Los Angeles Metro Bus

History

Early 1990s: Founding of Metro

Los Angeles Metro was founded in 1993 from the merger of the Southern California Rapid Transit District and the Los Angeles County Transportation Commission. It was charged with financing and constructing a rapid transit rail system, operating the bus system, and coordinating other transportation programs in the region. The conflicts that had occurred between the RTD and the LACTC persisted as internal conflicts within Metro, with union leaders arguing that former LACTC staff received better benefits than former RTD staff, even after the merger.

The ongoing conflict over funding rail construction and bus services continued at Metro. Only months after the agency's founding, Metro CEO Julian Burke presented a proposed budget for fiscal year 1994 to the agency's board of directors. The proposed budget would halt progress on the Union Station–Pasadena segment of the Blue Line to support continued bus operations and rail construction. Los Angeles mayor Richard Riordan strongly criticized the plan, and at his insistence, the board directed Metro staff to continue planning for the Pasadena Blue Line, causing Metro to look for other sources of funding.

Metro proposed a large bus fare increase in June 1994, to take effect on September 1st of that year. The fare for a single bus ride was proposed to increase 23% from $1.10 to $1.35 ($ to $ in ), and all monthly passes were planned to be eliminated. A 2004 analysis found that the average monthly bus pass user took approximately 100 trips per month, which would have caused a fare increase of over 50% for the average passholder.

Late 1990s: Consent decree and Metro Rapid

On August 31, 1994, a class action lawsuit was filed against Metro by a coalition of local and national civil rights organizations, representing Los Angeles bus riders. The civil rights organizations, including the Bus Riders Union, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, and the Korean Immigrant Workers Advocates, supported by the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. The plaintiffs argued that Metro's large subsidies for rail construction and operation discriminated against bus riders, whose demographics were significantly different than those of rail riders. The court delayed the fare increase, and after nearly two years of discovery proceedings, the case was settled before it went to trial.

The consent decree that resulted from the settlement required Metro to significantly expand bus service. One product of the consent decree was Metro Rapid, a brand of limited-stop bus service with some characteristics of bus rapid transit. A delegation from the Los Angeles city government, including Mayor Richard Riordan, visited the Brazilian city of Curitiba in early 1999. The civic leaders were impressed by Curitiba's comprehensive bus rapid transit system, the Rede Integrada de Transporte, and sought to replicate it. By the summer of 1999, planning was underway for a pilot program of bus rapid transit service on two corridors: Wilshire Blvd/Whittier Blvd and Ventura Blvd.

In addition to Metro Rapid service, Metro expanded local and express bus service, purchased hundreds of new buses, and lowered bus pass prices. Metro Rapid service on the two pilot corridors began in June 2000, opening on the same day as the Red Line extension to North Hollywood. Both lines were immediately popular, generating ridership growth of 25% in their first 90 days of operation. Travel time was improved by over 20% on both lines, aided by the signal priority at intersections in the City of Los Angeles. Customer satisfaction increased relative to the previous local and limited-stop bus services, and the Rapid service quickly captured over 60% of bus ridership on both corridors.

2000s: Alternative fuels and declining ridership

Metro introduced compressed natural gas-powered buses and low-floor buses in the late 1990s. By 2003, Metro was the largest operator of CNG buses in the country, with over 1,900 CNG buses operating across its service area. A rule passed by the South Coast Air Quality Management District in 2000 banned new diesel-powered buses in transit fleets in Southern California, seeking to improve air quality in the region.

California transit ridership began declining in the early 2000s, with a large share of the decline coming from the Los Angeles region. A 2018 study attributed some of the decline to rising car ownership among passengers, and also highlighted the effect of bus service cuts across the region. From 2007 to 2013, bus service in miles traveled dropped 13% across the entire Southern California Association of Governments region, which extends beyond Los Angeles County. In addition to the 2018 study's hypothesis, a 2024 study argued that some of this decline was due to the high cost of housing in areas of Southern California that had better access to public transport.

