{"id":70143,"date":"2025-01-23T11:37:09","date_gmt":"2025-01-23T19:37:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/?p=70143"},"modified":"2025-01-23T11:37:09","modified_gmt":"2025-01-23T19:37:09","slug":"board-approves-free-metro-rides-for-residents-displaced-by-wildfires","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/?p=70143","title":{"rendered":"Board Approves Free Metro Rides for Residents Displaced by Wildfires"},"content":{"rendered":"

Los Angeles, CA<\/strong> \u2013 Today, the Los Metro Board of Directors unanimously approved a\u00a0motion<\/a>\u00a0authored by Chair Janice Hahn and coauthored by Board of Supervisors Chair Kathryn Barger, Supervisor Lindsey Horvath, Mayor Karen Bass, Supervisor Hilda Solis, and Whittier Councilmember Fernando Dutra aimed at using Metro resources to support displaced wildfire victims as well as recovery efforts.\u00a0 Among other initiatives, residents displaced by wildfires can now qualify for Metro’s reduced fare program known as LIFE.<\/p>\n

“This is an all hands on deck moment for Los Angeles County and we are putting Metro resources to work as we respond to these wildfires, support survivors, and plan for recovery,\u201d\u00a0said Supervisor Janice Hahn.<\/strong>\u00a0\u201cAs residents who lost their homes try to rebuild their lives over the next few months, the last thing they should have to worry about is whether they can afford to take the train or bus. Every displaced resident now qualifies for free fares and we will have Metro staff at wildfire resource centers to help people register.”<\/p>\n

The proposal authorizes Metro\u2019s CEO Stephanie Wiggins to modify the eligibility of the LIFE reduced fare program for at least six months to include individuals displaced by wildfires as well as mobilize outreach teams to evacuation centers and resource centers to assist wildfire survivors in registering for these programs.\u00a0Residents enrolled in LIFE can enjoy 20 free rides every month on Metro or a discounted pass on another participating transit agency.<\/em>\u00a0Learn more about the Metro LIFE program here.<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cAs we work to bring every resource to our residents impacted by the wildfires\u2014including Metro employees\u2014it\u2019s important that our Metro Board is also at the table,”\u00a0said Metro Board Member and LA County Board of Supervisors Chair Kathryn Barger.<\/strong>\u00a0“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\u2019s our duty to uplift our residents and employees when they need it most.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe devastation caused by the Eaton and Palisades fires has left lives lost, homes destroyed, and thousands displaced,\u201d\u00a0said Third District Supervisor and Metro Board Member Lindsey P. Horvath.<\/strong>\u00a0\u201cThis motion ensures we are leveraging every resource available to provide impacted residents and Metro employees access to reduced fare programs, disaster assistance, and direct outreach and support. These recovery efforts are vital to helping our communities rebuild with the urgency and care they deserve.”<\/p>\n

The motion also authorizes the CEO to identify and provide financial or other forms of assistance that are eligible for cost recovery from disaster assistance programs to Metro employees who have lost their homes in the wildfires or have been displaced as a result of the wildfires. \u00a0As of today, at least 19 Metro employees have reported losing their homes in the wildfires and at least 46 have been displaced.<\/p>\n

Lastly, the motion authorizes Metro to work with impacted jurisdictions to identify ways that Metro may aid in recovery efforts\u2013 including, but not limited to its fleet, services, expertise, and properties.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Los Angeles, CA \u2013 Today, the...<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-70143","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-ca-local"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70143","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=70143"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70143\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":70144,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70143\/revisions\/70144"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=70143"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=70143"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=70143"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}