LOS ANGELES PUBLIC TRANSIT

LOS ANGELES PUBLIC TRANSIT

Most public transportation is handled by Metro, which offers maps, schedules and trip-planning help through its website.


To ride Metro trains and buses, buy a reusable TAP card. Available from TAP vending machines at Metro stations with a $1 surcharge, the cards allow you to add a preset cash value or day passes. The regular base fare is $1.75 per boarding, or $7/25 for a day/week pass with unlimited rides. Both single-trip tickets and TAP cards loaded with a day pass are available on Metro buses (ensure you have the exact change). When using a TAP card, tap the card against the sensor at station entrances and aboard buses.


TAP cards are accepted on DASH and municipal bus services and can be reloaded at vending machines or online on the TAP website (www.taptogo.net).


How to reach Los Angeles by flight

The Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) is huge and bustling and one of the busiest in the US. It is very well connected to the entire country and indeed the rest of the world, with flights from all the major countries and cities in the world. Los Angeles also has 4 other airports, one each at Long Beach, Burbank, Orange County and Ontario. These airports mostly serve domestic routes, and the LAX also usually provides cheaper fares.

 

How to reach Los Angeles by road

LA is easily accessible from nearby cities and towns. The LA Metropolitan Area has a plethora of highways and freeways into the city. The most popular of these are Interstate 10, which runs from one coast of the US to the other, to Florida; Interstate 5, which runs southwards through San Diego all the way to Mexico and northwards to Sacramento, Portland and Seattle all the way to Canada; and the US Route 101 which connects it to San Francisco.

Photo by Alexis Balinoff on Unsplash

 

How to reach Los Angeles by train

LA is fairly well connected to nearby destinations with trains arriving at Union Station. Many train services like Union Pacific, Amtrak, Burlington Northern Santa Fe connect Los Angeles to the rest of the cities in the United States.

 

How to reach Los Angeles by bus

Long distance buses, shuttle buses, and airport buses all serve efficiently in connecting Los Angeles to the cities nearby. There are several bus companies such as the famous Greyhound, Bolt Bus, Megabus, Santa Barbara Airbus etc. which run along these routes to cities like Las Vegas, San Francisco, San Diego, San Jose, Oakland and many other locations.

 

How to reach Los Angeles by Waterways

The city has 2 primary ports, Port of Los Angeles and the Port of Long Beach. Several international cruise liners and yachts arrive at these ports, and Los Angeles is one of the prime destinations on the west coast of the US, and also in the entire Pacific region.

Photo by Andre Benz on Unsplash

 

Local transport in Los Angeles

Public transportation in LA is decent, but not overly impressive. The Metro Rail and the public bus are the two most popular means of mass public transport here. Various different companies provide bus services in the city, and the subway system runs across 8 lines. Having a TAP Card is the easiest way to get through payments in these modes. It is a rechargeable card which is accepted in buses and metros. The best way to get around LA is by hiring a car. It is a very easy task in the city, and the roads are not confusing. However, be vary of traffic, and avoid travelling during office rush hours. Cabs also run throughout the city, though you'll have to book them. This makes it a very time consuming and expensive task, so hiring a car remains the best way to get around the city.


Riding (and paying for) Metro

The first thing you’ll need before boarding a train or a bus is a TAP card. Available at all Metro Rail stations and select retailers with a $2 surcharge, these reusable cards can be filled with pre-set dollar amounts or day passes. A single ride, regardless of the destination, costs $1.75 and includes free transfers for up to two hours. Day passes start at $7 but are only worthwhile if you’ll be taking four trips more than two hours apart. Very few bus stops have TAP vending machines, but you can buy a new card with a day pass on board (buses also accept exact change). Make sure to hold onto your card as it’s accepted on all 26 county transit agencies (and has a 10-year lifespan). You can also order or refill a card on the TAP website.

 

When you’re entering a train station or a bus, it’s as simple as holding your TAP card against the marked terminals. Some light rail stations don’t have turnstiles, but still make sure to tap—otherwise you could face up to a $250 fine. 

