Gas prices top $6.20, driving Southern California commuters to Metrolink

Gas prices climbing past $6.20 per gallon across the Los Angeles area are driving commuters onto Metrolink trains, which recorded a 4% ridership jump as fuel costs surged, according to ABC7 Los Angeles.

The surge reflects a stark financial reality for Southern California commuters: a 72-mile daily round trip now costs roughly $18 in fuel, exceeding the $15 Metrolink day pass that includes free transfers to any Metro bus or rail line.

Riders say the change is palpable. "There's been a huge influx in the people on the trains," said Autumn Beno-Morris, a commuter to downtown Los Angeles, according to ABC7 Los Angeles. For Beno-Morris, the economic math has become unavoidable. "Right now there is no way I could afford to drive into the city every day. I commute over 70 miles each way and with the prices of gas, it's impossible for me to keep up with that," she said.

Metrolink officials said the ridership gains came almost immediately after fuel prices climbed. LA County Metropolitan Transportation Authority also reported March ridership up more than 8% compared with March 2024, ABC7 Los Angeles reported.

Meredith Yeoman, Director of Communications for Metrolink, said the numbers reflect a systemic shift in commuter behavior. "There's a cost prohibitive nature to driving right now," Yeoman told ABC7 Los Angeles.

Yeoman outlined the arithmetic drawing riders to rail. "You think about that in round-trip terms, at 72 miles in a day, the average car probably gets 25 miles to the gallon, so you're talking three gallons right there," she said. At Los Angeles area prices above $6.20 per gallon, that amounts to roughly $18 in daily fuel costs alone.

For some commuters, the case for rail extends beyond dollars. "On the trains especially I have the flexibility to work, check out if I want to watch a show, read a book. In my car, I'm literally stuck in the gridlock," Beno-Morris said.

Metrolink's $15 day pass, which includes free transfers to any Metro bus or rail line, offers Southern California commuters a cost-competitive alternative as Los Angeles area gas prices remain above $6.20 per gallon.