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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 the famous trip local officials took to Curitiba that brought fresh appreciation of the value of enhancing bus service efficiency to improve urban mobility for minimal cost and in a timely manner. As a result of a recent federal court Consent Decree ruling, almost all rapid routes will operate starting in June 2006 from 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. METRO RAPID The Metro Rapid Program was implemented in June of 2000 with the goal of improving bus speeds across the Southland . The Metropolitan Tranportation Authority claims travel times have been reduced by as much as 29%. When completed in 2008, the Metro Rapid Program will operate 26 routes across a network of 450 miles (720 km) of service. Simple routes are designed to interface with the regions urban rail Network . Metro Rapid buses are distinguished by their Red and Silver livery. Older Rapid buses have a Red and white livery. Some rapid stops are equipped with next bus technology which indicates the wait time before the next bus arrives. The Rapid Fleet consists exclusively of Low Floor buses manufactured by both North American Bus Industries , and New Flyer , The fare is the same as other Metro Bus And Rail Service . LINE NUMBERS Metro Rapid lines are numbered in the 700 range, in this format: 7xx. CRITICISM Critics see the Rapid system as not sufficiant to meet Los Angeles's growing transit needs. Limited funds, they say, would be better spent on growing the regions rail network. Rapid buses do not have the capacity or efficiancy 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 like Rapids in the middle of their routes (serving only transfer points and major stops) but made local stops at each end. 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 MTA staff have never considered Metro Rapid a substitute for rail service but instead a pragmatic interim measure given current budgetary constaints. ROUTES 702-Sunset Boulevard Provides service on Sunset Boulevard between Downtown Los Angeles, and Pacific Palisades, replacing the Limited-Stop Metro Local route 302. Service is scheduled to begin in December 2006 . 704-Santa Monica Boulevard Provides service on Santa Monica Boulevard between Downtown Los Angeles, and Santa Monica, replacing the Limited-Stop Metro Local route 304. Service is scheduled to begin in June 2006 . 705-La Cienega Boulevard-Vernon Avenue Route 705 provides service between West Hollywood and Vernon . Buses operate along La Cienega Boulevard and Vernon Avenue through the neighborhoods of Beverly Hills , Culver City , the Kenneth Hahn State Recreation Area , Crenshaw , Leimert Park , and Vernon . The northern terminal is at the West Hollywood Public Library, and the South terminal is on Vernon Avenue at Santa Fe Avenue. Service operates weekdays only between 05:30 am and 07:40 pm. 710-Crenshaw Boulevard Line 710 provides service on Vine St. and Crenshaw Blvd. between the Hollywood/Vine Red Line Station and the South Bay Galleria, running through Hollywood, Hancock Park, Mid-City, Inglewood, Hawthorne, and Torrance. This service replaced Line 310, only that Line 710 does not serve the Wilshire/Western Red Line Station. Service operates weekdays and Saturdays from 5:30am to 8:30pm. 711-Florence Avenue Line 711 provides service on Florence Av. from the Inglewood Transit Center to Garfield Av. in Bell Gardens. Line 711 replaced Line 311. A proposed service change would extend Line 711 westward to the LAX City Bus Center. Service operated 7 days a week, from about 5am to 9pm on weekdays and Saturdays, and from 5:15am to 8pm on Sundays. 714-Beverly Boulevard Line 714 provides rush-hour service along Beverly Blvd. from Beverly Hills to Grand Blue Line Station in Downtown L.A. Services operates weekdays only, bi-directionally during rush hours, from around 6am to 9:40am and from around 3pm to 7pm. 717-Fairfax Avenue Provides service on , West Hollywood , Mid City , and West Los Angeles . 