APTA Sustainability Indicators
2022-2023 Performance Trends

KEY:

Favorable:

Unfavorable:

APTA category

2022 2023 % change progress

Operational Efficiency

Unlinked Passenger Trips(per Capita x 100)

2,596

2,765

6.5%

Vehicle Miles Traveled(per Capita)

7,112

7,281

2.4%

Operating Expenses¹(Dollars per Vehicle Revenue Mile)

$18.80

$20.07

6.8%

Vehicle Revenue Miles(1,000,000)

99

109

10.9%

Air Quality

Criteria Air Pollutant Emissions²(Pounds per 10,000 Vehicle Revenue Miles)

7.1

6.1

-14.3%

Climate

Greenhouse Gas Emissions³(Pounds CO₂e per Vehicle Revenue Mile)

3.40

2.89

-15.1%

Greenhouse Gas Displacement(Metric Tons CO₂e)

-468,135

-496,491

6.1%

Net Greenhouse Gas Emissions(Metric Tons CO₂e)

-315,686

-352,954

11.8%

Energy

Energy Use(1,000 British Thermal Units per Vehicle Revenue Mile)

51.6

51.5

-0.2%

Water

Water Use(Gallons per Vehicle Revenue Mile)

1.81

1.64

-9.4%

Waste

Total Solid Waste⁴(Tons per 100,000 Vehicle Revenue Miles)

11.11

11.70

5.3%

Diversion from Landfill(Percent Diverted)

44.0%

44.6%

1.4%

Notes:

¹United States Dollars (USD) in this table are normalized to be presented in 2023 USD.

²Criteria air pollutant (CAP) emissions are a normalized aggregate of hydrocarbon (HC), nitrogen oxide (NOx) and particulate matter (PM) emissions.

³In 2020, Metro updated its GHG emissions calculation methodology to calculate Scope 2 emissions using both market-based and location-based emission factors. The former reflects the emissions intensity of purchased electricity from utilities based on the sources from which they procure energy, and the latter reflects the average emissions intensity of the regional grid on which our energy consumption occurs. In this table, emissions totals are based on market-based emissions factors.

⁴Waste metrics in this table only reflect solid waste generated and diverted from operations, not from construction.

Overview

As a founding member of the American Public Transportation Association's (APTA) Sustainability Commitment, Metro reports annually on a framework of performance metrics that enable transit agencies to measure and report sustainability performance over time. LA Metro was a founding signatory of the APTA Sustainability Commitment program in 2009 and has since achieved Platinum-level recognition - the highest level of achievement - for significant reductions in areas such as energy, water use, and greenhouse gas emissions. Metro is the first public transportation agency in North America to receive Platinum level recognition.

Under the APTA Sustainability Commitment, Metro reports annually on a framework of twelve sustainability performance metrics. The APTA guidance recommends that transit agencies use normalization factors when reporting these metrics to measure and compare sustainability performance over time, especially during years of service growth or change.

Metro uses Vehicle Revenue Miles (VRM) as its primary normalization factor. VRM represents the total number of miles Metro vehicles travel during revenue service (i.e., the time when a vehicle is available to the public and is expected to carry passengers). Using this factor enables an annual evaluation of the efficiency of Metro's operations relative to the amount of service being provided. The reporting framework and methodology that govern these metrics conform to APTA's Recommended Practice "Quantifying and Reporting Transit Sustainability Metrics."

The APTA Sustainability Commitment and associated methodology are currently under review by APTA. Metro will review the applicability of the new methodology once released and will adapt how we report these metrics in all subsequent reports.