Metro Releases Souvenir TAP Cards Celebrating L.A.’s Bid for the Olympic and Paralympic Games

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority announced Friday, July 7, that limited edition TAP cards celebrating the city’s bid for the Olympic and Paralympic Games are now available at select Metro stations.

Emblazoned with “Ready to welcome the world,” the new TAP cards reference LA’s Olympic Spirit as well as public transportation investments that will provide connections to the sports parks and standalone competition venues in LA 2024’s Games Concept.

“Los Angeles has its sights set on the Olympic and Paralympic Games, and now, Metro riders can show their Olympic spirit every time they TAP,” said Mayor Eric Garcetti. “When we say we’re ‘ready to welcome the world,’ it means we’re ready to harness our historic investments in mass transit, so that we can connect fans with Sports Parks quickly and affordably, and ease traffic congestion across the city, just like we did during the 1984 Games.”

Metro and LA 2024 are promoting the availability of TAP cards at several stations near 2024 L.A. Olympic and Paralympic venues.

The cards were made available at the following stations on Thursday, July 6: Expo Line (Expo Park/USC Station) – L.A. Memorial Coliseum, Galen Center, Dedeaux Field, LAFC Stadium, and Media Village/MPC; Expo/Blue Lines (Pico Station) - L.A. Live, STAPLES Center, L.A. Convention Center and Microsoft Theater; Red/Purple Lines (Civic Center/Grand Park Station) - L.A. City Hall and Grand Park; Red/Purple Lines (7th/Metro) - L.A. Live, STAPLES Center, L.A. Convention Center, and Microsoft Theater, and; Expo Line (Downtown Santa Monica Station) – Santa Monica Beach Volleyball stadium.

Additional stations near Olympic venues were available on Friday, July 7: Metro Orange Line (Balboa Station) – Sepulveda Basin; Silver Line (Harbor Gateway Transit Center) – StubHub Center; Blue Line (1st Street Station) – Long Beach Arena, Waterfront, and Pier; Green Line (Hawthorne/Lennox Station) – The Forum and L.A. Stadium at Hollywood Park; Gold Line (Memorial Park Station) – Rose Bowl; Expo Line (26th Street Station) – Riviera Country Club.

“Metro already has a large, robust transit network, and by 2024 we plan to add nearly 20 miles of new rail service to our system,” said Metro CEO Phillip A. Washington. “These lines are already under construction today. We will be ready to transport spectators in a convenient, efficient manner with Metro’s interconnected transit system serving all Olympic and Paralympic sports venues.”

By staging events near the region’s public transportation assets and encouraging Angelenos to use transit, LA 2024 will contribute to the cultural shift towards mobility already underway in L.A. and create an ongoing legacy of increased transit ridership.

Metro and LA 2024’s commitment to delivering new transportation projects received a boost in November 2016 when L.A. County voters approved the Measure M sales tax measure that will invest $120 billion in new rail lines, bus services and highway improvements, among other projects and programs. The new funding adds to the region’s existing $40 billion transportation investment over a 30-year period. 

The release of the TAP cards highlights LA 2024’s alignment with Los Angeles’ long-term goals and the city’s ongoing transportation renaissance that means no additional permanent infrastructure is required to host the Games. This approach embodies Olympic Agenda 2020 Recommendation 1, which calls on Candidate Cities to present an Olympic project that best matches their sports, economic, social and environmental long-term planning needs.