| Metro | |
|---|---|
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Union Station with Metro Headquarters in the background (Above). Metro's four different modes of service (Below). |
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| Info | |
| Locale | Los Angeles County, California |
| Transit type | Rapid transit (subway) Light rail Local bus Bus rapid transit |
| Number of lines | Heavy rail: 2 Light rail: 3 Bus Rapid Transit: 2 Local Bus: 191 |
| Number of stations | Rail: 70 Bus Rapid Transit: 23 |
| Daily ridership | 1,401,117 (Weekdays) (August 2010)[1] |
| Chief executive | Art Leahy |
| Operation | |
| Began operation | April 1, 1993[2] |
| Operator(s) | |
| Technical | |
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) (standard gauge) |
The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (also known as Metro (branding), MTA or LACMTA) is the California state-chartered regional transportation planning agency (RTPA) and public transportation operating agency for the County of Los Angeles formed in 1993 out of a merger of the Southern California Rapid Transit District and the Los Angeles County Transportation Commission. 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 agency is the primary transit provider for the City of Los Angeles providing the bulk of such services while the City of Los Angeles Department of Transportation (LADOT) operates a much smaller system of its own Commuter Express bus service to outlying suburbs in the city of Los Angeles and the popular DASH (Downtown Area Short Hop) mini-bus service in downtown and other neighborhoods in the city of Los Angeles. The MTA has its headquarters in central Los Angeles.[3]
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.[4] Metro also designed, built and now operates 79.1 miles (127.3 km) of urban rail service.[5] 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 regional commuter rail, 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. Between 2003 and 2008 Part I crimes have decreased 29.4% on Metro rails and 10% on the Metro buses.
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.[6]
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Metro Rail is Los Angeles County's rail mass transit system. It is the indirect descendant of the Pacific Electric Railway's Red Car and Los Angeles Railway "Yellow Car" lines, which operated in the area from the early-to-middle 20th century. Currently, Metro Rail operates three light rail lines and two rapid transit subway lines, altogether totaling 79.1 miles (127.3 km) of rail, 70 stations, and over 300,000 daily weekday boardings as of August 2009.
Metro Liner is the vehicle used on Los Angeles County's bus rapid transit system. Metro Liner vehicles operate on two separate services: the Orange Line connecting Warner Center and the Red Line terminus at North Hollywood in the San Fernando Valley, and the Silver Line connecting El Monte Station and Artesia Transit Center through downtown Los Angeles, operating on the El Monte Busway and the Harbor Transitway. As used on the Orange Line, the Metro Liners are meant to mimic 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, vehicles receive priority at intersections, and are painted in a silver livery similar to Metro Rail cars.
However, the Silver Line does not have all the features of the Orange Line at all stops. The street stops on the Metro Silver Line (mostly the portion through downtown Los Angeles) lack the full station features of the Metro Orange Line. Prepaid boarding through ticket vending machines is not available at those stops. The Metro Silver Line replaced the express and downtown portions of the 444, 446/447, 484 and 490 when it began service on December 13, 2009. The Metro Silver Line was the only line in the Metro Rail/Liner system that did not have an opening ceremony with free rides offered to the public.
In mid July 2011, the Metro Silver Line began using NABI 45C buses in a silver livery, but the name "Metro Liner" is not shown on the buses. Recently, Metro annouced that it will wrap 30 Metro Silver Line Buses in a silver sleek color showing the slogan: "A Faster Way To Downtown LA: Metro Silver Line."
Metro operates three types of bus services which are distinguished by the color of the buses.[7] However, when mechanical problems occur, a bus of any color may be substituted to continue service on the route.
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. Some Metro Local routes make limited stops along part of their trip but do not participate in the Rapid program. Some Metro Local bus lines are operated by MV Transportation, Southland Transit, and Veolia Transportation.
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 buses are painted a dark blue color the agency has dubbed “Business Blue”, the routes are designed as premium, minimal stop services along Los Angeles's extensive freeway network. Currently there are two lines, 450X and 577X.
Some Metro Local lines also use the county's freeway system along their trip. They are labeled as Express services but make more stops on their trips and are not considered to be "premium" Metro Express lines.
