Sensory rooms, navigation apps and hydration spots will dot the Metro system and make the tournament experience in Los Angeles more accessible than ever
Enjoying the World Cup in Los Angeles is getting more and more accessible for everyone. Metro is adding services that make it easier to navigate the tournament and the city for neurodiverse as well as visually impaired fans, while also providing cooling services for everyone “to beat the heat.”
Temporary sensory rooms, to minimize noise and external stimulation, will dot key transfer stations during matchdays and through the Fan Zone in Union Station from June 25-28. They are courtesy of nonprofit KultureCity, which had already collaborated with FIFA to create sensory rooms in every World Cup stadium and provide goodie bags with tools including noise-cancelling headphones for fans.
Metro is also launching the pilot program for its collaboration with Waymap, a navigation app that relies on motion science and digital mapping rather than GPS to guide visually impaired users through indoor and outdoor sections of Metro stations. The app currently serves six major stations and will expand to six more by June 26, with the hope that the pilot will be successful enough to expand the service to more stations and retain it after the World Cup.
Lastly, Metro has added hydration stations throughout its system, at park-and-ride spots and 20 stations, that provide drinking water, fans, sunscreen and cooling towels. All stations can be located on the WeTap app, and county Cooling Centers are also available throughout the region.
“We are not only helping riders get to the matches but also providing support services to make their transit experience even better such as a spot to grab a cool drink of water or a place away from the crowds,” said Metro Board Chair Fernando Dutra.
Multiple World Cup games in Los Angeles present a moderate risk of heat illness to fans, including the next two group stage games and all three elimination round games, according to an NPR analysis. County Public Health recommends signing up for heat advisories and following their high temperature recommendations.
This is far from the first initiative Metro has introduced in the wake of the World Cup. Increased bus service to and from Los Angeles Stadium games was accompanied by other hammed-up rail lines across the region. The biggest change, perhaps, was the contactless payment system introduced to make bank cards as good as TAP cards to carry fans around the county on Metro lines.
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