File #: 2025-0116   
Type: Informational Report Status: Filed
File created: 2/7/2025 In control: Operations, Safety, and Customer Experience Committee
On agenda: 4/17/2025 Final action: 4/17/2025
Title: RECEIVE AND FILE status update on NextGen Bus Ridership.
Sponsors: System Safety, Security and Operations Committee
Indexes: Access Services Inc., Access-To-Jobs, Arroyo Verdugo subregion, Boyle Heights, Bus rapid transit, Bus Speed Improvements, Central Los Angeles subregion, City of Los Angeles, Compton, Construction, Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), Design build, Equity Focus Communities, Florence, Gateway Cities (Southeast LA County) Service Sector, Gateway Cities subregion, GoPass, Huntington Park, Informational Report, Low-Income Fare is Easy (LIFE), Metro Busway G Line, Metro Rail A Line, Metro Rail B Line, Metro Rail C Line, NextGen Bus Study, North San Fernando Valley Transit Corridor, Off peak periods, Olympic games, Outreach, Pasadena, Peak periods, Plan, Ridership, San Fernando, San Fernando Valley Service Sector, San Fernando Valley subregion, San Gabriel, South Bay Cities subregion, South Bay Service Sector, Start of first construction, State government, Strategic planning, Telecommuting, Transfer on 2nd Boarding, Transfers, Transit buses, Travel patterns, Travel time, Trip length, Westside/Central Service Sector, Willowbrook
Attachments: 1. Attachment A - NextGen Ridership Analysis Q4 CY2024, 2. Attachment B - Weekday Ridership Recovery Comp. by Line and Line Group, 3. Attachment C - Saturday Ridership Recovery Comp. by Line and Line Group, 4. Attachment D - Sunday Ridership Recovery Comp. by Line and Line Group, 5. Presentation
Meeting_Body
OPERATIONS, SAFETY, AND CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE COMMITTEE
APRIL 17, 2025

Subject
SUBJECT: NEXTGEN RIDERSHIP UPDATE - Q4 CY2024

Action
ACTION: RECEIVE AND FILE

Heading
RECOMMENDATION

Title
RECEIVE AND FILE status update on NextGen Bus Ridership.

Issue
ISSUE

This report provides an assessment of Metro's bus ridership for the fourth quarter of calendar year 2024 (Q4 CY2024) consisting of October, November, and December 2024 compared to the pre-pandemic/pre-NextGen Bus Plan ridership from the same period in 2019. Ridership changes are examined by day type (weekday, Saturday, Sunday), service area, across Equity Focus Communities (EFCs) and non-EFCs, time period, line/line group, as well as average passenger trip length.

Background
BACKGROUND

* The Metro Board adopted the NextGen Bus Plan in October 2020.
* The NextGen Bus Plan was designed to create a fast, frequent, and reliable Metro bus system and will be rolled out in two phases: "Reconnect" and "Transit First."
* Reconnect was the initial phase to restructure the existing network, and it was implemented over three implementation dates between December 2020 and December 2021.
* Transit First was an additional phase to maximize the plan's effectiveness through strategic, quick-build capital investments in improved bus speeds and direct revenue service hours saved on bus frequency improvements.
* While the NextGen Bus Plan was fully implemented by the end of 2021, the national operator shortage during the COVID-19 pandemic required Metro to temporarily reduce service by 10% in February 2022 to stabilize service reliability.
* Full restoration of the NextGen Bus Plan service levels were completed in phases by December 2022.
* Metro continued to operate the full NextGen bus service levels through 2023 into 2024 with improved reliability due to full bus operator staffing, which was achieved by August 2023.
* However, a 1-2% operator shortage has existed since the December 2023 service ch...

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