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The update is there is no update — delays continue for Metro subsidy experiment
A man rides the Metro K Line on its first day open to the public in 2022.
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Raquel Natalicchio
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For LAist
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Topline:
Metro said it would have a better answer by last week for when people who have been waiting on a portion of an $1,800 transportation stipend could begin using the money. LAist checked in this week, and Metro said there was no change in status of the program.
What’s the program? Two thousand people were selected for the second phase of the Metro Mobility Wallet program, which offers $1,800 for participants to spend on rail, bus rides and other kinds of transportation, including rideshares. The money is slated to come in two tranches of $900. It’s a pilot program that Metro and the L.A. Department of Transportation launched in 2022. Researchers said the first phase helped participants balance their budget and reduced social isolation.
Phase 2 delays: Participants had been informed of their selection in the fall, but as of Wednesday, they haven’t received the first tranche of $900. LAist first reported on delays with Phase 2 of the pilot program two weeks ago. At the time, Metro told LAist that it would have a “more robust answer” last week on when the funds will begin flowing. When asked this week for an update, Metro said there was no change in status.
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Jimmy Can, one of the participants in Phase 2, said he’s lost hope.
“To tell you the truth, I kind of gave up on it ever working,” Can said in an email to LAist on Tuesday.
What’s causing the delay? Metro’s Avital Shavit said the bank its vendor is working with has to “clear some compliance testing” before the funds can begin to flow. “These delays that we’re having were unexpected,” said Shavit, the senior director of Metro’s office of strategic innovation.
What Metro is doing to help: Metro said it’s continuing to regularly update participants on the status of the Mobility Wallet. Metro’s vendor, TruCash, sent an email to participants Wednesday that did not include an estimated date of when the issues will be resolved. Metro is directing people who need transportation assistance to its existing low-income assistance program LIFE.
“We’re disappointed because our priority is to get these funds to people who can benefit from them,” Mark Vallianatos, the executive officer of Metro’s innovation office, told LAist earlier this month.
Go deeper: Read LAist’s story from April 9 for more details on the delays besetting the program
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