L.A. Metro experiencing some service impacts due to staff shortages

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (L.A. Metro) is experiencing impacts on its bus and rail service due to a recent uptick in COVID-19 cases and a national labor shortage. 

L.A. Metro says it has had to cancel some bus trips in recent days and is informing riders that this may continue to be an issue in the days ahead — although the authority notes it is working hard to eliminate such disruptions to service. Other transit agencies around the region are experiencing similar challenges.

As was the case during last winter’s COVID-19 surge, the canceled trips on L.A. Metro are not evenly distributed around the transit system. On some days, certain parts of the bus system have been hit harder than others — and some bus lines are impacted more than others. L.A. Metro says it understands how disruptive a canceled trip can be — and that a canceled trip or two on any bus line often results in crowding on subsequent trips on that line.

So, the authority is encouraging riders to use Transit — L.A. Metro’s official smartphone app — to plan bus and rail trips and check crowding predictions. L.A. Metro also suggests allowing additional time for traveling and following the L.A. Metro service alerts feed on Twitter.

On Sept. 12, L.A. Metro returned to its full pre-pandemic levels of bus service to help riders make essential trips, and intends to stay the course with so many employees returning to work and students back in schools.