Ride the D
2026 clothing design by Los Angeles Metro
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ride the D is a T-shirt and crop top design sold by the Los Angeles Metro that was released February 26, 2026 in anticipation of the opening of the Section 1 extension of the D Line. It features the words "Ride the D" on the front, with the "D" set inside a purple circle representing the D Line designation. The slogan is a sexual innuendo, as "the D" is also slang for penis ("the dick").[1] The shirts following the release have quickly gone viral. The stocked shirts sold out on February 27, 2026, just a day after launch.
 A re-creation of the "Ride the D" design | |
| Type | T-shirt |
|---|---|
| Material | Cotton (ring-spun) |
| Place of origin | Los Angeles Metro |
| Introduced | February 2026 |
| Website | Official product listing |
Background
The Los Angeles Metro is the public transportation agency of Los Angeles County, California. It operates a rail network, comprising four light rail lines (A, C, E, and K lines) and two subway lines (B and D lines).[2]
The D Line, which runs between Beverly Hills and Downtown Los Angeles, is the shortest of the six lines at a length of 9 miles (14 km).[3][4] The subway was originally planned to extend under Wilshire Boulevard, one of the city's busiest thoroughfares, but a 1985 methane explosion at a Ross Dress for Less clothing store near Fairfax gave Rep. Henry Waxman, who represented the Fairfax District, a reason to derail the project that was opposed by his constituents by prohibiting tunneling in an alleged "methane zone" west along Wilshire. The main branch of the subway (today's B Line) was built up Vermont Avenue and Hollywood Boulevard, with a short stub line (today's D Line) extending out Wilshire only to Western Avenue. [5]
Demands for an extension of the line past Western grew along with traffic in the area and the expansion of the system elsewhere in the region, and in 2005, Waxman championed the reversal of his own legislation [6]. The highly anticipated project to extend the D Line westward was approved in 2012, and construction on the first of three sections began in 2014.[7][8] Section 1, the segment between Wilshire/Western station in Koreatown and Wilshire/La Cienega station in Beverly Hills, opened on May 8, 2026.[9]
Release
The "Ride the D" design was released on February 26, 2026, accompanied by the announcement of the opening date for Section 1 of the D Line Extension.[10] Priced at $21 for the T-shirt and $20 for the crop top,[11] the shirt sold out on February 27, 12:48 am, a day after it was released. It was quickly restocked hours later; the design was again available for purchase.[12] KABC-TV said of the design, "[Ride the D] might not be appropriate to wear on all occasions",[13] and Amy LaCroix of Parade called it "surprisingly R-rated".[10] Writing for Time Out, Michael Juliano characterized it as "channeling some real "Chaise Longue" energy", referring to a 2021 Wet Leg song which uses similar innuendo.[14][15] The shirt received significant social media attention from X,[16] where it received mixed reactions.[11][10]
Neal Broverman of Mashable compared it to an incident in Seattle, Washington, where a local coffee shop, Kapow Coffee, sold a shirt that was emblazoned with the slogan "Ride the SLUT", referring to the South Lake Union Trolley.[16][17]