The Bus Stops Here

Anyone making decisions about bus service in Los Angeles needs to experience the system regularly. The delays, the heat, the mobility challenges ... but also the friendly nods, the helpful strangers, the shared humanity.

Many people won't, so we're bringing the experience to you. In this report, bus riders do the talking. People rode the bus and told us about it. We compiled their observations about their experience, and we offer some anonymous vignettes based on the information they shared about themselves and the conditions on the day they rode the bus for this study.

The quality of our bus service is a reflection of what matters to us as individuals and as a community. If you care about  racial equity ,  climate justice  and  quality of life , you must care about buses and improving the experience for those who rely on them.

Learn what it’s like to ride the bus in Los Angeles. Then help us make it better (see the Take Action section to learn how).

 ^{Date published: September 19, 2022} 

"I look forward to continuing to strengthen our commitment to public safety, growing ridership back to pre-pandemic levels, continuing to improve the customer experience and delivering more countywide, regionally integrated projects." —Ara Najarian, City of Glendale Councilmember and new Chair of the Metro Board of Directors (LA Metro, July 7, 2022)

Ridership. Customer experience. Integrated projects.

That's the language of distance—of those who make decisions about how people get around Los Angeles by bus without being at the mercy of those decisions.

Investing in Place advocates for and supports inclusive and equitable decision-making related to transit and other public investments. But our frustration has grown around the lack of on-the-ground data documenting the bus rider experience to inform transit investments and the public’s understanding of what it is like to get around without access to a private vehicle. We need to amplify the bus rider's perspective, so people in power and the general public see why better bus service is needed and is long overdue.

LA Metro significantly cut bus service when the pandemic began and, as a result, we heard story after story from individuals and community organizers about buses being late and overcrowded—inhibiting the ability to social distance. But these experiences, and the sense of urgency and frustration from people riding the bus, did not seem to be reflected in  Metro’s decisions around bus service . We saw a growing disconnect between what people were experiencing on the bus and decisions being made in Metro Board meetings.

To get first-hand accounts from people actually riding buses, Investing in Place joined with our community partners to conduct an observational survey of six key LA Metro bus lines in the City of Los Angeles.

The study included sections of Metro bus lines 18, 51, 108, 152, 200 and 207 that fall within the City of Los Angeles. It is important to note, that 105 of Metro's 119 bus lines operate some or all of their service in City of LA.

Throughout November and December of 2021, 58 volunteers completed 126 observations (each person could observe more than one route).* An observation included riding one of the six bus lines identified for the study, and answering questions about their experience waiting for the bus and riding the bus. Observers also shared overall reflections and made recommendations to improve bus stops and the entire rider experience.

Each observation included two bus stops (where the observer boarded and disembarked), so the total number of stops observed is 244 (in some cases they didn’t make comments about the stop).

We know from our own experience that the length of time you have to wait, and the condition of the stop where you wait, both have a big impact on the quality of your trip. In fact, according to  Metro , the average trip taken on a Metro bus is less than five miles, and on average about half the journey time is spent waiting for the bus.

So we've organized findings into categories of reliability and bus stop conditions, plus two categories that those conditions affect: heat risk, and accessibility for those using mobility devices like wheelchairs or crutches.

 _{*Not everyone answered every question, so the numbers of responses might not always add up to 126.} 

"Four buses not showing up in a row is unacceptable." Aziz walked to the Western/Wilshire stop and waited 57 minutes for the eastbound Line 18 in the middle of the afternoon on a bright sunny day. He waited with more than 50 others, seeking shade from nearby buildings and sharing the stop’s two benches.

In July 2021, Metro CEO Stephanie Wiggins promised “faster, cleaner, safer and more frequent bus service.” ( Metro State of the Agency 2021 )

For some context about typical wait times for people commuting to and from work: according to  Moovit Insights , the average amount of time people in Los Angeles wait at a stop on a weekday is 17 minutes; the percentage of people in Los Angeles who wait for over 20 minutes on average for their transit line every day is 50%; and 27% of riders transfer twice during a single trip—meaning they have to wait for three different buses or trains. And Metro's recent Customer Experience Plan noted: the average trip taken on Metro Bus is less than five miles, and on average about half the journey time is spent waiting for the bus.

More than half of the observations in our study were conducted on the second or sometimes third leg of single journey: for 75 observations, the rider arrived at the bus stop by way of another bus or train.

