Don’t take the number two – LA transit’s foul bus message

Just when riders on Los Angeles transit thought conditions couldn’t get worse, a new problem has taken center stage: sanitation.

Passengers have long complained that city buses are unreliable and sometimes unsafe, but now officials are confronting an especially blunt issue — people relieving themselves on board. The situation has reportedly become severe enough that the city’s transportation department launched a video campaign telling riders to wait until they exit the bus before using the bathroom.

The “See Something, Do Something” spots, produced by the Los Angeles Department of Transportation (LADOT), remind passengers to pay fares and avoid smoking, drinking — or defecating — on buses. Although the ads don’t explicitly mention urination, that too is prohibited under transit rules.

The campaign appears to live primarily on a standalone LADOT YouTube channel created last August and has seen little promotion on the agency’s other social platforms — an unusually quiet rollout for messaging aimed at large numbers of riders. It’s also unclear how long the ads have been running on buses. Other videos in the series include reminders not to drink alcohol and to pay fares.

Illustration of a character looking at a phone with text "IF YOU SEE SOMETHING DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT!" and a no-pooping symbol, alongside "음악 줄여주세요" and "ladottransit.com/dosomething LADOT TRANSIT". — Digital screens inside buses are looping blunt “See Something, Do Something” messages, some with no pooping posts. LADOT Transit Customer Service

Riders say the sanitation PSA plays repeatedly on onboard screens, turning already long commutes into an awkward loop of reminders about bodily functions and misconduct. The videos also encourage passengers to report incidents immediately, asking for details such as route number, date and time, and a description of the person involved if it feels safe to provide one.

Illustration of a character with a top hat and monocle, with the text "PROHIBIDO DEFECAR" and "IF YOU SEE SOMETHING DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT!" — The campaign comes with a number of rules including no smoking, drinking or pooping. LADOT Transit Customer Service

Illustration of a pile of cartoon poop with a concerned face, emanating wavy lines, next to a "no pooping" symbol. — Illustration of a pile of cartoon poop with a concerned face, emanating wavy lines, next to a “no pooping” symbol. LADOT Transit Customer Service

LADOT’s rider code of conduct reflects the range of issues transit officials say they face daily. The rules prohibit fighting, spitting, fare evasion, harassment, weapons, and disruptive behavior. Bodily functions receive special emphasis: defecating, urinating, or vomiting on a vehicle — and even being intoxicated in a way likely to cause such incidents — can result in removal or denial of service.

The California Post asked LADOT about the campaign’s cost, motivation, and effectiveness but received no response. The outlet had previously sought comment from Los Angeles Metro, the regional transit agency that operates most rail lines and major bus routes across Los Angeles County. LADOT, by contrast, runs the city’s DASH buses, Commuter Express routes, and local street services.

Illustration of the phrase "IF YOU SEE SOMETHING DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT!" — The new campaign runs on a loop, some riders are subjected to watch it for hours. LADOT Transit Customer Service

Metro says it has made progress on safety and cleanliness. The agency reports violent crime fell about 8% in the first 11 months of 2025 compared with 2024 and roughly 30% compared with 2023. Officials attribute the decline to a 40% staffing increase over two years, stricter fare enforcement, and expanded security measures.

Those measures include more than 400,000 fare inspections, 100,000 train boardings by staff, taller gates, added fencing, expanded camera coverage, Tap-to-Exit systems, and pilot weapons-detection technology. Metro also reports customer satisfaction at 87% and urges riders to report issues through its app, hotline, or 911. Despite those claims, the agency continues to face scrutiny over rider safety and quality-of-life concerns.

The blunt LADOT sanitation ads appear confined to city-run buses and have not been introduced across Metro’s wider system. Still, the problem has been visible enough in recent years that the Instagram account People Of Metro LA has used it as a recurring symbol of broader transit challenges in Los Angeles.

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