 

Most lines operate from before 5am to midnight or later on weekdays, with service until 2am on weekends. Trains run as often as every five minutes during peak times, though you could be stuck waiting for 20 minutes during late nights. Use Metro’s Nextrip service to take out some of the arrival time guesswork.




Heavy Rail (Subways)

There are only two subway lines in L.A., one of which shares most of its stops with the other. Underground heavy rail is admittedly not our strong point—blame it on fault lines and politics.

 

Though the original lines were named after colors (with the exception of the Expo Line), Metro has started to rename each line after letters instead.

 

B Line (Red)

Metro’s original subway line starts at Union Station, with additional stops near Downtown landmarks like Grand Park, the Music Center and Grand Central Market. It continues toward Hollywood, where it makes a stop by the Pantages Theater, the Walk of Fame and Hollywood & Highland (where you can catch a shuttle to the Hollywood Bowl), before stopping across the street from Universal Studios and in North Hollywood by the NoHo Arts District.

 

D Line (Purple)

This stub of a subway line shares the B Line track until Wilshire/Vermont, where it forks and ends with two stops in Koreatown. Within the next decade, service will expand west to reach LACMA (by 2023), Beverly Hills (2025) and UCLA (2026/2027).


Light Rail

These (mostly) above ground lines sometimes have dedicated rights-of-way or signal priority but often share the road with cars. They’re not as fast as underground subway lines, especially as they travel through residential neighborhoods. That said, they’re still an efficient, sometimes scenic car-free option.


A Line (Blue)

The first line built, this runs from Downtown through South L.A. (including a stop near Watts Towers) before looping around Long Beach. It has two other unfortunate distinctions: crime and car-on-train wrecks. A series of rolling station closures in 2019 worked to address these issues—fingers crossed it actually helps.


C Line (Green)

This line runs in the middle of the 105 freeway from Norwalk to the inland South Bay, including a stop that’s sort of close to LAX—you’ll have to transfer to a shuttle bus to get to the airport.


L Line (Gold)

This light rail line departs East Los Angeles for Union Station, with notable stops at Mariachi Plaza and adjacent to Little Tokyo and the Arts District, before continuing north through Chinatown, Highland Park, South Pasadena and Pasadena, where the line has six stations. From there, it ventures deeper into the San Gabriel Valley, with stops between Arcadia and Azusa. Grab a window seat for fantastic views of the San Gabriel Mountains.


E Line (Expo)

One of Metro’s newest light rail lines runs from Downtown L.A. to Santa Monica, with notable stops at the Staples Center (a stop it shares with the Blue Line), USC, Exposition Park, downtown Culver City and downtown Santa Monica, where it notably arrives only blocks from the beach. The mostly at-grade line is a little slow getting out of DTLA, as it rarely has signal priority, but it’s at least a headache-free alternative to driving.


Crenshaw Line (opening 2020)

This light rail link between the E Line’s Expo/Crenshaw stop and the C Line’s Aviation/LAX station will introduce service through Inglewood and Leimert Park. Most notably, the line will include a connection to the LAX Automated People Mover, which is slated to provide access to the airport by 2023.

Source


Metro Bus

There are two Metro Liner routes. These extra-long buses have dedicated lanes on the freeways and surface streets. Think of them like rail cars, just smaller and with less frequent service.


G Line (Orange)

This Valley-serving route runs from the North Hollywood B Line station to Chatsworth.


J Line (Silver)

You’ll find these buses sharing the toll lanes on the 10 freeway starting in El Monte, with stops at Union Station and Downtown L.A., before turning south along the 110 freeway, with stops at USC and South L.A. before ending in the industrial Harbor Gateway.


In addition, Metro has a far-reaching bus system that is broken up into two main types: Local and Rapid. The orange local buses cover much of Los Angeles and its satellite cities. The red Rapid lines have fewer stops and more frequent service.


