Regional Transit Partners Key in Helping Deliver World-Class Service
LOS ANGELES – July 16, 2026 – Metro and its transit partners delivered Golden Boot service to fans as Metro’s World Cup Games Enhanced Transit Service provided 212,865 rides directly to and from Los Angeles Stadium and 15 parking and transit hubs in Los Angeles and Orange Counties during the eight World Cup matches in Los Angeles. Other fans made their way to the stadium or to fan zones and watch parties via Metro’s regular bus and rail service, driving an overall increase in Metro ridership throughout the tournament.
“During the World Cup, Angelenos and visitors from around the world experienced Metro’s world-class service firsthand — more frequent train and bus service, zero public safety incidents, and an easy way to beat traffic,” said Metro Board Chair and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass. “Looking ahead to the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games, Metro is showing what’s possible when we invest in local transit and work across every level of government to deliver for Los Angeles.”
Customer Experience
In addition to offering direct service to Los Angeles Stadium, Metro focused on ensuring the customer experience helped keep fans engaged and comfortable. More than 1,700 non-contract employees were deployed throughout the system, the 15 parking and transit locations and the official fan zones during the World Cup to help support the fan experience by answering questions and serving as human wayfinders.
Beating the Heat
To help mitigate the heat for fans waiting to board buses to the matches, Metro provided hydration stations with chilled water, along with misting fans, shade, sunscreen and cooling towels.
Expanded Accessibility Tools
Metro expanded accessibility for blind and visually impaired customers by piloting a program with Waymap, a navigation platform that provides accurate indoor and outdoor wayfinding for blind and visually impaired customers in 12 key stations.
Neurodiversity Support
On World Cup match days and during the Union Station fan zone, Metro provided temporary sensory pods that were set up at key transfer stations to provide a quiet, calming environment for individuals who may be overstimulated by crowds, lighting or noise. More than 730 people visited the pods during the World Cup.
Safety
Safety was a top priority for Metro and there were zero safety incidents reported related to Metro’s World Cup Games Enhanced Service.
“I am immensely proud of the hard work Metro employees from throughout the organization did in preparation for and during the World Cup that allowed us to deliver this world-class service to fans from around the world,” said Metro CEO Stephanie Wiggins. “I’m also appreciative of the strong partnerships from our regional transit partners and city, state and federal officials, which were critical to our success. Fans choosing to go Metro not only started their fan experience and celebrations on Metro, they also helped remove an estimated 42,573 cars from the road during the tournament.”
Regional Transit Partners
Metro’s World Cup Enhanced Service was provided by Metro in conjunction with key transit partners: Big Blue Bus, Culver City Transit, Foothill Transit, Long Beach Transit, Montebello Bus Lines, Norwalk Transit System, OmniTrans, Orange County Transportation Authority, Riverside Transit Agency, Torrance Transit, Metrolink, Greyhound/FlixBus, Pacific Surfliner and Metro Micro/Uber.
Funding
The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) allocated $100 million to transit systems across the United States to support transit for fans to and from the FIFA World Cup 2026 matches and consistent with a formula written into the funding legislation, Metro coordinated the use of $9.6 million in FTA funding to support the Metro Enhanced World Cup service.
The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) is building the most ambitious transportation infrastructure program in the United States and is working to greatly improve mobility. Metro is the lead transportation planning and funding agency for L.A. County and carries nearly 1 million boardings daily on a fleet of 2,200 low-emission buses and six rail lines. The latest October 2025 customer experience survey showed that customer satisfaction has risen to 87 percent.
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