METRO | Ride the K-Line!

The Client

Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (METRO) is one of the nation’s largest transportation agencies serving one of the country’s largest counties, with over 200 million+ riders annually across all platforms. Metro is also involved in long-term transportation planning and infrastructure development projects. It works to expand and improve the transit network, enhance accessibility, and promote sustainable transportation solutions. These efforts include the construction of new rail lines, bus rapid transit routes, and other transit facilities. The project - METRO’s newly opened K Line.

The K Line is a light rail line running north-south between neighborhoods of Los Angeles passing through various South Los Angeles neighborhoods and the city of Inglewood. The Crenshaw area of South Central Los Angeles has had a history of high crime rates and violence. Some of the things that have contributed to this include many gangs, which has led to increased violence and criminal activity. The community also advocated that they did not want police on the K Line due to the perception of police.

The K Line is a light rail line running north-south between neighborhoods of Los Angeles passing through various South Los Angeles neighborhoods and the city of Inglewood. The Crenshaw area of South Central Los Angeles has had a history of high crime rates and violence. Some of the things that have contributed to this include many gangs, which has led to increased violence and criminal activity. The community also advocated that they did not want police on the K Line due to the perception of police..

The Challenge

Develop a community engagement program to develop a better customer experience and reimagined safety program to ridership on METRO’s newly opened K Line. The goal was to improve ridership and the overall customer experience through a community focused unarmed presence on the METRO system, with an emphasis on quality and professional service.

The Strategy

With the diverse ridership at METRO, our strategy was to utilize a DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) approach to recruit, train and develop a bi-lingual workforce, in collaboration with Community-Based Organizations, to provide a safe, friendly, and improved riding experience for all Metro Commuters

The Outcome

METRO’S K-Line is considered the safest and cleanest light rail line on the Metro rail system, with improved fare collection.