Transportation

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (also known as Metro, MTA or LACMTA) is the state chartered regional transportation planning and public transportation operating agency for the county of Los Angeles. The agency develops and oversees transportation plans, policies, funding programs, and both short-term and long-range solutions that address the County's increasing mobility, accessibility and environmental needs.

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority operates the third largest public transportation system in the United States by ridership with a 1,433 mi² (3,711 km²) operating area and 2,000 peak hour buses on the street any given business day.

Metro also designed, built and now operates 73.1 mi (117 km) of urban rail service.The authority has 9,200 employees, making it one of the region's largest employers.

The authority also partially funds sixteen municipal bus operators and a wide array of transportation projects including bikeways and pedestrian facilities, local roads and highway improvements, goods movement, Metrolink, Freeway Service Patrol and freeway call boxes within the greater metropolitan Los Angeles region.

Security and law enforcement services on Metro property (including buses and trains) are currently provided by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department's Transit Services Bureau via contract, in conjunction with Metro's Transit Security department.

In 2006, The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority was named Outstanding Transportation System for 2006 by the American Public Transportation Association. Most buses and trains have "America's Best" decals affixed.

METRO RAIL

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority operates 73.1 mi (118 km) of Metro Rail service. The system is composed of 62 stations, two at-grade light rail lines, one grade-separated light rail line, and two heavy rail subway lines with total estimated ridership of over 260,100 boardings per weekday.

* The Blue Line (opened in 1990) is a light rail line connecting Downtown Los Angeles to Downtown Long Beach.
It is the region's first rail line since the demise of the Pacific Electric Railway's Red Car system in 1961.

* The Red Line (first leg to Westlake/MacArthur Park opened in 1993 and to Hollywood in 1999, and to North Hollywood in 2000) is a subway line running between Downtown Los Angeles and North Hollywood.

* The Green Line (opened August 12, 1995) is a light rail line running between Redondo Beach and Norwalk which operates mostly in the median of the Century Freeway (Interstate 105).
It offers access to Los Angeles International Airport via a shuttle bus from the Aviation/I-105 station. It is the region's only above ground light rail line that is completely grade-separated.

* The Gold Line (opened July 26, 2003) is a light rail line that runs between Downtown Los Angeles and Pasadena and runs through Highland Park and South Pasadena.

* The Purple Line (named 2006, first leg to Westlake/MacArthur Park opened in 1993; to Koreatown in 1996) is a subway line running between Downtown Los Angeles and Wilshire/Western Station in Koreatown.
Considered part of the Red Line until 2006.

* The "Expo" Line is a light rail alignment that has begun construction from downtown Los Angeles to Culver City. Phase II of this project to extend it to Santa Monica is currently under study.
A color has not been assigned to this alignment as yet. From Union Station in downtown Los Angeles, Metro Rail passengers can transfer to Amtrak and the Metrolink commuter rail system. 

METRO LINER

Los Angeles' newest form of transportation is the Metro Liner bus rapid transit system. Metro Liner vehicles are 60 feet long, articulated buses painted in Metro Rail's silver livery.

The Metro Liner is meant to mimic the Metro Rail lines, both in the vehicle's design and in the operation of the line. Vehicles stop at all stations, tickets are sold only on platforms, passengers can board at any door, and the vehicles receive priority at intersections.

Bus Rapid Transit is described by promoters as "light rail on rubber tires."
Opponents have claimed that it has a small capacity and low speed compared to light rail.

* Metro Orange Line (opened on October 29, 2005) is a 14 mi (23 km) line traversing the southern San Fernando Valley from the Warner Center Transit Hub in Woodland Hills to the North Hollywood station where the line connects to the Metro Red Line.

The MTA is currently studying extending the Orange Line northward from its current western terminus.  

Combined Transitway Service Metro operates 2 transitways that host many bus lines, that originate and terminate in different places through Los Angeles county. When traveling within the transitways, the buses run in express service, stopping only at transitway stations. The transitways are meant to mimic the Metro Rail lines, because while each bus may have a different final destination passengers can board any bus and travel to any of the other stations.

* El Monte Busway (opened in 1974) is a 13 mi (21 km) combination transitway and high-occupancy vehicle roadway that runs in the median of Interstate 10 (San Bernardino Freeway) and on a separate right of way.

The transitway provides express bus service between Downtown Los Angeles, the San Gabriel Valley, and the Inland Empire. Services are operated by both Metro and Foothill Transit. Metro includes the transitway in a silver color in system maps, however, it is not officially called the Metro Silver Line.

* Harbor Transitway (opened in 1998) is an 11 mile (18 km) combination transitway and high-occupancy vehicle roadway that runs in the median of Interstate 110 (Harbor Freeway). The transitway provides express bus service between San Pedro and Downtown Los Angeles. It carries buses operated by Metro, Orange County Transportation Authority, the City of Los Angeles, City of Gardena and City of Torrance.

Metro includes the transitway in a bronze color in system maps, however, it is not officially called the Metro Bronze Line. Lines 444, 446, 447, and 450X use most of the transitway and line 445 uses the entire transitway from Exposition Park to San Pedro.  

METRO BUS

Metro operates three types of bus services which are distinguished by the color of the buses.

Metro Local buses are painted in an off-orange color the agency has dubbed “California Poppy”.

This type of service makes frequent stops along major thoroughfares.
There are 18,500 stops on 189 bus lines.

Metro Local buses that have not yet been painted remain white with an orange-yellow stripe. Some routes make limited stops but do not participate in the Rapid program; those routes are served by orange colored buses. Some Metro Local bus lines are operated by First Transit, Transportation Concepts, and Southland Transit.

The contractor operated buses do not feature advanced technological features like those found on Metro operated buses. Metro Local is the only service that operates diesel or high-floor buses.

Metro Rapid buses are distinguished by their bright red color the agency has dubbed “Rapid Red”. This bus service offers limited stops on many of the county's more heavily traveled arterial streets. Metro claims to reduce passenger commute times by up to 25 percent by several methods, among them the lack of a bus schedule so that drivers are not held up at certain stops.

Metro Express - Currently only implemented on two lines, 450X and 577X, Metro Express buses are painted a dark blue color the agency has dubbed “Business Blue,” the buses are designed to offer premium, reduced-stop service along Los Angeles's extensive freeway network.

There are other lines using the county's freeway system, but these are original lines using Metro Local & Rapid painted buses, with line numbers in the “400” and “500” series (Metro Express also uses line numbers in these series but append the letter “X” to indicate “expedited service”).

The LACMTA operates North America's largest fleet of CNG-powered buses.
The CNG fleet reduces emissions of particulates by 90 percent, carbon monoxide by 80 percent, and greenhouse gases by 20 percent over the 500 remaining diesel powered buses in the fleet. Alternative fuel buses have logged more than 450 million operating miles since 1993, an industry record.

LACMTA is the product of the merger of two previous agencies: the Southern California Rapid Transit District (SCRTD or more often, RTD) and the Los Angeles County Transportation Commission (LACTC).

RTD was during the 1960s and 1980s (until the LACTC was created) the "800 pound gorilla" in bus transportation in Southern California.

This lead to some hostilities and problems with other agencies, as described in the above article on RTD.