Metro Rapid is a bus rapid transit system in Los Angeles County, California, operated by the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority. The Rapid program attempts to speed up commuter travel time on Los Angeles' county streets. To accomplish this:

• The buses are equipped with special transponders that cause traffic signals to favor the bus. Green lights are held longer and red lights are shortened.
• The buses make fewer stops. Buses stop only at major intersections and transfer points. More frequent stops are reserved for the Metro Local buses.
• The frequency of buses is increased. More buses on a line means less wait time at each station.
• All Metro Rapid buses are low floor buses for faster boarding and alighting.

Inspiration for the program partly came from the transportation network of Curitiba in Brazil, although the concept in nascent form was first broached in a restructuring study long before local officials' famous trip there.

As a result of a recent federal court consent decree ruling, almost all rapid routes will operate starting in June 2006 from at least 5 am to 9 pm, five days a week, with a maximum of 10 minute peak headways and 20 minute midday and evening headways. Many Rapid routes operate on weekends as well.

Overview

The Metro Rapid Program was implemented in June of 2000-December 2002 with the goal of improving bus speeds across the Southland. Lines 720 (Wilshre),745 (Broadway),754 (Vermont), and 750 (Ventura) were the pilot routes of the program, and began using next bus technology at most stops. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority claims travel times have been reduced by as much as 29%.

When completed in 2008, the Metro Rapid Program will operate 28 routes across a network of 450 miles (720 km) of service. Simple routes are designed to interface with the region's urban rail network.

Metro Rapid buses are distinguished by their Red and Silver livery. Older Rapid buses have a Red and White livery and a few had all-white livery (buses 7102-7112, 7617-7618, 7628, 7643, and 7646) until July 2002 when some were repainted to a red and white livery and some converted to Metro Local service. Some rapid stops are equipped with next bus technology which indicate the wait time before the next bus arrives, which is mostly on Lines 720 and 750.

Metro Rapid Lines 720 and 780 are the only lines that complement multiple lines (720-Lines 18, 20 780-Lines 180,181,217) and are the longest routes of the Metro Rapid system.

The Metro Rapid Fleet consists exclusively of Low Floor buses manufactured by both North American Bus Industries, and New Flyer. Buses include: 40-foot New Flyer buses (5300-5500), 40-foot NABI buses (7000-7999), 45-foot NABI Compobuses (8000-8099), and 60-foot NABI articulated buses (9200-9399). 40-foot buses are mainly used, but some routes use high capacity vehicles, which are mentioned below.

The lines that use high capacity vehicles may still use 40-foot NABI buses. Some routes may use Metro Local buses, which may occur when there's lack of Rapid buses in service. There are Metro Local buses operating on Metro Rapid lines that break the Metro Rapid criteria of having low floor buses by operating high floor buses.

Lines 720, 754, 757, and 761 are the busiest Metro Rapid lines and 60-foot NABI articulated buses are used. Lines 754 and 757 are the pilot routes using 60-foot NABI buses, making their debut in December 2005. The buses made their debut on Line 720 in May 2006, with 78 buses.

A year after Metro introduced SmartBus technology on most of their buses, marquees were modified on most Metro Rapid buses in which the "STOP REQUESTED" portion scrolls across the marquee instead of staying in place and "PLEASE USE REAR EXIT" scrolls slowly. Months later, marquees were switched back to their original format.

The fare is the same as other Metro bus and rail service. Routes are numbered in the 700 series (7xx) for regular Metro Rapid service and in the 900 series (9xx) for Metro Rapid Express service.

Some Metro Rapid buses have been converted to Metro Local service. Buses 7111 and 7112 were originally Metro Rapid buses in all-white livery with a red Metro Rapid logo. Bus 7006 was converted to Metro Local service after being one of the first 40-foot NABI buses to be in the current Metro Rapid livery (red and sleek silver).

Criticism

Critics see the Metro Rapid system as not sufficient to meet Los Angeles' growing transit needs. Limited funds, they say, would be better spent on growing the region's rail network. Rapid buses do not have the capacity or efficiency of light or heavy rail technology.

