Metro Transit leadership gives an update about efforts to regain pre-pandemic ridership

Metro Transit leaders say new safety protocols have helped ridership in 2024.

Metro Transit's police chief Ernest Morales says the Safety & Security Action Plan that was put in place a little over two years ago is already seeing results.

"We believe in what's called proactive policing," says Morales, "That means being out on the system, non side squads, talking and listening to our riders and embodying our model of mission first, people always."

Morales says violent crime has is down nearly 17 percent from the this time last year and that ridership is up by 13 percent.

Chief Operating Officer Brian Funk says increased wages have brought more employees on board, and that has helped expand key services on routes.

"Right now we are having staff who are out in the field riding light rail seven days a week," Funk says, "and really these agents, as we've said before are meant to be a resource for our riders. They are there for way finding route schedule information. In addition to a primary, a very important role which is fair inspection."

Funk says so far Metro Transit has been able to maintain about 60 percent of the ridership pre-COVID.