Metro introduced the TAP card fare payment system in 2008, creating a single fare card for most buses and trains in Los Angeles County. TAP replaced a system of magnetic stripe stored-value cards already in use by some agencies, including Big Blue Bus and Foothill Transit. In 2018, TAP fully replaced the previous system of paper interagency transfers, offering discounts on rides that connected between multiple bus and rail operators.

2020s: NextGen Bus Plan and COVID-19

The NextGen Bus Plan was introduced to passengers in 2019 and approved by the Metro board in 2021. The plan eliminated most Metro Rapid routes, stating that passengers would be better served with more frequent local service on routes with slightly fewer stops. As part of the plan, low ridership routes were converted to Metro Micro microtransit, routing was simplified, and some stops closer than one quarter mile spacing were eliminated.

At the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic in California, Metro Bus services were cut to approximately 80% of 2019 levels. Face masks were required on Metro buses, and passengers were required to board through the back door of buses to support social distancing between bus drivers and passengers.

The pandemic's impact on public transit affected ridership in Los Angeles and worldwide. In 2021, as transit ridership nationwide began to increase, bus service in Los Angeles regained patronage faster than rail services in the region, and faster than its peers in California. Los Angeles-area transit ridership outpaced Bay Area transit ridership by tens of millions of trips in 2021 for the first time in decades, driven largely by bus ridership. An analysis by the Bay Area News Group showed that the largest bus operators in the Los Angeles region were at 74% of 2019 bus ridership levels in June 2022, far higher than their peers in New York City and the Bay Area.[[File:LA Metro Bus & Rail System Dec2023.png|thumb|Full map of the Los Angeles Metro system, with Metro Bus lines shown in orange (local lines) and red ([[Metro Rapid]] lines)]]

Routes

Metro buses are given line numbers that indicate the type of service offered. This method was devised originally by the Southern California Rapid Transit District, Metro's predecessor.

• Line numbers lower than 100 are local routes to/from Downtown Los Angeles, numbered counterclockwise from least to greatest.
• Line numbers in the 100s are local east/west routes in other areas
• Line numbers in the 200s are local north/south routes in other areas
• Line numbers in the 300s are limited-stop routes
• Line numbers in the 400s are freeway express routes to/from Downtown Los Angeles
• Line numbers in the 500s are freeway express routes in other areas
• Line numbers in the 600s are shuttle/circulator routes
• Line numbers in the 700s are limited-stop rapid routes.
• Line numbers in the 800s are used to designate Metro Rail routes as well as supplementary shuttles for suspended rail service.
• Line numbers in the 900s are Metro Busway routes.

1-99 (Local routes to/from Downtown Los Angeles)

Local bus service to/from Downtown Los Angeles and other areas. The line numbering begins at line 2 (Sunset Bl, a line leading west from USC) and proceeds counterclockwise around Downtown Los Angeles, ending at line 94 (Magnolia Bl).

100s (Local east/west routes in other areas)

East/west service, not necessarily serving Downtown Los Angeles.

200s (Local north/south routes in other areas)

North/south service, not serving in Downtown Los Angeles.

300s (Limited-stop routes)

400s (Freeway express routes to/from Downtown Los Angeles)

500s (Freeway express routes in other areas)

600s (Shuttles/circulators)

Shuttles, special routes and local service within one or two adjacent neighborhoods.

700s (Rapid limited-stop routes)

800s (Metro Rail shuttle)

Line numbers 801 thru 805, and 807 are used for Metro's A, B, C, E, D and K rail lines in order of ascension. Shuttle services are numbered based on the rail's route number, plus fifty.

900s (Metro Busway)

Fleet

Main article: Los Angeles Metro bus fleet

, Metro operates 2,066 buses in revenue service, the third-largest fleet in North America behind New York City's Metropolitan Transportation Authority (5,840) and New Jersey's NJ Transit (2,221).