Other critics claim that Metro Rapid is a triumph of marketing over substance. For many years, Metro and its predecessor, the SCRTD, operated limited stop routes, which were similar to Metro Rapid service in the middle of their routes (serving only transfer points and major stops), but made local stops at each end. Rapid buses do not change traffic signals outside of the City of Los Angeles because only the City has tied the transponders to the signal network. The Los Angeles County Department of Public Works is working on rectifying the problem for all the other cities where rapid buses pass through, but individual signals have to be reprogrammed to give signal priority to rapid buses. In addition, only red buses have transponders, which causes problems when not enough red buses are available (or conversely, red Rapid painted buses are used on local service).

Another complaint concerns the separation of stops between regular and Rapid service. This was done to eliminate the backing up of buses at stops, but has resulted in a dangerous move called the "Rapid Bus Shuffle", where one waiting at either of the stops runs to the other stop if a bus arrives. In response, some Rapid stops are placed adjacent to local bus stops.

In addition, civil rights organizations like the Bus Riders Union complain about cutbacks in local service required to implement Rapid service. Generally, between 25 and 50% of local service is cut and replaced by Rapid service. Thus, riders not living or working near a Rapid stop must walk a longer distance to an intersection with both local and Rapid stops, or wait longer for a local bus. The Special Master of the consent decree between Metro and the BRU has ordered that no more than 33% of the resources for Rapids come from local service.

It should be noted that the MTA staff has never considered Metro Rapid a substitute for rail service, but is instead a pragmatic interim measure given current budgetary constraints.

Routes

Note that although a number of 400 and 500-series express routes use Metro Rapid buses, they are not considered Metro Rapid routes.

Current Routes

704 - Santa Monica Boulevard

Line 704, complementing Line 4 and replacing Line 304, provides service on Santa Monica Blvd. from Union Station / Patsaouras Transit Plaza in Downtown Los Angeles to 2nd St. & Santa Monica Blvd. in Santa Monica, running through Echo Park, Silver Lake, Hollywood, West Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Century City, and West Los Angeles. Service operates Monday thru Saturday from 5:45am to 7:30pm and 7:30am to 7pm on Sundays. 40-foot NABI buses and some 60-foot NABI articulated buses are used on this route.

705 - La Cienega Boulevard - Vernon Avenue

Line 705, complementing Line 105, provides service on La Cienega Boulevard and Vernon Avenue from the West Hollywood Library in West Hollywood to Vernon Ave. & Santa Fe Ave. in Vernon, running through the neighborhoods of Beverly Hills, Culver City, Crenshaw, Leimert Park, and Vernon. Service operates weekdays only from 5:30am to 8:15 pm, operating every 10-15 minutes during peak hours, every 20 minutes during off-peak hours, and 10-20 minutes in the evenings. 40-foot NABI buses and some 45-foot NABI Compobuses are used on this route.

710 - Crenshaw Boulevard

Line 710, complementing Line 210 and replacing Line 310, provides service on Crenshaw Blvd. from the Wilshire / Western Purple Line Station to the South Bay Galleria, running through Hollywood, Hancock Park, Mid-City, Inglewood, Hawthorne, and Torrance. Service operates weekdays and Saturdays from 5:30am to 9:30pm on weekdays and from 6am to 8:30pm on Saturdays.. 40-foot New Flyer and Some 40-foot NABI buses are used on this route.

711 - Florence Avenue

Line 711, complementing Line 111 and replacing Line 311, provides service on Florence Av. from the Inglewood Transit Center to Florence Ave. & Garfield Ave. in Bell Gardens, running through Inglewood, Hyde Park, Florence, Huntington Park, Bell, and Cudahy. Service operates daily from 5am to 9pm on weekdays and Saturdays, and from 6:45am to 8pm on Sundays. 45-foot NABI Compobuses are used on this route.

714 - Beverly Boulevard

Line 714, complementing Line 14, provides rush-hour service on Beverly Blvd. from Beverly Hills to Grand Blue Line Station in Downtown Los Angeles. Service operates weekdays only, bi-directionally during rush hours, from around 6am to 9:40am and from around 3pm to 7pm with 15 minute headways. 40-foot NABI buses are used on this route.

