Los_Angeles_Metro_Bus

Los Angeles Metro Bus

Bus system in Los Angeles County, California

Los Angeles Metro Bus is the transit bus service in Los Angeles County, California operated by the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro). In 2023, the system had a ridership of 222,919,700, or about 710,100 per weekday as of the first quarter of 2024.^{[Note 1]}

Quick Facts Parent, Founded ...

Los Angeles Metro Bus

An ElDorado Axess bus in Los Angeles Metro Bus colors
Parent	Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro)
Founded	February 1, 1993; 31 years ago (1993-02-01)
Headquarters	Metro Headquarters Building
Service area	Los Angeles County, California
Service type	Transit bus
Routes	117 (excluding Metro Busway)
Fleet	2,320 buses
Daily ridership	710,100 (weekdays, Q1 2024)^[1]^{[Note 1]}
Annual ridership	222,919,700 (2023)^[2]^{[Note 1]}
Fuel type	CNG, battery electric
Operator	Metro, MV Transportation, Southland Transit, Transdev
Website	metro.net

As of June 2023^[update], there are 117 routes in the system (excluding Metro Busway routes). The Los Angeles Metro bus has the third largest fleet in North America, with 2,320 buses as of 2019^[update].^[3] The majority of Metro Bus lines are operated by Metro directly, with select services operated by private contractors.^[4]

History

Main article: History of Los Angeles Metro Rail and Busway

The Metro Bus brand dates back to the 1993 founding of Metro, but many of the routes in the system are little changed from the bus routes of the prior Southern California Rapid Transit District (RTD) or the streetcar routes operated by the Pacific Electric Red Cars or the Los Angeles Railway Yellow Cars.

Starting in 2003, Metro operated its bus network under three different brands: orange Metro Local buses for traditional routes, red Metro Rapid buses for limited stop routes, and blue Metro Express buses for minimal stop services along the region's extensive freeway network. The separate brands were retired in 2020 as part of Metro's NextGen Bus Plan, a major restructuring of the agencies routes, with most of the Metro Rapid routes retired in favor of more frequent service on the former Metro Local routes, which will now make fewer stops.

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
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 96 (Riverside Dr.)