The latest LABarometer survey compares perceptions of safety among those who returned to public transit after the pandemic with those who didn’t and examines what drives electric vehicle and solar power purchases. (Composite: Letty Avila; Photos: iStock.)
Still riding L.A.’s Metro after the pandemic? You probably think it’s safer than those who don’t anymore
The latest USC Dornsife LABarometer survey also found that Angelenos’ finances — not climate concerns — dictate solar panel and EV purchases.
As Jon Regardie wrote last year in Los Angeles Magazine, “Metro’s raison d’etre is to get hundreds of thousands of people each day across Southern California.” But the COVID-19 pandemic sent the numbers of riders plummeting to a low of 13%, and ridership still hasn’t fully rebounded.
The reason may now be clear, thanks to the latest USC Dornsife LABarometer survey, conducted by the Center for Economic and Social Research (CESR) at the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences.
The survey found that although public transportation ridership in the county has nearly doubled since its low point in 2021, it remains below the pre-pandemic level of 35%.