In a region synonymous with car culture and freeways, public transit is often thought of as an underdog. And, while some are blithely unaware that Los Angeles is home to the nation's second-largest transit network, an average weekday sees over one million boardings on the LA Metro system. Transit is for everyone, and we aim to use our social media content to counter the narrative that "nobody" rides transit in L.A.
More broadly, we aim to drive consideration of Metro as a transportation option among non-riders, increase frequency of ridership among occasional riders, and garner public support for more transit projects in the region. To do that, we need to debunk some of the myths non-riders hold onto about public transit and overcome some of their objections. We need to build credibility and trust.
Government agencies are often portrayed as faceless bureaucratic entities – and this reputation isn't unjustified. In an age when consumers rank brand authenticity, transparency and trust more important than ever, we want to change that perception and showcase Metro as an agency made up of hardworking, intelligent people who are passionate about the work they do to keep the people of LA County moving 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year.
When the media laughed at Los Angeles for declaring that the 2028 Olympics would be car-free, we clapped back with an animated map showing that every venue is adjacent to an-already-existing rail station (and we have over a dozen additional under-construction stations slated to open prior to the Olympics). That video alone received over 1.5M impressions across platforms.
We followed up with regular updates on the under-construction Metro Transit Center, which will finally connect the LAX airport to the city via rail, and on our ambitious subway along Wilshire Boulevard, underneath some of the most dense neighborhoods in the region.
When commenters repeat the refrain that trains and buses are dirty, we get to work filming our custodial staff hard at work -- but presented in ASMR format, of course.
We regularly feature the friendly faces that riders will encounter across our system, from bus operators to Metro Ambassadors to maintenance staff. We show our buses running through the county in the Los Angeles light that made the film industry immediately lay claim to this region. We leverage humor and tap into local cultural references to us, such as Tyler the Creator's "carrot-colored bus."
2024 was the first year that Metro's ridership returned to prepandemic levels. While obviously that is not only attributable to social media content, our social game is, by all benchmarks, strong. With nearly half a million followers across platforms (70,000 gained in 2024), we claim one of the biggest social media followings among transit agencies in the nation.
These goodwill posts have generated over 8M impressions over the course of the year and tens of thousands of engagements.
Beyond that, our content has driven a good amount of positive conversation around the agency, as measured by social listening tools.