All LACMTA buses are CNG-powered, the largest such fleet in the United States.[8] The CNG fleet reduces emissions of particulates by 90 percent, carbon monoxide by 80 percent, and greenhouse gases by 20 percent compared to diesel powered buses. Alternative fuel buses have logged more than 450 million operating miles since 1993, an industry record.
Metro operates two transitways that carry multiple bus routes for part of their trips through Southern California. 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. The two transitways are connected by a dedicated Metro Liner route, the Silver Line.
LA Metro has at least 10 surveillance cameras on each of its rails,[9] and cameras are visible on their busses.
The following table shows Metro fares, effective August 1, 2011 (in US dollars):
| Fare Type | Regular | Senior /Disabled /Medicare |
|---|---|---|
| Base Fare | $1.50 | $.55* |
| Base Fare (Silver Line) | $2.45 | $1.15 |
| Tokens | $1.50 | |
| Metro Day Pass** | $5.00 | $1.80 |
| 7-Day Pass | $20.00 | |
| Student Fare Card (with monthly stamp) | $24.00 | |
| College/Vocational (with monthly stamp) | $36.00 | |
| 30-Day Pass | $75.00 | $14.00 |
| Metro-to-Muni Transfer | $.35 | $.10 |
| Zone charge (per zone, maximum two zones) | $0.70 | $0.30 |
| Monthly zone stamp (per zone, maximum two zones) | $22.00 | ^ |
* US$0.55 fare 5 am–9 am and 3 pm–7 pm non-holiday weekdays.
**As of March 15, 2009, no day passes are sold on buses without possession of a TAP card, which can be purchased at various retail outlets for $2 for use on the bus. Rail ticket vending machines continue to issue day passes without TAP card purchase. All passes are now available on TAP card. A Reduce Fare TAP card is now available for Senior/Disabled, College/Vocational students and K–12 Students.
^ Zone charges are not imposed for discount pass holders, but are imposed for discount cash fare payers.
There are no fare gates on some of the Metro Rail stations and the Orange Line. Instead, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department and Metro fare inspectors conduct random checks of the system. If riders are caught without a ticket they can be fined up to US$ 250 and/or ordered to perform community service for 48 hours.
Fare evasion was estimated in 2007 to be at 6%, costing Metro $2.6 million annually. In response to this, the Metro board approved fare gating of all stations on the Red and Green Lines, and selected stations on the Orange, Blue, and Gold Lines, capturing 84% of passengers using the system. Adding fare gates was selected to increase fare collections, implement distance based fares on rail and transitways in the future, and reduce the potential of the system to terrorist attack.[10] Former Metrolink executive director Richard Stanger critiqued the gate installation by citing its cost and ineffectiveness, concerns ultimately dismissed by the Metro board.[11]
In 2007, with the consent decree with the BRU expired, Metro announced plans for a fare hike. They said that they needed to reduce their $US 100 million deficit, which would be done either by raising fares or reducing service. This proposal garnered strong opposition from Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, Councilman Bernard Parks, the Bus Riders Union, and low-income residents.
On May 24, 2007, the Metro board approved fare increases, which were lower than their original proposal, but eliminated the semi-monthly pass.
Measure R calls for all senior and disabled fares, as well as student passes, to be frozen at current rates until July 1, 2013.[12]
The Rider Relief Transportation Program (RRTP) provides fare subsidy coupons to eligible riders who purchase daily, weekly, or monthly Metro passes, TAP cash value, and EZ transit passes from participating transit systems. Eligible riders include adult regular riders, Senior/Disabled/Medicare, K–12 grade students, and college/vocational students who are pre-qualified by a participating community-based agency. RRTP subsidy coupons are available to Los Angeles County residents whose household income levels meet the following criteria. Persons in:
Residents of the Cities/County and students of schools and colleges already being subsidized for Metro fare media will not be eligible to receive the coupon subsidy.
