Los Angeles Metro Busway

Metro Busway

Company type	Public transit
Industry	Public transportation
Founded	October 29, 2005 (2005-10-29)
Headquarters	Los Angeles , United States
Area served	Los Angeles County, California
Products	Bus rapid transit service
Parent	Los Angeles Metro

Metro Busway—previously known as Metro Liner and Metro Transitway—is a bus rapid transit (BRT) network managed by Los Angeles Metro. It operates on dedicated or partially dedicated routes, locally referred to as busways or transitways. The system consists of two lines that serve 29 stations (not including surface stops): the G Line located in the San Fernando Valley, and the J Line, which links El Monte, Downtown Los Angeles, Gardena, and San Pedro.

The G Line began service on October 29, 2005, operating along a fully exclusive busway. The J Line started on December 13, 2009, utilizing the existing Harbor Transitway and El Monte Busway corridors—these are semi-exclusive lanes shared with buses and high-occupancy toll lanes under the Metro ExpressLanes initiative.

Metro Busway vehicles and operations mirror those of the Metro Rail. The buses are painted in a silver color scheme similar to rail cars, support boarding through all doors, and benefit from signal priority at intersections. Both lines implement a proof-of-payment approach; passengers with a valid fare loaded on a TAP card may board via any door. TAP cards can be purchased and reloaded at station vending machines.

Lines

The Metro Busway lines follow the naming convention of Metro Rail but are identified by square colored icons instead of circular ones.

Within Los Angeles County, two Metro Busway lines are currently operational:

Line name	Opening	Length	Stations	Termini
Template:LACMTA icon	2005	17.7 mi (28.5 km)	17	(west) (east)
Template:LACMTA icon	2009	38 mi (61 km)	12	(north) (south) (south)

Corridors

These services operate primarily along three main corridors (with additional use of city streets when necessary):

• G Line Busway
• El Monte Busway
• Harbor Transitway/Harbor Freeway

History

The earliest busway in Los Angeles was the El Monte Busway, inaugurated in January 1973. Running alongside the San Bernardino Freeway, it cut travel times between Downtown Los Angeles and El Monte from 35–45 minutes down to approximately 18 minutes. By November 2000, daily ridership reached around 32,000 boardings.

The second corridor, the Harbor Transitway, opened in 1996 connecting Downtown Los Angeles with Gardena. Despite initial projections estimating daily ridership at 65,200, actual usage after ten years was only about 3,000 passengers per day.

A third corridor arose following community resistance to a proposed light rail project in the San Fernando Valley. In 1991, Los Angeles Metro acquired the Southern Pacific Burbank Branch right-of-way with plans for light rail development. However, legal constraints and funding restrictions imposed by Proposition A (1998) prohibited subway and light rail construction. As a result, a dedicated busway was developed as the only feasible alternative despite opposition from local residents. The Orange Line (now G Line) commenced operations on October 29, 2005, quickly attracting nearly 23,000 daily riders within its first year and reaching close to 30,000 by 2013. Its popularity sparked initiatives to lift the light rail ban, with long-term plans envisioning conversion to light rail by 2050.

Following this success, in 2006 Metro rebranded other busways: designating Harbor Transitway as bronze and El Monte Busway as silver on system maps and marketing them collectively as "Combined Transitway Service." These branding changes did not impact service operations and were criticized for causing rider confusion.

In December 2009, Metro introduced the Silver Line (now J Line), a BRT route that operates along both Harbor Transitway and El Monte Busway corridors. This enhanced service was funded by transforming lanes into high occupancy toll (HOT) lanes under the brand name Metro ExpressLanes. The higher-frequency Silver Line began service on December 13, 2009. Stations along both corridors were upgraded to align with G Line standards, which contributed to increased ridership levels especially on the Harbor Transitway.

On June 30, 2012, the G Line was extended northward to reach the Chatsworth Metrolink station, following the former Southern Pacific Burbank Branch right-of-way now owned by Metro.

As part of a comprehensive system rebranding in 2020, the Orange Line was renamed as the G Line while the Silver Line became known as the J Line.

The following table summarizes key milestones in BRT expansion:

Segment description	Date opened	Line(s)	Endpoints	# of new stations	Busway length (miles)
Initial segment of Metro Orange Line	October 29, 2005	Template:LACMTA icon	–	13	14
Addition of Canoga station (infill)	December 27, 2006	Template:LACMTA icon		1	−
Initial segment of Metro Silver Line	December 13, 2009	Template:LACMTA icon	–	9	26
Addition of station	December 12, 2010	Template:LACMTA icon		1	−
Extension of Orange Line to Chatsworth	June 30, 2012	Template:LACMTA icon	Canoga –	4	4
San Pedro extension of Silver Line	December 13, 2015	Template:LACMTA icon	Harbor Gateway Transit Center – (Pacific/21st Street)	2	8

|- Warner Center Shuttle replaced segment |- June 24, 2018 |- Template:LACMTA icon |- Warner Center station removed |- style="text-align:right;" |-1 |- style="text-align:right;" |- |}

Future

Metro intends to broaden its Metro Busway network, with some initiatives potentially expedited under the Twenty-eight by '28 program.

On March 17, 2021, Metro staff pinpointed five corridors as candidates for bus rapid transit (BRT) development.

Concept	Description	Construction	Operational	Status	Ref.
North San Fernando Valley Transit Corridor	Initially envisioned as an east-west BRT route connecting Chatsworth Metrolink Station with North Hollywood station. By May 2022, Metro shifted its approach from a singular BRT line to improving local bus service, including peak-hour dedicated bus lanes along Roscoe Boulevard and signal priority on seven routes. The plan encompasses approximately 400 new bus shelters, 80 bus bulbs, and significant enhancements at five stops (two located at CSUN). Construction is planned to begin in fall 2023 with completion anticipated by winter 2025.	2023	2025	Under Construction
North Hollywood to Pasadena Transit Corridor	A new east–west BRT line is in development to connect Memorial Park station in Pasadena with North Hollywood station, serving communities such as Eagle Rock, Glendale, and Burbank. Funded through Measure M and SB-1, this $267 million project will include around 22 stations. Construction is slated to commence in 2024 with service starting in 2027 as part of the Twenty-eight by '28 initiative.	2024	2027	Pre Construction
Vermont Transit Corridor	Plans propose a new north–south subway extension of the B Line running south from Wilshire/Vermont Station to link with the E and C Lines. Although a near-term BRT line is funded through Measure M, ongoing studies are evaluating the feasibility of heavy rail transit along this heavily trafficked corridor. The target operational year is 2028.	2020	2028	LPA analysis funded / Pending Draft EIR for BRT
Template:LACMTA icon G Line LRT conversion	Plans call for converting the G Line BRT into a light rail transit (LRT) system following the repeal of state-imposed restrictions. While the current infrastructure meets LRT specifications, the transition will cause substantial service interruptions and will be implemented in phases extending through 2057. Since upgrades began in 2018, travel times have improved by 20%. Funding is not expected until after 2051.	2051	2057	No funds secured before 2051
Template:LACMTA icon Lincoln Boulevard Transit Corridor	This project involves extending the C Line LRT northwest from LAX toward Venice and Santa Monica Beach, potentially linking with the E Line terminus. It appears in the City of Los Angeles Westside Mobility Plan and is classified as a Tier 2 unfunded project within the 2009 Long Range Transportation Plan. To date, there has been no Locally Preferred Alternative (LPA) or Environmental Impact Report (EIR) conducted.	2043	2047	No LPA or EIR completed

See also

• List of Los Angeles Metro Busway stations