LA Metro ridership rises amid dramatic decrease in crime

Riders have returned to trains and busses across Los Angeles County after officials made a concerted effort to increase safety. 

For over a year, crimes from stabbings to drug use on the system spiked correlating with a drastic drop in ridership. 

After focusing more resources on safety, Metro says ridership has jumped up 10% since last September while crime has dropped 53% in the last six months. 

"We've tried to find other ways to deter those crimes that are happening," said spokesperson Patrick Chandler. "We're working with law enforcement to be more visible on our system. So, if an incident does occur, they're there to respond."

In April, riders said they routinely saw fights on the Metro, with one person claiming they witnessed a shooting on the train. However, riders on Thursday night said they saw a big difference. 

"I can actually tell a marked difference," rider Zulma Pereira said. 

Others like Troy Farrow said that he's still unsure if he'd want a kid ride on the Metro alone. 

"It's actually been very easy today," said Farrow. "We rode Amtrak this morning and we did the Metro around town and it was a really nice experience for us."

In addition to the shifted focus to safety, Metro attributes the increased ridership to the back-to-school season since it offers free rides to some K-12 schools and community colleges.