“Then you’re just gonna have more traffic”: L.A. Metro’s $2 billion Olympics ask is unfunded

Nearly 1,750 additional buses, the centerpiece of the region's transportation plan for the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games, have no approved federal funding. Federal lawmakers representing the Los Angeles region warned on Aug. 26, 2026 that the gap could mean more traffic, fewer buses and less reliable transit during the Games, LAist reported. It is not clear when that money would arrive, or whether it will.

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, known as Metro, has asked the federal government for $2 billion, the outlet reported. Half would temporarily acquire, operate and store the buses. The remainder would go to pedestrian improvements and to designing a network of roads for Games vehicles, among other uses.

Who this lands on is anyone trying to move around Southern California during the summer of 2028 — people riding to a venue, and people driving on the same streets.

What is being decided

Congress holds the decision. Lawmakers put $875 million for Olympics-related transportation into a spending bill this summer, and that bill still has to move through the appropriations process, LAist reported. Metro asked for $2 billion. The Trump administration's annual budget request did not mention Metro.

Who wants what

Rep. Laura Friedman convened the panel in West Hollywood, where five members of Congress questioned regional transportation officials about the region's readiness. Friedman said the lack of federal help could increase traffic, reduce buses and worsen transit reliability during the Games. Rep. Judy Chu said local partners cannot do this alone and that Los Angeles should have a strong federal partner.

Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove told LAist she has been working her Republican colleagues for the money. She put it more bluntly than her colleagues, saying the region should not have to wait this long, or beg, for money it deserves.

A White House official disputed the idea that the Trump administration was not doing enough on Olympics transit, LAist reported, writing in an email that the White House has been meeting with Los Angeles officials and lawmakers about Games funding and that those talks were in early stages.

What each outcome does

If the $875 million is approved, Metro is still working out how it would be spent, Jennifer Vides, the agency's chief customer experience officer, said on Aug. 26, 2026. The temporary Olympics bus system is the top priority, she said.

Timing is the constraint. Metro officials told the agency's board in January that a share of the funding needed to be available by this summer so the agency could find and prepare the real estate where the extra buses would be staged, the outlet reported. Asked whether Metro had a new timeline, Vides said the agency is continuing to work with its partners to generate the funding it needs.

What is still unresolved

Two questions came up at the panel without answers. One is how security perimeters around venues scattered across Southern California will affect access. Rep. Ted Lieu said that if other modes get fans closer to the venues than public transit does, riders have no incentive to take a Metro bus: “Then you're just gonna have more traffic.” Chief Bill Scott, who oversees Metro's Department of Public Safety, said the goal is to hold the walk from transit drop-off to venue to 10 to 15 minutes.

The other is where rideshare companies and automated vehicles will be permitted to pick up and drop off fans during the summer Games. Laura Rubio-Cornejo, general manager of the Los Angeles Department of Transportation, said the city designated certain areas for rideshare drivers during the World Cup. Whether that approach carries over to 2028 was not settled at the panel.

Source: laist.com, retrieved August 28, 2026.