Average daily boardings for February 2010 are as follows:[1][13]
The Metro Blue Line has the highest ridership of the light rail lines. The Red Line operational cost is the lowest of all of the Metro Rail lines because of its highest ridership. The Metro Liner line Silver Line has the lowest ridership from the Metro Liner system.
| Metro Local/Limited/Rapid/Shuttle & Express lines | Blue Line | Green Line | Red Line & Purple Lines | Gold Line | Orange Line | Silver Line | |
| Weekdays | 1,143,363 | 77,788 | 37,456 | 147,482 | 30,512 | 23,141 | 9,329 |
| Saturdays | 709,062 | 52,018 | 19,258 | 93,576 | 21,359 | 10,436 | 3,004 |
| Sundays and Holidays | 585,040 | 49,006 | 18,235 | 82,719 | 20,735 | 10,436 | 1,952 |
Metro is governed by a Board of Directors whose 13 members are:
Responsibility for local bus service is delegated to five Sector Governance Councils, each governing bus service in a service sector comprising the bus lines operating from the yards in a given geographical area. There are five sectors: Gateway Cities, San Fernando Valley, San Gabriel Valley, South Bay, and Westside/Central. Members for each governance council are selected by a combination of city councils, councils of governments, and county supervisors representing the area. Many members are local politicians, but each governance council is required to have at least two regular "transit consumers" on their council, which is defined loosely and includes transit riders as well as executives at other transit agencies within the sector. Although the vast majority of the appointees are also members of city councils of cities within the sector, one sector's council – Metro San Fernando Valley – is composed almost entirely of non-elected officials. Governance council members are then confirmed by the Metro Board of Directors, and can be removed from their position as desired by the nominator, or by the Metro Board. Governance councils approve service changes (although the Metro Board reserves ultimate authority over service), review the budget, address complaints about bus service, and provide recommendations to Metro management regarding the employment status of each sector general manager. Monthly meetings of the Board of Directors are organized and facilitated by Christopher Reyes.
One consequence of the governance council structure is that Metro can move much more quickly to add or remove service as needed. Therefore, the number of service changes has increased significantly since 2002, when service sectors began. In addition, because of the decentralization of responsibility, this means that bus riders who ride lines in multiple sectors must send multiple letters or attend multiple public hearings to express their concerns about lines that may be cut. Recently, a change was made that permits comments to be delivered to one sector, who will then forward comments to other sectors as appropriate. However, attendees of one sector's public hearing will only hear about the changes in their sector, and will not have the opportunity to speak directly with the staff in the other sectors at that hearing. In addition, each sector can set their own policies regarding public comment, and sectors are not uniform in how service changes are approved.
Communications between sectors and riders was poor, according to a report by the California State Auditor which was released one year into the new structure.[14]
A complex mix of federal, state, county and city tax dollars as well as bonds and fare box revenue funds Metro. Funding sources (see footnote for current year budget)
| Resources | US$ in Millions |
| Fare Revenue | 264 |
| Prop A - 1/2 Cent Sales Tax | 575 |
| Prop C - 1/2 Cent Sales Tax | 703 |
| Federal Grants | 547 |
| State Grants | 472 |
| Interest Income/Bonds | 179 |
| Other Local Revenue | 123 |
| Total Resources | US$2,863 |
Most buses are equipped with monitors for Transit TV broadcasts and to display real-time bus maps to show the location through GPS navigation; the latter is the first of its kind in the United States. Also, as part of Metro's ATMS project, most buses include a marquee displaying the date and time, Automatic Voice Annunciation (AVA) for audio and visual announcements for each stop, and an audio and visual Stop Requested announcement.
Most buses operated by First Transit, Transportation Concepts, and Southland Transit have five-digit fleet numbers. Contractors formerly operated some of the 2000-, 2300-, 2500-, 2700-, 3300-, and 4400-series buses; Southland Transit currently operates several (7000-7214), (7300-7514), series buses on Lines 254, 266, 270, 577X, and a few on 605. A few of these buses have the ATMS technology on them (when they were transferred from Metro), while the rest of them do not feature the ATMS technology that is on Metro-operated buses.
Metro Local buses are painted orange ("California Poppy"), Metro Rapid buses are painted red, and Metro Express buses are painted blue. Metro Local buses acquired prior to the adoption of these colors in 2004 are white with a gold stripe around the bus; these buses will be painted orange during their mid-life rehabilitation (except for the 5300-series New Flyer buses assigned to Metro Rapid lines, which were repainted in red livery in 2004-05). The 7000- and 7600-series buses acquired for Metro Rapid service in 2000 and 2002 are red with a white stripe along the top (7102-7112, 7617-7618, 7628, 7643, 7646 were white with a red Metro Rapid logo on all sides and some of these buses have been repainted to standard red and white and a few have been converted to Metro Local service), but some have been repainted to the current red and silver livery. Most had been repainted beginning in 2007; some have been repainted either in the updated Metro Rapid scheme or in Metro Local colors.
