By Jorge Casuso
September 1, 2026 – The Big Blue Bus provided nearly 11,300 passenger rides to SoFi Stadium during the eight FIFA World Cup matches in Inglewood this summer, or some 1,400 rides per game, according to City officials.
The direct, non-stop express shuttle service from Downtown Santa Monica -- which was considered a trial run for the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles -- was a "resounding success," City Manager Oliver Chi said in last week's update to the City Council.
Not only did it succeed "in terms of ridership numbers, but in changing the local narrative about public transit," Chi wrote, adding that "notably, there were no safety or security incidents on the service."
While Santa Monica will host no Olympic venues in 2028, the beach city will be the site of at least a dozen nation houses that will host events sponsored by different countries, officials said.
The data was presented by City Transit Services Director Anuj Gupta last Wednesday during a hearing convened by U.S. Congresswoman Laura Friedman that included a panel of the region’s top transportation officials to help determine Los Angeles County’s readiness to move millions of people during the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
“The World Cup proved that Los Angeles can deliver, but eight matches at one stadium over five weeks is not the same as sixteen days of events at dozens of venues across the region,” said Friedman, who represents the 30th Congressional District in the San Fernando Valley.
“The agencies responsible for moving those visitors have never had to work at that scale together.”
Congressmember Judy Chu, who participated in the hearing, said the World Cup "was a valuable test run as we prepare to move millions of people safely across dozens of sites throughout our region, for weeks at a time.
“Our success will depend on making sure that our local communities have a real voice in this planning process, and ensuring that the federal government provides our region with the resources and funding it needs," said Chu, who represents the 28th Congressional District at the eastern edge of LA County.
Metro has requested $2 billion from the federal government for the 2028 Summer Olympics, "half of which would be used for the Games Enhanced Transit Service (GETS) "to provide bus connections to the various venues across the region," City Manager Chi said.
"To date, the presidential administration’s budget proposal does not include funding for LA28 transportation, while Congress has proposed just $875 million in a yet-to-be-approved appropriations bill," Chi wrote in his Council update.
He noted that Congressmembers and panelists "warned that without adequate funding, both everyday riders attending to life’s daily needs, along with spectators trying to get to venues" would be impacted "due to increased congestion caused by insufficient resources for Games-related transportation."