Testing the New LAX/Metro Transit Center Station: Does It Deliver?

Unless you live in a city like Chicago or New York, using public transport to get to and from an airport in the U.S. is an alien concept. For most Americans, the default is taking a ride-sharing service or taxi, or getting a ride from family or friends.

If Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) is your closest airport, have you ever considered taking public transit instead of driving? With the recent opening of the new LAX/Metro Transit Center station, the LA Metro and Los Angeles World Airports are hoping to change that mindset.

The project, which cost around $900 million, will not be fully completed until a new automated people mover is finished. But when it is, it will connect LAX’s terminals with the LAX/Metro Transit Center — set to open in 2026.

For now, passengers wishing to use the new station must take a transfer bus between the LAX terminals and the new LAX/Metro Transit Center. As an advocate for taking public transport to (and from) airports, I tried out the new LAX/Metro Transit Center last week when I landed at LAX. Here’s how it went.

Taking Public Transportation to West Hollywood from LAX

Until last December, I lived in London on and off for 10 years and relied on the city’s excellent airport transport links. I’d almost always take the subway (Tube), the train, or the new Elizabeth (Lizzy) Line unless I landed late and missed the last train, needed to be at the airport at the crack of dawn, or a company was paying for a chauffeur.

The only airports in the U.S. I’ve ever used public transport to get to are Newark (EWR) and JFK when heading to or from New York City. I find the AirTrain and subway, LIRR, or train combo reliable, cheap, and often far quicker than sitting in New York traffic.

Trying out the LAX/Metro Transit Center was part of my first-ever journey to or from LAX via public transport. I must admit, after checking Google Maps and seeing that it would take more than twice as long to take public transport as an Uber, I wasn’t very excited about the journey ahead.

However, Uber showed prices of over $80 to get to my friend Ollie’s in West Hollywood. The thought of spending at least half that amount stopped me from giving up on the idea. Why is everything so expensive in Los Angeles, and the U.S., for that matter?

Getting to the New LAX/Metro Transit Center From LAX

To get to the new Transit Center and catch your Metro or bus, you still have to get a bus transfer from whichever terminal you arrive into at LAX. As this is now the same process for ride shares, the experience is on par at this point.

A new automated people mover is slated to open in early 2026, replacing the need to catch bus transfers. Until then, we have to deal with the bus.

I flew in with Delta Air Lines from San Francisco (SFO) and landed at Terminal C. The baggage collection area has huge signs explaining how to get to the right location to pick up each specific mode of transport.

I turned around to see more bright signage pointing me in the right direction.

I must have been in my own little world, as I somehow didn’t notice the bright pink LAX Shuttles sign right where I stepped outside. Rather than rushing to get on the bus that was there (and that I also walked past), I took a picture for this article. That was just enough time for the bus doors to close and the bus to pull away.

After being annoyed at myself for making this already long journey even longer, I realized it would be better for the article. Thanks to my mishap, I can tell you that the shuttle buses come every 15 minutes. Once it’s completed, the automated people mover should be far more frequent — around every 2 minutes.

At this point, I hadn’t wasted too much more time than I would have waiting for a shuttle bus to LAX’s ride-sharing pickup car park. I was very happy that I didn’t have to wait too long for the sky-blue bus to arrive.

Once I was finally on board, the bus stopped at every other terminal on the one-way loop around LAX. It got very busy on board at times, and the whole journey took precisely 19 minutes to arrive at the Transit Center. (At least it’s free, I thought to myself.)

Bottom Line:

This journey should take around half the time once the people mover is up and running.

Inside the New LAX/Metro Transit Center

My first impression was that the LAX/Metro Transit Center is huge. I followed the flow of around a dozen passengers who got off the bus and proceeded to the ticket area. Given the lack of luggage, 90% of those on the bus with me seemed to be airport workers rather than passengers.

If you’re traveling in the opposite direction, to LAX via the new LAX/Metro Transit Center, then you pick up the transfer bus to all LAX terminals from bays 1 and 2.

Buying a Ticket Is Quick and Easy … When You Know How

I’d already seen from my Google Maps check that the Metro trains run about every 10 minutes. When I saw one coming in 3 minutes, I figured I’d miss it, as I still needed to get a ticket.

If only I’d known that I could add the Los Angeles transit TAP card directly to my iPhone wallet, I’d have been able to hop right on.

Instead, I went to the ticket machine to figure out my options. That was when the lovely Metro employee you see below came to my rescue. She let me know the easy steps to add the TAP card to my Apple Wallet.

I could then top up $2 for my $1.75 fare via Apple Pay and avoid having to pay extra for a physical TAP card from the machine.

I tapped my TAP card at the barrier and made my way to the platform.

At this stage, I’d saved around $80 by deciding to get the Metro rather than an Uber.

Hot Tip:

The Blue Cash Preferred^® Card from American Express is a great pick for commuting expenses, as it earns 3% back on transit, including parking, tolls, trains, buses, taxis, subways, ferries, and ride-share services. Travel credit cards like the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card earn 2x miles on all eligible purchases, including transit.

Riding the Metro from LAX/Metro Transit Center to Expo/Crenshaw

Two of LA’s Metro lines service the LAX/Metro Transit Center stop: the C and the K.

As I was heading north to West Hollywood, I needed to take the K line to the Expo/Crenshaw station, its most northerly stop.

The platform was eerily quiet.

After I missed the first Metro, the wait for the next one didn’t seem like a long one. Only a handful of other passengers and I boarded.

I’d heard and read some not-so-great things about the Metro, so I was pleasantly surprised to find the train in immaculate condition.

The car was temperature-controlled and mostly quiet until a guy a few seats behind started pumping out rap on his boom box.

An hour and 15 minutes after picking up my bag, I arrived at Expo/Crenshaw station — a journey of just 8 miles.

If I had gone by road, I would have already been at my friend’s in West Hollywood, and I was only just over halfway there. Granted, I missed the first transfer and Metro train, which probably added around 20 minutes to my journey.

Rather than taking 2 more buses and adding almost another hour to my journey, I ordered an Uber for the final leg to Ollie’s. It cost me $40.13 and took around 30 minutes.

Bottom Line:

All told, the journey took 1 hour and 45 minutes and cost me $41.88. While it might have saved me $40, my journey more than doubled in time.

Final Thoughts

Going into this journey, I knew that taking public transport from LAX to West Hollywood would not save me any time. It did, however, save me money. However, given the time it took and having to take 3 modes of transport, I’m still unsure whether the $40 saving was worth it. My whole journey would have been just $1.75 if I hadn’t taken an Uber from Expo/Crenshaw.

That said, the Metro is cheap and clean, and if you’re going somewhere where a bus or Metro serves directly from the new LAX/Metro Transit Center, then it’s definitely worth considering for your journey to or from LAX.

Even with the free transfer, getting between the LAX/Metro Transit Center and the airport is still a bit of a hassle. The bus only comes once every 15 minutes, and the journey can take at least 20 minutes or more to reach the station.

If the automated people mover were up and running, and if I could take the Metro from the LAX/Metro Transit Center to my final destination without transferring to a bus, I’d take public transport every time. Sadly, I’ll have to resort to taking an Uber next time I head to LAX.

Even with the time saved by the people mover when it’s finished, I’m pretty certain this project will not entice enough Angelenos to take public transport to and from LAX to be worth the $900 million investment — but we can only hope.