A large percentage of Los Angeles residents that took part in a survey say they aren’t confident that the city can complete its ambitious infrastructure plans prior to the 2028 Olympics or otherwise ease transportation woes that have plagued the area for decades.
The survey was part of a broader effort to understand public transit needs and opinions in major cities, including L.A., New York and Boston.
Surveyors found that public transit users in Los Angeles gave the city a “C grade or lower” on its existing transit system, and riders are skeptical that big projects and major capital investments are going to improve service or be completed on time.
Los Angeles is at the center of several major international sporting events taking place in the coming years, including the 2026 NBA All-Star Game at Intuit Dome, Super Bowl LXI in 2027 at SoFi Stadium and the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which will utilize several venues around town.
But the pièce de résistance is 2028, when the Olympics take center stage and the city welcomes tens of thousands of visitors from around the globe to L.A.
City leaders say they want that event to be as “car-free” as possible, and the region has been awarded more than $900 million to make it happen. But many of those surveyed aren’t sure it can be done on time.
Of the transit users in L.A. who were surveyed, 27% said they aren’t confident the city will meet its deadline to improve public transit infrastructure ahead of the 2028 Summer Olympics.
More than one-third said they believe those infrastructure improvements could worsen existing transportation issues and even more (37%) said they believed getting around town in the meantime will “be more difficult before it gets better.”
It’s important to note that the survey wasn’t conducted by a university or transit advocacy group for altruistic reasons.
It was was commissioned by Artemis Technologies, a British maritime technology company that develops zero-emission vehicles, which wants to sell the concept of using local waterways — aka ferries—for public transit needs.
Artemis conducted the survey to test the waters and gauge the interest that regular transit users have in alternative transit options—like the technology the company has already developed.
“As cities grapple with improving subpar mass transit systems, there’s an immense opportunity to rethink the role of maritime transportation in helping people move more efficiently and sustainably,” Artemis co-founder David Tyler said in a statement to KTLA.
He said the results of the survey speak for itself, showing that there’s an “appetite for alternative forms of transportation, like ferries, which are widely underutilized by L.A. residents, and are proven to be greener forms of travel.”
Respondents said expanded service, increased hours of operation and decreased road congestions are on their public transit wish list, and Tyler said there is an opportunity for riders to utilize existing waterways to help make that a reality.
“Maximizing maritime transportation in cities like L.A. is both a solution to the city’s biggest mass transit headaches, and an answer to L.A. residents’ call for greener transportation options,” he said. “Thanks to this data, we know public support is there to back up those investments.”
There is some existing ferry service in L.A. that’s primarily used for harbor tours or to carry travelers to nearby islands, but nothing to the mass scale Artemis is envisioning.
But where ferry service could be deployed is, well, limited to where existing waterways can already be found.
So while the premise of more transit options sounds like a no-brainer, unless the company finds a way to send boats up and down the L.A. river, it remains to be seen if boats could actually be a reasonable alternative to L.A.’s existing transit infrastructure.
To learn more about Artemis Technologies and see more detailed results of its survey, click here.
