In this special World Cup edition of SGV Connect, Damien Newton talks with Foothill Transit Communications Director Felicia Friesema about how transit agencies across Los Angeles County are preparing for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Friesema explains Foothill Transit's role in supporting Metro's operations at SoFi Stadium, including lending buses for shuttle service between Union Station and the stadium. She encourages San Gabriel Valley residents to use the Silver Streak and other transit connections to reach World Cup matches, noting that transit will play a critical role in moving tens of thousands of spectators.

The conversation also explores the behind-the-scenes planning required for a global event, with Friesema describing months of coordination, training, and security preparation involving Metro, Foothill Transit, and other agencies. The discussion then shifts to broader transit topics, including rising gas prices, ridership growth, long-term budgeting challenges, and Foothill Transit's proposed changes to commuter express service.

Newton and Friesema also discuss recent improvements to the regional fare system, including contactless credit card payments, the impact of the A Line extension into the eastern San Gabriel Valley, and the surprising success of Foothill Transit's temporary "Line 6-7" shuttle connecting the La Verne A Line station with Fairplex during the Los Angeles County Fair.

Throughout the conversation, Friesema emphasizes the importance of flexibility, regional coordination, and adapting transit service to changing travel patterns across Southern California.

Damien Newton: As mentioned in the intro, I'm here with Felicia Friesema of Foothill Transit. This is our unofficial, quasi-official World Cup edition of the SGV Connect podcast and Streetsblog coverage.

This podcast is going up on Friday, the day of the first World Cup game in Los Angeles: the United States versus Paraguay.

There's been a lot of press about how people are getting to the stadium, the cost of parking, and all of those sorts of issues. But we wanted to highlight that it is easy and possible to take transit to the games, no matter where you're coming from.

As we've mentioned before, I live in West Los Angeles. On Monday, we're planning to go to a parking lot in Santa Monica and take the bus directly to the game—a game that I still only give about a 50 percent chance of actually happening.

But we're not talking about Santa Monica today. We're talking about the San Gabriel Valley.

So again, I'm here with Felicia. Why don't we talk a little bit about service from the San Gabriel Valley to SoFi Stadium in Inglewood? How is that all going to work? What's the expectation, and what are we hoping to see?

Felicia Friesema: Well, I think it's really important that people understand how critical transit is going to be for making these matches work.

When you start seeing Caltrans signs on the freeway encouraging people to take transit to the matches at SoFi, it tells you how important transit is to making the whole experience happen. FIFA has some very strict rules about tailgating—as in, you're not allowed to do it—so it takes away some of the benefits of driving to the stadium that some people enjoy.

Foothill Transit is lending 10 buses to Metro to help operate the shuttle trips originating from Union Station and heading to SoFi Stadium.

The best way to get from the San Gabriel Valley to Union Station and then take those shuttles is to ride the Silver Streak. It runs very regularly—every 15 minutes during the week and every half hour on weekends. It's a pretty reliable service. You can visit foothilltransit.org and get all your trips itinerized.

I don't know if that's a word. Did I just make up a word?

Damien Newton: I don't know. All words are made up.

Felicia Friesema: I'm only the communications director, you know.

Damien Newton: Doesn't Thor say that in one of the Marvel movies? Someone tells him he made up a word and he responds, "All words are made up."

Felicia Friesema: Right. One thing I do want to note, though: for the shuttles going into SoFi, there won't be fare collection on the buses themselves.

Spectators can pay in one of two ways. They can purchase parking online in advance, which includes shuttle service, or they can pay on site using mobile fare-payment validators that will be stationed near the shuttle boarding queues.

Passengers will pay before they board the bus. It's a little different from how we're normally doing things, but it's something people should be aware of.

Damien Newton: We've seen Metro do this for other major events, and even private shuttle operations. When you're trying to move 30,000 people by bus for a special event, sometimes there are different procedures for boarding and exiting. It's good for people to know ahead of time so they can plan accordingly.

Do you know of other Foothill Transit employees who are planning to attend the games? Is this something people have talked about at the staff level? Like, "I'm going to the game and here's how I'm getting there."

Felicia Friesema: Honestly, the biggest thing is that we all have our favorite teams, right? But most of our participation is making sure the service happens without a hitch.

Our role is making sure service is delivered safely and securely, and that coordination with Metro is clear, concise, and effective. It's more about enabling other people to have a great experience. We'll mostly be listening from the sidelines while making sure everyone else can get there.

Damien Newton: One thing I've always wondered about these major events, where your agency has such an important support role, is whether there's an extra level of excitement in the planning process—or whether it's more intense because there are so many additional details to work through.

Felicia Friesema: FIFA—and subsequently the Olympics—are really their own category when it comes to this kind of planning.

We've been meeting with Metro weekly for months to work through the logistics of serving the matches. The level of preparation, planning, security awareness, and training for operators, dispatchers, and security staff is well beyond what would normally happen for something like Rose Bowl shuttle service.

We have the Rose Bowl service down to a science. We know exactly how it works. But the World Cup requires a much more detailed operational plan.

I don't know that I'd call it anxiety, but it's definitely more intense.

Damien Newton: That was probably the wrong word.

Felicia Friesema: Yeah.

Damien Newton: I should have made a word up.

Felicia Friesema: Exactly. It's more intense. When you have an event as visible and heavily attended as the World Cup, everything operates at a different level.

Not that we don't pay attention to those things for local events—we absolutely do—but this is bigger in every way. More people, more excitement, more moving parts.

The good thing is that Metro has done a phenomenal job laying the groundwork for all of us to succeed. We're really grateful for that.