Gallery

File:Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority NABI 45C.jpg|Metro Bus NABI CompoBus laying over on Platt Avenue in West Hills File:2018-2020 El Dorado ENC 1782.jpg|Metro Bus ENC Axess arriving at North Hollywood Station File:LACMTABusstop.jpg|Stop in Downtown Los Angeles File:Metro Local Line 239 Bus Interior at Sylmar.JPG|Interior of a NABI 45C bus on Metro Local Line 239.

Notes

References

References

1. (2024). "2023 Annual Agency Profile - Los Angeles Metro (NTD ID 90154)". Federal Transit Administration.
2. Roman, Alex. (September 17, 2019). "Top 100 Bus Fleets Survey". [[Metro Magazine]].
3. (2024-09-19). "Zero Emission Bus Program Update". Los Angeles Metro.
4. (June 2023). "Metro Facts at a Glance".
5. Zamichow, Nora. (1993-12-07). "Katz Says MTA Lacks Strategy on Transit". Los Angeles Times.
6. (2004). "Running on empty: Transport, social exclusion and environmental justice". Bristol University Press.
7. Grengs, Joe. (2002). "Community-based planning as a source of political change: The transit equity movement of Los Angeles' bus riders union". [[Journal of the American Planning Association]].
8. (2001). "2001 Long Range Transportation Plan for Los Angeles County". Los Angeles Metro.
9. Transportation Management & Design, Inc.. (March 2002). "Final Report: Los Angeles Metro Rapid Demonstration Program".
10. (December 28, 2022). "Measuring equity in public transit service: LA Metro and the Post-Decree Era". Pacific Southwest Region University Transportation Center.
11. Transportation Management & Design, Inc.. (March 2002). "Final Report: Los Angeles Metro Rapid Demonstration Program".
12. Gabbard, Dana. (2012-02-21). "The True Story of Metro's Last Diesel Bus".
13. TIAX LLC. (December 2003). "The Transit Bus Niche Market For Alternative Fuels: Overview of Compressed Natural Gas as a Transit Bus Fuel".
14. (2006). "Bus Futures 2006". [[Inform, Inc.]].
15. (2018-01-31). "Falling Transit Ridership: California and Southern California". [[UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs.
16. (December 2024). "Neighborhood change and transit ridership: Evidence from Los Angeles and Orange Counties". Journal of Transport Geography.
17. (1996). "Fare Policies, Structures, and Technologies". [[Transportation Research Board]].
18. Linton, Joe. (2017-11-22). "Proposed 2018 Metro TAP Changes Are Effectively A Minor Fare Hike". Streetsblog Los Angeles.
19. Fonseca, Ryan. (2020-01-16). "Here's LA Metro's Plan To Get You Out Of Your Car And On A Bus".
20. Richardson, Hayley. (2021-03-22). "How Los Angeles Advocates Built Power and Won a Major Victory for Transit Riders".
21. Kamisher, Eliyahu. (2022-08-29). "California Sees a Big Shift in Mass Transit Ridership". [[Governing (magazine).
22. "Archived copy".
23. "Line 4 Time Schedule".
24. "Line 10 Map & Schedule (''Effective December 11, 2022'')".
25. "Line 14 Map & Schedule (''Effective December 11, 2022'')".
26. https://www.metro.net/riding_metro/bus_overview/images/016-017-316.pdf {{dead link. (February 2022)
27. "Archived copy".
28. "Line 20 Map & Schedule (''Effective December 11, 2022'')".
29. "Archived copy".
30. "Line 30 Time Schedule".
31. "Line 33 Time Schedule".
32. "Line 35 Map & Schedule (''Effective December 11, 2022'')".
33. "Line 37 Map & Schedule (''Effective December 11, 2022'')".
34. "Line 38 Map & Schedule (''Effective December 11, 2022'')".
35. "Line 40 Timetable (as of December 15, 2024)".
36. "Archived copy".
37. "Line 48 Map & Schedule (''Effective December 11, 2022'')".