720 - Wilshire Boulevard - Whittier Boulevard

One of two pilot routes, Line 720, complementing Lines 18 and 20 and replacing Lines 318, 320, and 322, provides service on Wilshire Boulevard, Whittier Boulevard, and 5th and 6th Streets in Downtown Los Angeles from Santa Monica to Commerce, running through Brentwood, Westwood, Beverly Hills, La Brea, Koreatown, Downtown Los Angeles, and East Los Angeles. The original eastern terminus was at the Montebello Metrolink station; in 2005, it was moved to Commerce Center on Whittier Blvd. and Goodrich Blvd. Line 720 is meant to mimic both the proposed and established route of the Metro Purple Line subway. Service operates daily from 4:30am to 2:00am on weekdays and 5am to 1:30am on weekends. 60-foot NABI articulated buses are used on this route, making their debut in May 2006 with 78 buses.

734 - Sepulveda Boulevard

Line 734, complementing Line 234, provides service on Sepulveda Blvd. from the Sylmar/San Fernando Metrolink station to Ventura Blvd., running through San Fernando, Mission Hills, North Hills, and Van Nuys. Service operates weekdays only from 5am to 10pm. 45-foot NABI Compobuses are used on this route.

740 - Hawthorne Boulevard - Crenshaw Boulevard - Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard

Line 740, complementing Line 40 and replacing Line 340, provides service on Broadway, Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd, Crenshaw Blvd., and Hawthorne Blvd. from Union Station / Patsaouras Transit Plaza in Downtown Los Angeles to the South Bay Galleria, running through Leimert Park, Hyde Park, Inglewood, and Hawthorne. Service operates weekdays and Saturdays from 5am to 9:30pm. 45-foot NABI Compobuses are used on this route.

741 - Reseda Boulevard

Line 741, complementing Line 240, provides service on Reseda Blvd. from Devonshire Blvd. in Northridge to Ventura Blvd. in Encino, running through Northridge, Reseda, and Tarzana. Service operates weekdays only from 5am to 9:30pm. 40-foot NABI buses are used on this route.

745 - South Broadway

Line 745, complementing Lines 45 and 46, replacing Line 345, provides service on South Broadway from Union Station / Patsaouras Transit Plaza in Downtown Los Angeles and the Harbor Freeway/I-105 Green Line station. Service operates daily from 5am to 8pm. 45-foot NABI Compobuses are used on this route.

750 - Ventura Boulevard

The other pilot route, Line 750, complementing Line 150 and in combination with the Metro Red Line replacing Lines 425 and 427, operates on Ventura Blvd. between the Universal City Red Line Station and the Warner Center Transit Hub, running through Studio City, Sherman Oaks, Encino, and Tarzana. Service operates daily from 5am to 10:30pm. 45-foot NABI Compobuses are used on this route.

751 - Soto Street

Line 751, complementing Line 251 and replacing Line 350, provides service on Avenue 26, Daly Street, Soto Street, and Long Beach Blvd. from Cypress Park to South Gate Plaza, running through Lincoln Heights, Boyle Heights, Vernon, Huntington Park, and South Gate. Service operates weekdays and Saturdays from 4:30am to 8:30pm weekdays, and from 6:30am to 7pm Saturdays. Service south of South Gate Plaza is provided by Metro Rapid 760 to avoid service duplication. 40-foot New Flyer and NABI buses are used on this route.

754 - Vermont Avenue

Line 754, complementing Line 204 and replacing Line 354, provides service on Vermont Ave. from Vermont Avenue and Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood to Vermont Avenue and 120th Street in Athens. Some trips terminate at Vermont Avenue and Manchester Boulevard. Service operates daily from about 4:30 AM to about 10:00 PM weekdays, about 4:30 AM to about 10:00 PM Saturdays, and about 4:30 AM to about 10:00 PM Sundays. source: MTA schedule. 60-foot NABI articulated buses are used on this route, being one of the two pilot Metro Rapid routes to use articulated buses in December 2005.

