
Los Angeles is gearing up for the 2028 Olympics with major strides in public transportation, as Mayor Karen Bass and U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg showcased a near $80 million federal boost for greener buses. The investment, aimed at electrifying the city's bus fleet, is part of a larger plan to overhaul the local transit system and improve air quality. As reported by the Los Angeles Mayor's Office, both officials demonstrated their commitment by taking a ride on Metro's E Line to examine the strides being made at the Metro Division 13 bus maintenance facility.
Mayor Bass emphasized the far-reaching implications of this transformation, asserting, "We are preparing to be on the world stage in a way that will benefit every corner of Los Angeles by expanding and improving the transportation system in a sustainable way that creates good paying union jobs," in a statement provided by her office. The electrification effort plans to replace outdated compressed natural gas buses, with newer, battery-electrical models complemented by charging facilities mainly in the historically flamboyant neighborhood of West Hollywood but also, Secretary Buttigieg praised the infrastructure efforts and their intended impact on Los Angeles's air quality and transportation efficacy ahead of the global sports spectacle.
Secretary Buttigieg, lauding the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law initiated by President Biden, stated, "With funding made possible by President Biden's Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, we're helping connect even more people across LA County with affordable, reliable public transportation," during their visit, according to the Los Angeles Mayor's Office. "These investments will help increase Metro ridership, get more cars off the road, make the air in LA cleaner for every single adult, and child, who breathes it in each day. And in four years when LA hosts the Olympics for the third time, Angelenos and Olympians alike will know just how efficient this region’s public transit can be."
The Low or No Emission Grant, among more than a hundred federal projects, delivers the second largest funding allotment, propelling the city closer towards improved transportation networks and reconnecting communities strengthening connections between neighborhoods particularly with the D Line (Purple) Subway Extension Project which received a sizable chunk of the earlier $900 million funding this fiscal year; infrastructural enhancements like this are anticipated to not only serve the Olympic crowds but also to serve Angelenos long after the medals have been awarded and the international spotlight has dimmed, according to the Los Angeles Mayor's Office.