Legislation Charges World Cup, Olympic Ticket Holders Extra $5 for a Metro Day Pass

A bill aimed at raising ticket prices for the 2026 World Cup and the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles by $5 to include a Metro day pass on tickets was introduced in the Assembly recently amidst calls that the bill could be unfeasible.

Assembly Bill 1237, authored by Assemblywoman Tina McKinnor (D-Los Angeles), would authorize LA Metro to impose a charge of up to $5 on the purchaser of a ticket from a ticket vendor to a sporting event in the County of Los Angeles for the 2026 FIFA World Cup or the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The bill would require LA Metro to use any revenues collected from that charge to support its transit operations.

AB 1237 would also require LA Metro, if it imposes this charge, to allow any person to use its transit services at no charge on the day of a sporting event in the County of Los Angeles for the 2026 FIFA World Cup or the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games if the person presents a ticket to that sporting event at the location where LA Metro collects fares for transit services.

In her fact sheet, McKinnor says the L.A. Metro is now uniquely qualified to handle fans during the large events as the third-largest transit agency in the United States. With L.A. Metro being able to cover most events, it would make for an easy way for attendees to utilize transit when attending these sporting events, reduce traffic congestion, reduce public safety response times, and help with L.A.’s air quality during the games.

“When the games begin, increased domestic and global visitors will further congest LA County’s already stressed road based transportation infrastructure, complicating game related logistics and impacting public safety response times. AB 1237 will provide sports fans participating in the World Cup, Olympic and Paralympic Games with an easy way to utilize transit when attending these sporting events, reduce traffic congestion, improve local air quality and provide critical support for local transit services as Los Angeles prepares to host the world in the coming years,” McKinnor said in her fact sheet.

An extra $5

However, there are multiple issues that still need to be addressed in the bill. One is that handicapped fans and fans needing close accessibility to events would ultimately be paying a $5 surcharge for not using public transportation. While the Metro is handicapped accessible, some venues, including equestrian events in the Temecula Valley, would favor those with accessibility issues driving in. This can likewise lead to unfortunate scenarios where, during the Paralympic Games, people needing to be driven in are essentially being given a $5 surcharge.

Another major issue is the tickets themselves. While many riders of the Metro currently use the app, the majority of riders, especially poorer riders, still use the TAP card. The 2024 Paris games used exclusively digital tickets, with the LA games likely to do the same. So would built-in fares then be scanned from the app, be shown physically on phones, or would the Metro just allow anyone on, resulting in a rise of fare hoppers. Or would there be a separate TAP card. The bills language simply says that it would work by people presenting “a ticket to that sporting event at the location where LA Metro collects fares for transit services option.”

In addition, AB 1237 ignores why the previous 1984 Olympics never resulted in major traffic problems – city officials asked people to not drive and people complied, not wanting huge traffic jams. Rather than do a simple ask again to stay off the roads and have companies do a work from home situation for a few weeks, bills like AB 1237 would just tack on additional fees.

The bill also comes at a time where support for the Olympics among Angelinos is at an all-time low. Only 57% of residents still want the games, with only 39% of Angelinos between the ages of 18 and 34 showing any positivity towards the games at all.

“There’s a lot of logistics problems here,” added Jose Nunez, a former light-rail conductor, to the Globe. “My guess here is that the World Cup will be the stress test to see how this ticket and ride fare combo can work. They are not being clear at all how this will work, and that is scary. Will it be scanned on paper or through an app or on a card? There are going to be a lot of abuses of this system no matter which way you go. A lot of subways and metros are having a huge problem with people not paying right now, and this system, while ensuring some pay with that added fee, could just convince more to skip it through the rider rush chaos.

“People who are paying for the Olympics, they’re spending thousands to come out. They likely won’t see another $5 on a ticket as a big deal. But there are a lot of issues to be worked out here. Foremost among them is charging people for a service they won’t even use. That’s not fair, and as you said, vulnerable people may be getting the brunt of it.”