LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Metropolitan Transportation Authority hasn’t been collecting fares on its buses since the pandemic’s onset in March 2020, but it’s set to resume fare collections on Jan. 10, 2022.

Now, in an effort to help customers more easily afford to take its buses and trains, Metro will begin offering discounted passes.

Starting in early December, Metro will cut prices for its day-, week- and monthlong passes in half. Day passes will cost $3.50, weekly passes will be $12.50 and 30-day passes will cost $50. The discounted passes will work for rides from January through July 2022.

“As our communities are still faced with an unprecedented health pandemic that racial and economic inequalities have further exacerbated, providing financial relief with fare discounts to riders is critical,” Metro Board Chair and Chair of the LA County Board of Supervisors Hilda Solis said in a statement. “Discounted fares represent our best effort to support low-income riders who depend on public transit.”

Eligible riders who participate in an assistance program called Low-Income Fare is Easy, or LIFE, will receive even deeper discounts: $26 for a 30-day pass and $6.50 for a seven-day pass. New participants in the LIFE program will receive 90 days of free rides beginning Jan. 10, 2022. To help riders apply, Metro also launched a new online portal to accept applications that is available in Spanish as well as English. 

Riders can also email applications to lifeinfo@famecorporations.org (for riders who live in the Antelope Valley, Central LA, San Fernando Valley, Santa Clarita Valley, South Bay or westside cities) or to lifeinfo@iilosangeles.org (for riders who live in the Gateway Cities or San Gabriel Valley). LIFE applications are also being accepted in person at Metro Customer Care Centers, at the Big Blue Bus “Blue: The Transit Store” in Santa Monica and at pop-up locations that will be hosted at Metro stops throughout the city.