwide Station Design
• Southeast Gateway Line First Last Mile Plan
For all three projects, data was gender-disaggregated to understand the specific needs of our women riders through engagement with women-led CBOs and women-focused workshops.
Next Steps: Collaborate with the Office of Equity & Race to look at opportunities to combine the GAT with Metro’s other equity tools to ensure gender-specific needs are addressed as part of the equity assessment for wider implementation across Metro policy, projects, design, and initiatives.
Metro has made significant progress on the strategies reported above and summarized below. These efforts reflect Metro’s commitment to embedding gender equity across operations, planning, and design. Through cross-departmental collaboration and ongoing engagement with riders, Metro continues to utilize the GAP as a practical tool to inform improvements, monitor progress, and ensure that it better serves the diverse needs of its customers.
...Equity_Platform
EQUITY PLATFORM
The GAP serves as a strategic framework to integrate gender equity throughout LA Metro. It details specific actions, targets, and indicators aimed at addressing gender disparities and fostering the empowerment of women and girls.
Vehicle_Miles_Traveled_Outcome
VEHICLE MILES TRAVELED OUTCOME
VMT and VMT per capita in Los Angeles County are lower than national averages, the lowest in the SCAG region, and on the lower end of VMT per capita statewide, with these declining VMT trends due in part to Metro’s significant investment in rail and bus transit.* Metro’s Board-adopted VMT reduction targets align with California’s statewide climate goals, including achieving carbon neutrality by 2045. To ensure continued progress, all Board items are assessed for their potential impact on VMT.
As part of these ongoing efforts, this item is expected to contribute to further reductions in VMT. This item supports Metro’s systemwide strategy to reduce VMT through customer experience activities that will benefit and further encourage transit ridership, ridesharing, and active transportation. Metro’s Board-adopted VMT reduction targets were designed to build on the success of existing investments, and this item aligns with those objectives.
*Based on population estimates from the United States Census and VMT estimates from the highway performance monitoring system data between 2001-2019.
Implementation_of_Strategic_Plan_Goals
IMPLEMENTATION OF STRATEGIC PLAN GOALS
Recommendation supports strategic plan goals:
• Goal 1: Provide high-quality mobility options that enable people to spend less time traveling;
• Goal 3: Enhance communities and lives through mobility and access to opportunity; and
• Goal 5: Provide responsive, accountable, and trustworthy governance within the Metro organization.
Next_Steps
NEXT STEPS
Staff will work closely with lead departments to assess the impact of strategies in addressing the barriers women face when traveling, utilizing focused surveys, focus groups, and data analysis. Staff will continue advancing the remaining GAP strategies and report to the Board.
Attachments
ATTACHMENTS
Attachment A - GAP Strategies
Prepared_by
Prepared by: Marcella Rodriguez, Senior Transportation Planner, Office of the Chief of Staff, (213) 330-9269
Meghna Khanna, Deputy Executive Officer, Countywide Planning & Development, (213) 922-3931
Elba Higueros, Deputy Chief of Staff, Office of the Chief of Staff, (213) 922-6820
Reviewed_By
Reviewed by: Nicole Englund, Chief of Staff, (213)922-7950
