A Press Conference was held on September 4th, 2013, at the University of Southern California Campus, adjacent to the Metro Expo Line, encouraging fans attending the LA Coliseum for the upcoming USC Football Season, to ride Metro Buses and Trains to the games instead of driving. Metro Chief Executive Officer Art Leahy told those in attendance that taking Metro, is the “stress-free” way of getting to the games. Mr. Leahy is a USC alum and longtime supporter of the University’s academic and athletic programs. Los Angeles County Second District Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas, who is also the Second Vice Chair of the Metro Board of Directors, and also holds a Doctorate from USC, stepped to the podium and gave the rallying cry that was echoed by all, even the USC “Spirit of Troy” band, “Go Trojans!, Go Metro!” Other attendees to the Press Event were Los Angeles City Councilmember Curren D. Price, Jr., USC Senior Associate Athletic Director Steve Lopes, Metro Board of Directors Chairperson, and City of Lakewood Councilmember Diane Dubois, and Los Angeles Police Captain Brian Johnson.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, Transit Services Bureau (TSB), was represented by Captain Karl Schow. Captain Schow is the TSB South Bureau Commander and oversees approximately 350 law enforcement personnel. TSB is the unit within the Sheriff’s Department that provides police services to the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro), and it’s more than 1 million patrons daily. Schow commented that, “riding the Metro is a safe, efficient, way of getting to and from the games.” He also reminded fans that, “everyone plays a part in making the Metro System safe. Remember, if you see something, say something.” And urged Metro Riders to consider using the TransitWatchLA App for smart phones, to report non-emergency crimes or problems. He also said that anytime someone sees a crime in progress, calling 911 is always best.
Mr. Leahy reminded everyone that Metro will have enhanced rail and bus service, just as they did last year, to move the estimated 8,000 Trojan fans to each of the six home games. He went on to say, “that removes approximately 4,000 vehicles from the road for each game, which makes for less of a traffic impact to the city and the surrounding community during the games”.
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