Expo Line to Santa Monica Converting Drivers to Riders: Survey

SANTA MONICA, CA -- A new survey shows that the expanded Expo Line to Santa Monica is converting more drivers into riders, according to the results released this week by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

More than two-thirds of riders on the Expo Line are new riders and more than 40 percent of them used to commute solo, according to the survey. The Expo Line was opened on May 20, connecting downtown Los Angeles to downtown Santa Monica. Already, the expanded line has seen an increase of 20,000 new riders on weekdays and the number doubled for riders on Sunday for the entire line.

Riders on the expanded section, which goes from Culver City to Santa Monica, have already reached 70 percent of the projected ridership for 2030. According to the survey, 70 percent of riders are new to Metro and close to 50 percent used to drive alone and another 23 percent switched from bus service.

According to the survey of 1,000 riders, the majority of new riders are using Metro to head to Santa Monica and a majority of the either bike, walk or skateboard to the stations. Only 16 percent drove the station and another 15 percent rode the bus there.

Metro is hoping to add new train cars by December to have trains run every six minutes during peak hours. Right, they run about 12 minutes during peak hours.

See Also:

• Paid Parking to Debut Along Expo Line Expansion Next Week
• Expo Line Ridership Increases More Than Half Since Expansion from Culver City to Santa Monica

Photo courtesy of Metro LA