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“The Metro Board needs a Metro rider,” Hahn said. “I’ve started riding Metro more often, and it has made me a better Metro Director—but I’m not an everyday rider. We should have someone on the dais who experiences the system day in and day out and can tell us what’s working, what’s not, and how our decisions affect the people who depend on our trains and buses.”
LCCN Staff Report
Los Angeles County Supervisor and Metro Director Janice Hahn is proposing to give everyday transit riders a direct voice on the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority Board by creating the agency’s first dedicated rider representative.
Hahn plans to introduce the proposal at the Metro Board’s July 23 meeting, arguing that the people who rely on Metro buses and trains every day should have a seat at the table alongside elected officials who oversee the transit system.
“The Metro Board needs a Metro rider,” Hahn said. “I’ve started riding Metro more often, and it has made me a better Metro Director—but I’m not an everyday rider. We should have someone on the dais who experiences the system day in and day out and can tell us what’s working, what’s not, and how our decisions affect the people who depend on our trains and buses.”
The Metro Board currently consists of the five Los Angeles County supervisors, the mayor of Los Angeles, three additional mayoral appointees, four representatives selected through the City Selection Committee process, and one non-voting member appointed by the governor.
If Hahn’s motion is approved, Metro staff would work with community advisory councils, community-based organizations and other stakeholders to develop a transparent process for selecting a rider representative. Staff also would recommend the resources needed to enable the rider to fully participate as a voting board member.
Hahn has made firsthand experience with the transit system a priority since becoming Metro Board chair in 2024. She pledged to ride Metro more frequently and continues to use the Metro J Line to travel to board meetings.
The proposal comes as Metro evaluates the future composition of its governing board following voter approval of Measure G, which will expand the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors from five members to nine.
Metro’s own public outreach found broad support for adding a rider representative. Through presentations to 25 stakeholder organizations, nine listening sessions, a countywide town hall, outreach at transit stations and nearly 900 survey responses, riders consistently said the governing board should include someone who understands the daily experience of using the transit system.
Several major transit agencies already include riders on their governing boards. Both the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority and the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority have voting rider representatives, a model Hahn says demonstrates that rider participation can strengthen public transit governance.
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