757 - Western Avenue

Line 757, complementing Line 207 and replacing Line 357, provides service on Western Ave. from the Hollywood / Western Red Line Station to the Crenshaw Green Line Station, running through Hollywood, Koreatown, Jefferson Park, and Hyde Park. Every other bus terminates at Western Avenue and Manchester Boulevard. Service operates daily from 5am to 9:30pm weekdays, and from 6am to 8:30pm weekends. 60-foot NABI articulated buses are used on this route, being one of the two pilot Metro Rapid routes to use articulated buses in December 2005. Upon this route's debut, the 60-foot NABI buses were used.

760 - Long Beach Boulevard - Pacific Boulevard - Santa Fe Avenue

Line 760, complementing Line 60 and replacing Line 360, provides service on Santa Fe Ave., Pacific Blvd., and Long Beach Blvd. from 5th St. & Beaudry St. in Downtown Los Angeles to the Artesia Blue Line Station, running through Vernon, Huntington Park, South Gate, and Lynwood. Service operates daily from 5am to 9pm. Service to the Long Beach Transit Mall is served by Long Beach Transit 51 and the Metro Blue Line. 40-foot New Flyer buses are used on this route.

761 - Van Nuys Boulevard - Sepulveda Boulevard - Westwood

Line 761, complementing Line 233 on Van Nuys Blvd. and replacing Line 561 north of Westwood, provides service on Van Nuys Blvd. and Sepulveda Blvd. from Pacoima (Van Nuys Blvd. and Foothill Blvd.) to the Federal Building in Westwood (Sepulveda Blvd., Church Ln., Sunset Blvd., Hilgard Ave., Westwood Blvd.), running through Panorama City, Van Nuys, Sherman Oaks, and the Getty Center. Some trips bypass their normal route on I-405 north of the Getty Center and use Sepulveda Blvd. to Ventura Blvd. before returning to their regular route. Service operates daily from 5am to 10:30pm weekdays, and from 5:30am to 10pm weekends. Late night and early morning service to Westwood is provided by Metro Local 233. 60-foot NABI articulated buses are used on this route.

780 - Fairfax Avenue - Hollywood Boulevard - Colorado Boulevard

Line 780, complementing Lines 180, 181, and 217 and replacing Lines 317, 380 and 717, provides service on Colorado Blvd., Los Feliz Blvd., Hollywood Blvd., and Fairfax Ave. from Pasadena City College (PCC) to the West Los Angeles Transit Center (Washington Blvd. and Fairfax Ave.), running through Pasadena, Eagle Rock, Glendale, Atwater Village, Los Feliz, Hollywood, West Hollywood, Mid City, and West Los Angeles. Despite merging with Line 717 in mid-2006, the last three westbound buses terminate at the Hollywood/Vine Station. Service operates weekdays only from 5am to 8:30pm, operating every 10-12 minutes during peak hours, every 15 minutes during off-peak hours, and 12-20 minutes for evenings. 40-foot NABI buses are used on this route.

Weekend service from PCC to Hollywood/Vine station may begin as early as December 2007.

920 - Wilshire Rapid Express

Line 920 is an express version of Line 720 along Wilshire Blvd., operating from the Wilshire/Vermont Red/Purple Line transfer station in Koreatown to Downtown Santa Monica. Stops from east to west are at the Wilshire/Vermont Red/Purple Line transfer station, Wilshire/Western Purple Line station, Wilshire/Fairfax, Wilshire/Beverly, Wilshire/Westwood, and Wilshire/4th. Service operates weekdays only, bi-directionally during peak hours from 6am to 10am and from 3pm to 7pm with a 5 to 10 minute frequency. 60 foot articulated buses (NABI 60-BRT) are used on this route.

940 - Hawthorne Rapid Express

Line 940 is an express version of Line 740, running along Broadway, Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Crenshaw Blvd., and Hawthorne Blvd., operating from Union Station / Patsaouras Transit Plaza in Downtown Los Angeles to the South Bay Galleria. Stops from north to south are at Patsaouras Transit Plaza, Broadway & 6th St., Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. & Vermont Ave., Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. & Crenshaw Ave., La Brea Ave. & Manchester Ave., Hawthorne Green Line Station, and South Bay Galleria. Service operates weekdays only in the peak direction: northbound in the morning from 5:45am to 8:30am, and southbound in the afternoon from 4pm to 7pm, with four trips in each direction every 25-30 minutes. 45-foot NABI Compobuses are used on this route.