720-Wilshire Boulevard/Whittier Boulevard Provides complementary service on Metro Local routes 18 and 20. Route 720 is meant to mimic both the proposed and established route of Metro's Red Line Subway . Line 720 replaced Line 318, 320, 322. Buses operate along both Wilshire Boulevard , and Whittier Boulevard , and along 5th and 6th Streets through Downtown Los Angeles. Some trips operate between the Federal Building , or the University Of California, Los Angeles in Westwood and Commerce , while others operate between Santa Monica and Downtown Los Angeles . During the early morning, and late evening hours, and all day Sunday, buses run the full route. The line utilizes NABI 45-foot composite buses ("compobuses"); on occasions NABI 60-foot articulated Metro Liners are also used. 734 Sepulveda Boulevard Line 734 provides service between the San Fernando Metrolink station and Ventura Boulevard in the San Fernando Valley . Service will begin June 2006. 740-Hawthorne Boulevard-Crenshaw Boulevard-Martin Luther King Boulevard Line 740 provides service along Broadway, Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd, and Hawthorne Blvd. from the South Bay Galleria to Union Station/Patsaouras Transit Plaza in Downtown L.A. Line 740 replaced Line 340. Serviced operates from Monday to Saturday, from 5am to 9:15pm. 745-South Broadway Route 745 operates along South Broadway between Union Station and the Harbor Freeway/I-105 Green line station. Line 745 replaced Line 345. Buses run daily between 4:00 am and 08:00 pm. 750-Ventura Boulevard Line 750 is one of the pilot Metro Rapid routes (along with Line 720). Service runs along Ventura Blvd. between the North Hollywood Red Line Station and the Warner Center Transit Hub. Line 750 and the Red Line replaced Line 424, 425, 427. Service operates daily from around 5am until 10:30pm. Within six months of starting operation it had syphoned so much ridership from the Ventura local lines (Lines 150 and 240) that they were running half empty and service was reduced to reflect the shift in use to the Rapid from the local. 751-Soto Street Line 751 provides service mainly along Soto St. from Cypress Park to the Long Beach Bl. Green Line station on weekdays, and to Huntington Park on Saturdays, running through Lincoln Heights, the LAC/USC Medical Center, Boyle Heights, and Vernon. Line 751 replaced line 350. Services operates Monday-Saturday from 4:30am to 8:20pm weekdays, and from 6:40am to 7:15pm on Saturdays. 754-Vermont Avenue Line 754 operates along Vermont Ave. from the Vermont/Sunset Red Line station to the Vermont Green Line station. Line 754 replaced line 354. Starting in December 2005, Line 754 will be using 60-foot Metro Liner buses instead of the normal 40-foot Metro Rapid buses. Service operates daily from 5am to 9:10pm weekdays, 6am to 9pm Saturdays, and 6:10am to 8:05pm Sundays. 757-Western Avenue Line 757 operates along Western Ave. from the Hollywood/Western Red Line station to the Crenshaw Green Line station. Line 757 uses 60-foot Metro Liner buses. Service began in December 2005. Line 757 replaced line 357. Service operates daily. 760-Long Beach Boulevard - Santa Fe Avenue Line 760 replaced Line 360. 761-Van Nuys Boulevard Line 761 replaced Line 561. The line runs from Lake View Terrace to Westwood. Currently, NABI 40-foot low floor buses are being utilized. NABI 45-foot composite buses ("compobuses"), the same ones used on Line 720, are being added temporarily until 60-foot Metro Liner buses go into service sometime in the summer of 2006. The line is shown on the timetable map going on Interstate 405 from Sepulveda Boulevard north of Getty Center to Ventura Boulevard; instead it would go on Sepulveda Boulevard from Sunset Boulevard (Church Lane) to Ventura Boulevard, going through a tunnel under Mulholland Drive and negotiating tight curves as it descends into the San Fernando Valley. 780-Hollywood Boulevard-Los Feliz Boulevard-Colorado Boulevard Line 780 replaced Line 380. 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. Eventually Torrance Transit and Culver CityBus are also slated to each operate a Rapid line. EXTERNAL LINKS |