Hahn To Introduce Proposal To Add Transit Rider As Member Of The Metro Board

LOS ANGELES, CA — Los Angeles County Supervisor and Metro Director Janice Hahn announced Thursday she will introduce a proposal to add a dedicated transit rider as a member of the Board of Directors.

Hahn said her proposal aims to give the people who rely on transit system every day a direct voice in the agency's highest decision-making body. She is expected to introduce the motion for a vote at the July 23 meeting of the full Metro Board.

If 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 and recommend the staff and resources needed to ensure they can fully participate as a board member.

"The Metro Board needs a Metro rider," Hahn said in a statement. "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," Hahn added.

Hahn made a pledge to ride Metro more often when she became chair of the Metro Board of Directors in 2024. She continues to ride Metro to board meetings.

The supervisor's proposal comes while Metro is examining the future makeup of the governing board following the passage of Measure G, which expands the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors from five members to nine.

Metro's public outreach team found overwhelming support for rider representation.

Through presentations to 25 stakeholder organizations, nine listening sessions, a countywide town hall, transit station outreach and nearly 900 survey responses, the most consistent message was that Metro's governing board should include someone who understands the day-to-day experience of riding the system.

Other major transit agencies have already embraced rider representation.

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority and the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority include voting rider representatives on their governing boards, demonstrating that giving transit users a seat at the table is both feasible and effective, according to Hahn's office.

City News Service