Mayor Karen Bass promised a “car-free Olympics” when the games come to Los Angeles in 2028. Olympic Committee Chair for the L.A. Games promised 5,000 buses to transport fans, participants and volunteers…all of whom would be able to ride L.A. Metro for free.
While Los Angeles Metro may have some reason to believe the transit agency will receive federal help to complete high priority infrastructure projects on time for the games, and even that is questionable with current federal priorities, it is unlikely to see any help on transit operations.
Legislation introduced by Assemblymember Tina McKinnor (D-Inglewood) would allow Metro to pay for all those free transit trips by adding a $5 fee to all tickets for Olympic and Paralympic events to pay for the cost of all those bus and rail trips. A.B. 1237 only gives Metro this authority for events for the 2028 Olympics and possibly the 2026 World Cup.
The legislation does not require Metro to add the fee to tickets, but should it choose to do so, it requires Metro to allow anyone to ride Metro bus or rail free of charge if they have a ticket for an Olympic, Paralympic or World Cup event on the same day.
“A.B. 1237 will provide sports fans participating in the World Cup, Olympic and Paralympic Games with an easy way to utilize transit when attending these sporting events, reduce traffic congestion, improve local air quality and provide critical support for local transit services as Los Angeles prepares to host the world in the coming years,” explains a fact sheet prepared by McKinnor’s office to promote the legislation.
With some venues and events, such as the Hollywood Bowl, attendees can choose to add the cost of Metro fares to their ticket. Under A.B. 1237, the fee can be automatically added when the ticket is bought.
Money generated by the fee will go directly to the creation and operations of a “supplemental bus system” defined by L.A. Metro as “a temporary supplementary transit system created to augment the existing public transit system to ensure spectators and the workforce have efficient and reliable transit for travel to and from venues.” Metro estimates the system will be able to absorb one million daily trips during the 2028 games while maintaining its regular bus service.
McKinnor’s district includes at least three Olympic and Paralympic venues: the Kia Forum, Intuit Dome, and SoFi Stadium.
For anyone interested in supporting A.B. 1237, McKinnor provides a draft support letter. Los Angeles Metro is a co-sponsor of this legislation.
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