LOCAL : RTD Lauds Free-Ride Program

The Los Angeles Rapid Transit District’s free-ride pilot program to patrons whose buses are at least 15 minutes late was a “phenomenal” success in its first month, with ridership increasing by about 1 million over the same period last year, officials announced today.

Of the nearly 34 million passengers who rode RTD buses in September, about 59,000--or 0.18% of the total--qualified for free rides under the agency’s warranty program, far less than the 600,000 officials had predicted.

“This is a phenomenal RTD success story,” board President Nick Patsaouras said at a downtown news conference, adding that he will recommend that the program be permanently implemented beyond its scheduled December expiration if the success continues.