RTD May Offer 2 Weeks of Free Rides on Blue Line
Transit officials, eager to attract customers to try the Blue Line light-rail system, are considering offering two weeks of free rides when the new trains start running Saturday between Long Beach and downtown Los Angeles.
RTD Board President Nick Patsaouras, who will present the proposal to the 11-member board today, said suspending the $1.10 fare will encourage ridership. He said that while the Blue Line could lose up to $100,000 by offering free rides for two weeks, it was well worth the investment to promote the rail system.
“We have billions riding on this line,” Patsaouras said. “We must take extra steps to make it safe, keep it graffiti-clean and . . . get people hooked into it.”
Originally, the board had planned to offer free rides for the first two days of the Blue Line’s operation. Officials have projected between 5,000 and 7,000 people a day will ride the Blue Line in its initial weeks.
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