When asked if the bus arrived when they thought it would: 55 said no, and 71 said yes.

Three people said the bus arrived a few minutes early. Those who don't ride the bus might think that's a good thing. But consider arriving on time only to find that the bus left two minutes ago, and now you have to wait another 20 minutes (or more) for the next one.

The challenges related to reliability are heightened by Metro’s  ongoing shortage of transit operators .

"Very wet due to sewer leak, it smells horrible and a lot of traffic with cars." Sabrina is 18-24 and identifies as Latinx and white. She earns less than $25,000 and rides the bus 1-2 days a week. She rode line 108 in the middle of a hot day. After boarding the bus at a stop with a sewer leak, she disembarked at a stop she described as "clean with shade, not heavy traffic." Her experience shows how much variety riders encounter in the quality of bus stops.

Bus stops are central to the riding experience. Our observers were asked open-ended questions about the conditions of the bus stops at both ends of their rides, adding up to 244 observations. These were the top findings.

Describe the conditions at the bus stop.

More Shade, Please!

When asked what improvements they’d like to see at the bus stops, shade was the most-requested feature, with 59 requests.

"No shade, no bench, plenty of sidewalk, but it is HOT." Stephen waited at the Vermont/Wilshire stop for the 51 southbound. At around 11 a.m. it was sunny and hot. He had already walked and taken another bus to reach this stop. "The boarding stop had a nice wide sidewalk but no shade, no bench, nothing, and it needed it badly. The destination stop needed shade, too."

Heat stroke occurs when the body becomes unable to control its temperature, and according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), body temperature may rise to 106°F or higher within 10 to 15 minutes. Los Angeles County is predicted to experience triple the number of hot days per year by 2053, according to  First Street Foundation . For those who walk to a bus stop and then wait unshaded in the sun, the stakes can be high.

Our study was conducted during the months of November and December but even so (true to Southern California), 68 observations took place when the weather was reported as hot or sunny.

"Dirty stop. It does not have a wheelchair ramp. Sidewalk in poor condition. It has a bench but no shade." Ana rides the bus five days a week or more. On this day she arrived at the Line 108 Slauson/Western stop (westbound) at 4:37 a.m., after taking another bus to get there. She would like to see: "More shade. Renovate the stops and put handrails at stops to help disabled people get on. More lighting at night." She made her observations in Spanish.

Anyone trying to get around Los Angeles using a wheelchair, crutches, cane or other mobility device knows it can be rough going. Sidewalks have not seen a significant investment since the 1970s. A 2021  audit  revealed that "in the last five fiscal years alone, the City received more than 1,700 claims and 1,020 lawsuits for sidewalk injuries, and paid out over $35 million in settlements as a result.”

Broken sidewalks and missing curb ramps make it hard or impossible for people using wheelchairs to get to the stops or get on the bus.

Metro operates 119 bus lines total, 105 of which include some or all of their service in the City of Los Angeles. Based on partner priorities and community knowledge, as well as data from Metro transit operations staff, we knew we wanted to survey bus routes that served the communities of South LA, Central LA, East LA, and the San Fernando Valley.

In October 2021, we selected the following Metro bus lines: 18, 51, 108, 152, 200, and 207.

For many, riding and walking is just part of life. Our oldest Spanish-speaking volunteer was Maria, age 55-64. She earns between $25k-$45k, and relies on the bus five or more days a week. On this day she caught line 108 at Main and Slauson, at 7 a.m. on a cold morning. She arrived at this bus stop by way of another bus. She uses the printed schedule, rather than an app, to know when to expect the bus – and on this day, the bus arrived when expected.

We're grateful to the people who took time to ride buses and share the details of their experiences with us.

Volunteers answered questions about:

• Themselves (demographics, income, ethnicity, age, preferred language, etc.)
• Transportation habits (how often they ride the bus, how they get schedule info)
• Conditions on the day they rode (weather, time, which route and bus stops)
• Conditions of the bus stops at both ends of their ride
• Timing of bus arrival, how long they waited
• Number of people waiting at the stop, level of crowding on the bus
• If anyone was using mobility devices on the bus
• Desired improvements for the stops, and to make the overall trip better

More than two-thirds of our volunteer observers regularly ride buses at least once a week (41 out of 58).

Just 18 of 126 observations involved a car ride of some kind, to get to the bus stop: driving, dropped off by co-worker, or rideshare.