Future / Proposed Routes

715 - Manchester Boulevard - Firestone Boulevard

Line 715 would complement Line 115 and replace Line 315 along Manchester and Firestone Blvd., and could begin service as early as December 2007.

724 - San Fernando Road - Lankershim Boulevard

Line 724 would complement Line 224 along San Fernando Rd. and Lankershim Blvd. from the Sylmar / San Fernando Metrolink Station to the North Hollywood Red Line Station, and could begin service as early as December 2007. [1]

728 - Olympic Boulevard

Line 728 would complement Line 28 and replace Line 328 along Olympic Blvd. from Downtown L.A. to Century City, and could begin service as early as December 2007. [2]

730 - Pico Boulevard

Line 730 would complement Line 30 (Downtown Los Angeles-Rimpau Transit Center) and Santa Monica Big Blue Bus Line 7 (Rimpau Transit Center-Santa Monica) and replace Line 330 along Pico Blvd. from Santa Monica Pier to Downtown L.A. Union Station, and could begin service in 2008.

753 - Central Avenue

Line 753 would complement Line 53 and replace Line 350, along Central Avenue. from Los Angeles Union Station to Imperial/Wilmington Metro Blue and Green line Station.

762 - Atlantic Boulevard - Fair Oaks Avenue

Line 762 would complement Line 260 and replace Line 361 along Atlantic Blvd. and Fair Oaks Ave., and could begin service as early as December 2007. [3] The proposal is to operate from 6am to 6pm on weekdays only and to operate from Fair Oaks Avenue and Colorado Blvd. to the Artesia Blue Line Station.

770 - Garvey Avenue - Cesar Chavez Avenue

Line 770 would complement Lines 68 and 70 and replace Lines 368 and 370 and along Garvey Ave. and Cesar Chavez Ave., and could begin service as early as December 2007. [4]

794 - San Fernando Road

Line 794 would complement Lines 94 and 224 and replace Line 394 along San Fernando Rd. from the Sylmar / San Fernando Metrolink Station to Downtown Los Angeles, and could begin service as early as December 2007. [5]

Former Routes

717 - Fairfax Avenue

Line 717 complemented Line 217 and replaced Line 317 along Fairfax Avenue from the Hollywood / Vine Red Line Station to the West L.A. Transit Center. Since Line 717 was only a seven-mile route, having fewer stops than other lines and the northern terminus being at the Hollywood/Vine Metro Red Line station, where Line 780 ends as well, Line 717 merged with Line 780 on June 26, 2006 to form the current Line 780.

Other Los Angeles Area Rapids

The Santa Monica Big Blue Bus operates the Rapid 3-Lincoln Boulevard Line along Lincoln Boulevard, along with the local route 3. It is the first Rapid line in the Los Angeles area operated by a municipal operator. These buses are in a painted in a metallic Blue livery. Service operates weekdays rush hours only, 6 am-9 am and 3 pm-6 pm. Torrance Transit Line 3 and Culver CityBus Line 6 will have Rapid versions of those routes in the future.

Foothill Transit's Silver Streak made its debut on March 18, 2007, using the El Monte Busway and the San Bernardino Freeway. This route is not part of the official Metro Rapid program.

External links

• Metro Rapid Homepage
• Rapid Bus increases door-to-door travel time (op-ed)
• Route 704 proposal hearings
• Metro Rapid 754 Operator entertains passengers

•  • [ e]   Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (website)
Metro services
Metro Bus	Metro Local • Metro Rapid • Metro Express
Metro Rail	Blue Line • Red Line • Green Line • Gold Line • Purple Line
Metro Liner	Orange Line
Transitways	El Monte Busway • Harbor Transitway
Related articles
Connecting rail	Metrolink • Amtrak • Amtrak California
Future expansion	Expo Line • Regional Connector
Other information	Union Station • Metro Fleet • Transportation of Los Angeles