As the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority sees a change in leadership with a further emphasis on public safety, the transit department Wednesday touted a decrease in crime on its buses and trains.

During Metro’s annul State of the Agency address at Union Station, Whittier City Councilmember Fernando Dutra was announced the new head of the Metro Board of Directors. LA County Supervisor Janice Hahn passed the gavel to Dutra as the board chair serves a one-year term from July1 to June 30, rotating among the LA mayor, a county supervisor and a city selection committee member.

Dutra said he will focus on completing Metro’s major expansion projects, including the Southeast Gateway Line, the Foothill and D (Purple) Line extensions and two projects in the San Fernando Valley.

During Wednesday’s address, officials also highlighted Metro’s recent accomplishments, such as opening the
LAX Metro Transit Center and the Rail-to-Rail Active Transportation Corridor in South Los Angeles, as well as enhancing its public safety network.

Metro is establishing a new public safety department led by former San Francisco Police Chief Bill Scott. The agency implemented safety measures including Tap-to-Exit expansion, weapons detection systems, taller fare gates, a Transit Watch 3.0 app and more ambassadors and security personnel.

The agency took steps to improve public safety after several high-profile violent crimes on its system.

Metro CEO Stephanie Wiggins emphasized that Metro’s success comes from addressing the needs of people.

“When this Metro family commits to a common goal, and we put people first, we find new ways to work together and we get things done,” Wiggins said.

Assaults on the system were down by more than 66% year-over-year as a direct result of their focus on public safety, according to Wiggins.

Additionally, the agency reported a 55% reduction in crime such as vandalism, fights and harassment on certain bus lines.

The agency’s efforts resulted in a more than 53% increase in ridership over the past four years and customer satisfaction rose to 87% in a recent rider survey, Wiggins said.

As Metro prepares for the 2026 World Cup, followed by the 2027 Super Bowl and the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games, Wiggins noted they will be ramping up service to handle visitors from around the globe.

For the World Cup, she expects Metro to run more than 300 additional buses, and later establish a temporary bus system that will add up to 2,700buses for the Olympics.

“We’ve already started preparing to meet this moment,” Wiggins said. “Our mobility concept plan is being implemented. We have already identified more than 700 borrowed buses from other transit agencies.”

Among future plans, Wiggins noted customers will soon be able to use credit or debit cards to pay their boarding fee, similar to a TAP card. The agency is expected to roll out an “all-in-one app” for everything Metro.

“We are not doing this just for the World Cup, the Super Bowl or the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games,” Wiggins said. “We’re doing this for you — for every LA County resident who helped us build this system and who deserves a better, cleaner, safer, easier alternative to sitting in traffic.”