LA Metro to resume fare collection after wildfire pause

LA Metro will resume collecting fares after a two-week pause spurred by devastating wildfires across the Los Angeles area.

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority said fares would be reinstated this coming Monday.

The collection of fares was put on hold earlier this month in response to the Palisades, Eaton and Hurst fires which tore through neighborhoods across L.A. County, leaving mass destruction in their wake.

Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn, who chairs the LA Metro board, urged for a suspension of fare collection in an effort to ease the burden on evacuees and other Angelenos affected by the fires.

The pause was originally put in place for two days before it was extended indefinitely. On Friday, officials announced that the time had come for collecting fares to resume.

While fare collection will resume, those affected by the historic wildfires can still qualify for discounted rides on LA Metro. Last week, the Metro board amended the qualifications for “low income” fare program to include people who lost their homes in the recent fires.

Metro’s LIFE program allows for 90 days of unlimited free rides, followed by 20 free rides per month after that, with participating transit agencies.

Hahn said wildfire victims will remain eligible for the program for up to six months, adding that Metro outreach teams were mobilizing to evacuation shelters and resource centers to help wildfire victims get enrolled in the program.

“As residents who lost their homes try to rebuild their lives over the next few months, the last thing they should have to worry about is whether they can afford transit,” Hahn said Thursday on social media.