METRO RAIL SYSTEM

Six fast, easy-to-use and environmentally friendly rail lines offer visitors a desirable and efficient way of getting from one destination to the next.  All rail stations are served by Metro bus lines.

  • The Metro Expo Line (light rail) provides service that connects the Westside to Downtown L.A., Hollywood, South Bay, and Long Beach. The Expo Line features 10 new stations including USC, Expo Park, and Culver City. Click Here to Download Metro Expo Line Map & Schedule


METRO BUS SYSTEM

Local, Rapid, Express and BRT (bus rapid transit) services are available throughout the Greater Los Angeles area. With nearly 200 different lines, buses travel all over the region to every major destination including state parks, area attractions and shopping districts. Many Metro Bus lines provide connections to Metro Rail stations.

  • Metro Local (painted orange) makes frequent stops along major streets throughout the city.

  • Metro Rapid (painted red) offers fewer stops and expedited travel times on the city’s major streets, with the use of special transponders that cause traffic signals to favor the bus.

  • Metro Express (painted blue) offers reduced stop service along the city’s freeway systems.

  • The Metro Silver Line (bus rapid transit) connects the South Bay and the San Gabriel Valley to Downtown L.A.

  • The Metro Orange Line (bus rapid transit) runs from North Hollywood to Warner Center in Woodland Hills.


DASH

The City of Los Angeles Transportation (LADOT) currently operates the second largest fleet in Los Angeles County. LADOT’s transit fleet serves approximately 30 million passenger boardings per year.


DASH Downtown

Six quick bus routes through Downtown depart every five to 15 minutes between 5:50 a.m. and 6 p.m. on weekdays, and every six to 20 minutes between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays.

  • Route A – Little Tokyo to City West

  • Route B – Chinatown to Financial District

  •     Route D – Union Station to South Park

  • Route E – City West to Fashion District

  • Route F – Financial District to Exposition Park/USC


DASH also Serves:

  • Beachwood Canyon

  • Boyle Heights/East LA

  • Chesterfield Square

  • Crenshaw

  • Downtown Los Angeles

  • El Sereno/City Terrace

  • Fairfax

  • Highland Park/Eagle Rock

  • Hollywood

  • Hollywood/West Hollywood

  • Hollywood/Wilshire

  • King-East

  • Leimert/Slauson

  • Lincoln Heights/Chinatown

  • Los Feliz

  • Midtown

  • Northridge

  • Panorama City/Van Nuys

  • Pico Union/Echo Park

  • San Pedro

  • Southeast Los Angeles

  • Van Nuys/Studio City

  • Vermont/Main

  •            Watts

  • Wilmington

  • Wilshire Center/Koreatown


Commuter Express

LADOT offers stress-free, reliable bus service to Downtown Los Angeles in the morning and back in the afternoon from communities reaching from the beach cities to the San Fernando Valley.


Municipal Buses

Santa Monica–based Big Blue Bus serves much of western LA, including Santa Monica, Venice, Westwood and LAX ($1.25). Its express bus 10 runs from Santa Monica to Downtown ($2.50, one hour).


The Culver City Bus runs services throughout Culver City and the Westside. This includes a service to Aviation/LAX station on the metro Green Line ($1), from where a free shuttle connects to LAX.


Other transit systems

Many other city-specific bus lines run in addition to Metro, among them Santa Monica’s Big Blue Bus, LADOT’s Dash network and the San Gabriel Valley’s Foothill Transit.  


For longer distances, there’s also the Metrolink commuter rail system. Most lines originate at Union Station and cover destinations as far out as San Bernardino, Lancaster, Orange County, East Ventura and Oceanside. Metrolink doesn’t accept TAP cards, but they do sell TAP-enabled and digital tickets for Metro transfers (in fact, you can transfer to the Metro for free with your activated Metrolink ticket). Metrolink service can be frighteningly infrequent, so if you don’t have time to reach a ticket machine before your train departs you can buy a digital ticket through Metrolink’s app.

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