Metro proposes free or reduced fares to all who lost homes or were evacuated in wildfires
LA Metro is proposing to help victims of the devastating fires in Los Angeles County by providing them with free or reduced fares on its system for six months, Metro Board Chair Janice Hahn announced on Thursday, Jan. 16.
The motion by Supervisor Hahn, who was joined by supervisors Kathryn Barger, Lindsey Horvath and Hilda Solis, would extend the transit agency’s low-fares program designed for those with reduced incomes to all impacted county residents, including those who’ve lost their homes or were evacuated, including affected Metro employees.
The motion will come before the full Metro Governing Board at the meeting on Thursday, Jan. 23. The board meeting begins at 10 a.m. and takes place at Metro headquarters, One Gateway Plaza, in the third floor board room.
If approved, LA Metro plans on sending outreach teams to evacuation centers and resource centers to sign up residents for the program.
As of Thursday, Metro has reported that at least 19 Metro employees had lost their homes in the wildfires and at least 46 have been displaced.
“Metro has resources we should put to work as we respond to these wildfires, get help to victims, and plan for recovery,” said Hahn in a prepared statement.
CEO Stephanie Wiggins would be empowered to change the eligibility for the Low-Income Fare is Easy (LIFE) program that provides low-income fares and free rides for those income-eligible and extend the benefit to individuals displaced by the wildfires.
The motion also directs the transit agency to work with jurisdictions impacted by the fires to identify how Metro may aid victims in recovery efforts.
“Thousands of residents are now without a reliable means of transportation and our Metro system may play a crucial role as an option for residents to get to work and to our Disaster Recovery Centers to access support. It’s our duty to uplift our residents and employees when they need it most,” Barger said.
The LIFE program offers people a 90-day pass for free rides, automatically added to their TAP cards. It can be used on Metro as well as many regional transit systems. After 90 days, the individual can add 20 free regional rides onto their TAP card every month by using a local TAP vendor, going online at taptogo.net or by calling 1-866-827-8646.
As of Thursday, rides on Metro buses, trains and micro-transit were free, as long as wildfire conditions exist, Metro reported. All rail lines are running at regular service.
Bus Lines 134 and 602 are canceled due to the Palisades Fire. Detours are in effect on Bus Lines 233, 267, 296, 660, 662 and 761. Metro Micro service in Pasadena, Altadena and Sierra Madre has been suspended north of Sierra Madre Boulevard, the agency reported.