All others arrived at their bus stop by some combination of walking, other buses or trains, bike or e-scooter. Only two of the Spanish-speakers arrived at their stop via car. One took an e-scooter, and all others walked and/or took another bus or train.

The process fostered community.

Those who took part in the entire survey process told us they felt they were contributing to the improvement not just of bus service, but also of their communities.

Investing in Place started discussing this idea in the summer of 2021 in our monthly Better Buses for LA working group.

We considered the planning process to be just as important as the data-gathering process, because we wanted to be intentional about seeking input and participation from community members.

Limitations

This was not an objective survey of a random sampling of the population, and it was not a comprehensive review of bus service throughout the city. This was a subjective study of six lines, conducted by volunteers answering questions about their experience and their observations. All data is self-reported from the observers, including demographic information about themselves and the observations they shared about their experience riding the bus. Black riders and older riders were under-represented in our study.

We purposely sought participation from people who ride the bus regularly, and we invited them to share their observations in their own words and their own language (for Spanish-speakers). We would like to have observed more lines and been able to accommodate more languages. But we were able to accomplish what we did on a modest budget because of a rich trusted network.

What’s Next is Crystal Clear

We need greater transparency and understanding about what it is like to ride the bus in Los Angeles. This report is more than just conducting rider surveys: it includes sharing and amplifying the results of those surveys so policymakers and community members prioritize investments in the infrastructure to support those who ride. On-the-ground input must be considered when decisions are made about investing public money in transit and in everything that is interconnected with it, including affordable housing and improvements that make communities safe for walking and biking.

Go to people where they are: not Zoom, not a press conference, not a tweet, not a community meeting—meet them on the bus. Commit to prioritizing public dollars to immediately improve the bus experience for both riders and operators.

This report reveals a glaring truth: Los Angeles lacks a coordinated approach to investing public dollars in public space, with a focus on the historical impacts of investments in the city along racial lines—inequities in infrastructure that persist even in 2022.

We can’t emphasize enough the time and commitment that so many people brought to the table.

We could not have made this project happen without the collaboration and friendships we were all creating. This ties to our firm support for respectful, funded, and culturally competent outreach needed to amplify current conditions for people riding the bus in Los Angeles.

A huge thanks to our partners: Strategic Actions for a Just Economy (SAJE), Koreatown Immigrant Workers Alliance (KIWA), and Move LA. They helped us connect with volunteers who represented monolingual Spanish speakers, youth, community college students and others who represent the demographics of bus riders in Los Angeles.

We also relied on existing relationships with the Bus Riders Union, Community Power Collective, Alliance for Community Transit (ACT-LA), Transit Coalition, South Central LAMP, Climate Resolve and more.

We are also grateful to the partnership from the staff at Metro Transit Operations, especially Conan Cheung, Joseph Forgiarini, Julia Brown and Stephen Tu.

The 'Better Buses for LA' Working Group

Investing in Place formed the Better Buses for LA Working Group in 2019 to convene community members, organizers, public agency staff, advocates and leaders to share perspectives and updates on the status of transit across the LA Region every month. (The working group has been on hiatus since February 2022.)

When we began this project, we had already established two years worth of trust and partnership with 25-45+ people joining the work group every month before COVID in 2019, and even more in 2020. Many people were, and still are, deeply concerned about how buses were meeting community needs with the onset of COVID. This working group became a powerful space to strengthen the collective impact to support better transit for Angelenos.

Our Volunteers

Our Team

Aziz Fellague Ariouat - Former Staff

Colleen Corcoran - Place & Page Graphic Design, Creative Director

Jessica Meaney - Executive Director

Kevin Liu - Advocacy Associate, Photographer

Kim Perez - Communications Strategist

Our Funders

Our work would not be possible without financial support from The Energy Foundation, The California Endowment, TransitCenter, Just Strategy, and the many generous individuals who donate to Investing in Place.

Our vision is a city with vibrant and accessible neighborhoods, inspired by those who live there. We work to take the mystery out of how public works and transportation money is spent and how decisions are made, and then share that information to support inclusive and equitable decision-making. Learn more at  InvestinginPlace.org .

Click  here to donate  to support this work. Invest with us for accessible, equitable public space. Your support allows Investing in Place to advocate for a more inclusive decision-making process and equitable resource allocation for all Angelenos, especially those reliant on public infrastructure.

Get in touch with us at  hello@investinginplace.org .

We'd love to hear from you!