38. "Archived copy".
39. "Line 53 Map & Schedule (''Effective December 11, 2022'')".
40. "Line 55 Map & Schedule (''Effective December 11, 2022'')".
41. "Line 60 Map & Schedule (''Effective December 11, 2022'')".
42. "Line 62 Map & Schedule (''Effective December 11, 2022'')".
43. "Archived copy".
44. "Line 70 Map & Schedule (''Effective December 11, 2022'')".
45. "Line 74 Time Schedule".
46. "Line 76 Map & Schedule (''Effective December 11, 2022'')".
47. "Line 78 Map & Schedule (''Effective December 11, 2022'')".
48. "Archived copy".
49. "Archived copy".
50. "Line 92 Map & Schedule (''Effective December 11, 2022'')".
51. "Line 94 Map & Schedule (''Effective December 11, 2022'')".
52. "Line 102 Schedule (as of June 22, 2025)".
53. "Archived copy".
54. "Archived copy".
55. "Archived copy".
56. "Line 111 Schedule (As of June 6, 2025)".
57. "Archived copy".
58. "Line 117 Schedule (as of June 22, 2025)".
59. "Line 120 Schedule (as of December 15, 2024)".
60. "Archived copy".
61. "Archived copy".
62. "Archived copy".
63. (February 28, 2025). "Line 134 Map & Schedule".
64. "Archived copy".
65. "Archived copy".
66. "Line 154 Time Schedule".
67. https://www.metro.net/riding/metro/bus_overview/images/155.pdf{{dead link. (January 2018)
68. "Archived copy".
69. "Archived copy".
70. "Archived copy".
71. "Line 164 Time Schedule".
72. "Line 165 Time Schedule".
73. "Archived copy".
74. "Archived copy".
75. "Archived copy".
76. "Archived copy".
77. "Line 202".
78. "Archived copy".
79. "Archived copy".
80. "Archived copy".
81. "Archived copy".
82. "Archived copy".
83. "Archived copy".
84. "Archived copy".
85. "Archived copy".
86. https://www.metro.net/riding_metro/bus_overview/images/2011-06/217.pdf{{dead link. (January 2018)
87. "Archived copy".
88. "Archived copy".
89. "Archived copy".
90. "Archived copy".
91. "Line 232 Timetable (as of June 2025)".
92. "Archived copy".
93. "Archived copy".
94. https://www.metro.net/riding_metro/bus_overview/images/236.pdf {{dead link. (February 2022)
95. https://www.metro.net/riding_metro/bus_overview/images/237-656.pdf {{dead link. (February 2022)
96. "Archived copy".
97. "Archived copy".
98. "Archived copy".
99. "Archived copy".
100. "Archived copy".
101. "Line 260 Schedule (as of December 15, 2024)".
102. "Line 261 Schedule (as of December 15, 2024)".
103. "Archived copy".
104. "Archived copy".
105. "Archived copy".
106. "Archived copy".
107. "Line 287".
108. "Line 294".
109. "Line 296 Schedule (as of June 22, 2025)".
110. "Archived copy".
111. "Line 460 Map & Schedule (''Effective June 26, 2022'')".
112. "Lines 487/489 Map & Schedule (''Effective June 26, 2022'')".
113. "Line 501 Map & Schedule (''Effective June 26, 2022'')".
114. "Line 601 Map & Schedule (''Effective October 23, 2022'')".
115. "Line 602 Map & Schedule (''Effective December 10, 2023'')".
116. "Line 605 Map & Schedule (''Effective December 11, 2022'')".
117. "Line 611 Map & Schedule (''Effective August 6, 2023'')".
118. "Line 617 Map & Schedule (''Effective December 10, 2023'')".
119. "Line 660 Map & Schedule (''Effective September 17, 2023'')".
120. "Line 662 Map & Schedule (''Effective December 10, 2023'')".
121. "Line 665 Map & Schedule (''Effective June 25, 2023'')".
122. "Line 690 Map & Schedule (''Effective October 23, 2022'')".
123. "Route Map : 720".
124. "Route Map : 754".
125. "Route Map : 761".
126. (June 26, 2022). "G Line (Orange) Timetable".
127. (June 26, 2022). "J Line (Silver) 910/950 Timetable".
128. "Metro Facts at a Glance".