At the onset of the pandemic, LA Metro made deep cuts to its bus service despite retaining the highest proportion of bus riders among large transit agencies in 2020. Over the past year, a coalition of transit advocates put pressure on LA Metro to reverse the cuts. The advocacy culminated in a commitment from the agency in January 2021 to restore service to pre-pandemic levels later this year.

The win follows years of advocacy to make bus service a higher priority at LA Metro. Investing in Place is a Los Angeles advocacy organization that has been changing the conversation on bus investments. In this episode, Jessica Meaney and Scott Frazier of Investing in Place discuss the campaign that led to the January 2021 commitment. Jessica and Scott also reflect on the political nature of transit advocacy, and share their thoughts on what an equitable transit system looks like.