More L.A. Metro riders will have to tap their TAP cards to get out of local train stations soon. Yesterday Metro further expanded its TAP-to-Exit program, where riders are required to use their cards to enter and exit the station.
This week the TAP-to-Exit Program was implemented at Union Station on the B and D Lines. It becomes the third station where Metro riders must tap their card on their way out. Riders must already tap to leave the E-Line station in downtown Santa Monica, and the B Line in North Hollywood.
LA Metro started TAP-to-Exit last May. The agency said in a press release that it plans to expand the program to all end-of-line stations by the end of the year.
A weeklong grace period will allow Union Station riders to adjust to the new rules. But by next Tuesday, riders who don’t comply will be cited.
For Metro, the new rule means more riders buying tap cards - and more money. Since implementing TAP-to-Exit in North Hollywood and Santa Monica , Metro says it has recuperated more than $130,000 in otherwise unpaid fares.
Don Snyder, an occasional train commuter, believes any program that provides the Metro increased funds should be implemented.
“I think that any way to earn money to be self sufficient or to make improvements, is great,” Snyder said.
Making riders tap their cards to exit is also aimed at making Metro trains safer. Metro officials said in a press release that after the debut of the program, reports of fights, drug use, and graffiti on Metro’s Transit Watch App dropped by more than 40% across all 14 stations on the B-Line. On the E-Line, TAP-to-Exit led to a 55% decrease, according to the agency.
Chrissy Washington, a student commuter who passes through Union Station daily, said she’s pleased with these changes: “It’s not as crowded, it doesn’t feel like as overwhelming as it usually does. So I would definitely say that it’s made a bit of a difference.”
While she has noticed a change there, she is unsure about how effective the program will be at other stations.
“I think there, it doesn’t really make too much of a difference just because they’re smaller stations,” she said. " But I think here at Union Station, since there’s just so much traffic coming in and out, I think it definitely makes a world of a difference.”
Nathan Arteaga, another frequent rider, said he is also happy with the improvements.
" I noticed that, you know, less traffic again, and just like, a little bit cleaner and stuff. So I like it. I feel like it’s a good, good implementation," he said.
While some riders said they thought these changes were to improve transit in preparation for the 2028 Olympics, Andres Di Zitti, director of the Station Experience Department for LA Metro, said that “the long term is thinking beyond the 2028, Olympics, and it’s what’s going to stay beyond that as a legacy project or as an improvement for our daily customers and commuters.”
Di Zitti affirmed that TAP-to-Exit is meant to benefit riders by “ensuring fair compliance and contributing to a safer transit system overall.” He went on to add" Metro’s largest overarching goals, is providing safe, reliable public transit."
For students worried about how they’ll afford Metro rides now that they have to tap -- or else -- keep in mind that USC offers free unlimited rides though the U-Pass. Low-income riders also qualify for a limited number of free rides through Metro’s LIFE program.