Metro operates the nation's largest fleet of CNG-powered buses. The CNG fleet reduces emissions of particulates by 90%, carbon monoxide by 80%, and greenhouse gases by 20% 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. Metro has retired all Diesel buses (not including contracted buses) and became an entirely clean-air fleet in January 2011.
Beginning December 17, 2006, Metro Local Lines 233 (Van Nuys Blvd.) and 204 (Vermont Ave.) were the first Metro Local lines to use 60-foot (18 m) NABI articulated buses, and were of the 9400-9500 series. These buses are also currently in use on Metro Local Line 66 (8th Street) and Metro Local Line 207 (Western Ave.).
In May 2009 METRO started to set up a Multi Mobility Working Group, which may lead to a change in TDM funding for bicycle projects as detailed is a separate entry on bicycle transportation planning in Los Angeles.
In July 2006, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa proposed a free transit week, which was inspired by the San Francisco Bay Area's Spare the Air days of free rides, which helped increase ridership by 10%. This proposal would help reduce traffic congestion and improve the air quality during the free week. In the wake of concerns raised by Metro's police and security heads (citing increased crime during the San Francisco promotion), this was downgraded by Villaraigosa at the September board of directors meeting into a general directive to increase ridership by 30% over the next year.
The renamed Foothill Construction Authority (formerly Metro Blue Line Construction Authority) is in the planning stages of a San Gabriel Valley extension of the Gold Line to the San Bernardino County border city of Montclair. In October 2009, the MTA Board unanimously voted to include the Foothill Extension in its long-range plan, and approved funding for the construction and operation of its first phase to Azusa. The terminus of this extension will be at a stop just west of Azusa's eastern border. This first phase is scheduled to break ground in Late 2011, and is expected to be completed and opened in 2015. The Board also directed its staff to seek funding for the second phase of the Foothill Extension, in the hopes of completion by 2017-2019.
The Exposition Metro Line Construction Authority (EMLCA) was established to construct the first phase of the Expo Line (Expo Phase 1) from 7th Street/Metro Center in Downtown Los Angeles to the intersection of Venice and Robertson Boulevards in Culver City. Funding is in place for this first phase, and phase two of this project was recently approved to bring the line to the Santa Monica pier in Santa Monica. Phase 1 portion of this project went to bid in the spring of 2006. The route of Expo Phase 2 will take an exclusive path along the former Pacific Electric Santa Monica "Air Line" right-of-way, through Palms/Cheviot Hills/Westside Village/Rancho Park.[16]
Metro continues to expand its Metro Rapid bus system with a goal of 28 lines by 2008.[17] A Special Master ruling in December 2005 requires Metro to increase service on all Rapid bus routes to every 10 minutes during the peak period and every 20 minutes during the mid-day and evening. Service would be required to operate between 5 a.m. and 9 a.m. on all Rapid routes. Metro has chosen not to appeal the ruling and began implementation on all Rapid routes in June 2006.
In addition, the agency is embarking on a massive bus restructuring effort entitled Metro Connections. The project is designed to convert the current grid-based bus system, implemented in 1980, to a hub and spoke system focused on activity centers.[18] The system is to be phased in the next four years, and will include new express routes and reconfigured local service. Suburban service and low ridership shuttles will be considered for operation by municipal agencies, restructuring, or cancellation.
A new Universal Fare system called 'TAP' which stands for Transit Access Pass was introduced to the public in early 2010. The TAP smart card allows bus and rail passengers to physically tap their cards on the farebox for faster boarding. This automated fare system will eventually be implemented on eleven other Los Angeles County transit operators and intends to replace the EZ Pass which allows travel between these transit agencies for one monthly price. Commuters from surrounding cities and communities will be able to travel across the county switching from one transit operator's system to another using one smart card to pay for fares.
The Metro rail and bus fleet often make appearances in films and television shows produced in the Los Angeles area, including Crash,[19] Superbad, Collateral, The 40-Year-Old Virgin,[20] and Battle: Los Angeles.[21]
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