New Metro Dashboard Shares Safety Data on L.A. Buses, Trains

Los Angeles travelers using Metro have a new tech tool to turn to for insight into the system’s safety data.

The transit provider has released its Monthly Safety Tracker, an online dashboard showing the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro)’s latest safety stats across its network of buses and trains.

“I think one of the top questions we get is, is riding Metro safe?” Maya Pogoda, senior manager for Metro media relations, said. “By being able to present the facts — where there were 25 incidents per 1 million boardings in the month of January, so yes, the system is safe — and this allows people to see that for themselves.”

Metro, which covers some 1,440 square miles across southern California, created the online dashboard to organize the safety data and make it “a lot more digestible,” Pogoda said, noting the data comes from its monthly public safety reports. The tracker is within its new Safety Hub.

Those reports, which can span many pages, “could be a little hard to digest, for the average person,” Pogoda said. The data originates from a number of sources such as partner organizations including the Los Angeles Police Department and the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department, Metro’s own security team, riders and others.

Other transit organizations have taken to monitoring safety more closely on their systems, too. Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) in the San Francisco metropolitan region has introduced the BART Watch app, which allows riders to discreetly report suspicious or criminal activity on trains and platforms. Users can send a text description of the activity and attach a photo.

The Chicago Transit Authority (CTA), the second largest transit network in the nation, is using new data tools to examine ridership and fare evasion, it said in its recent Revised Security Enhancement Plan — noting the increase of its monthly policing hours 75 percent, as it works to reduce unsafe experiences.

Between August 2024 and July 2025, the system recorded its second-highest level of violent crimes since 2015, according to data from the Illinois Policy Institute. For the 12 months ending with July 2025, CTA experienced 2.7 crimes for every 100,000 rides, per the institute.

In Los Angeles, violent crime on Metro fell 6.7 percent in 2025, compared to the year before, as the agency continues deploying more safety personnel and police officers on the system, according to a Metro press release. Metro also saw a 33 percent reduction in ”crimes against society,” which could include trespassing or drug use.

The new Metro safety data portal is part of Los Angeles positioning itself to host major upcoming events like the FIFA World Cup and the 2028 Summer Olympics, which are expected to bring record numbers of visitors to the region — all of them potential riders who may have little experience with Metro.

“And so that’s a big question for them. If I decide to take Metro to go see a soccer match, is it going to be safe?” Pogoda said. “And so this gives them a lot of background about what to expect, and also what actions they can take as riders, to also take on some responsibility to ensure their own safety.”