El Monte Busway

The El Monte Busway, is a high occupancy vehicle lane running from Los Angeles (Los Angeles Union Station) to El Monte, California.

The busway opened in 1974 to buses only, and in 1976 opened to carpools as well. The eastern terminus of the carpool lanes was near the El Monte bus depot in El Monte at the intersection with Baldwin Avenue, until it was extended 2 miles in 2005 to the San Gabriel River Freeway. The western terminus of the carpool lanes is at the East Los Angeles Interchange complex, although the busway itself continues to the Patsaouras Transit Plaza at Union Station. The resulting carpool roadway is one of the few indisputably successful mass transit projects undertaken in Southern California. Bus ridership is approximately 18,000, and in addition to the 120 buses an hour along the busway during peak periods, the roadway carries 1,600 carpools and vanpools during peak hour. [1]

Uniquely, the carpool lanes of the El Monte Busway can only be entered and exited at a few points as the entire length is demarcated with two 'double-yellow' lines (which are technically illegal to cross) and an approximately 12' (3.7m) wide asphalt median; carpool lanes in other California freeways (including other segments of the San Bernardino Freeway) generally allow entry and exit at multiple points which generally coincide with a nearby street or freeway interchange. The entrances and exits are at the San Gabriel River Freeway, Baldwin Avenue in El Monte, Eastern Avenue in East Los Angeles, and at Union Station. Additionally, westbound there are exits at the Long Beach Freeway and at the Hollywood Freeway.

Bus service is provided with a mix of Foothill Transit and Metro Express buses. There are two classes of bus service on the busway. Local Plus service, or Metro Express service, makes all busway stops and allows boardings and alighting at all stops along the route. Commuter Express service, operated by Foothill Transit, only drops off passengers heading westbound and only boards passengers headed eastbound. Bus service operates from various points in the San Gabriel Valley and Pomona Valley, with service to the San Bernardino County cities of Chino and Montclair, destined to Downtown Los Angeles with some buses on Foothill Transit Line 481 continuing to Koreatown. The El Monte Bus Station at the end of the Busway is believed to be the busiest bus terminal west of the Mississippi River, although the San Francisco Transbay Terminal may be busier. [2]

In addition, the fare structure differs between Metro Express, Foothill Transit Local Plus, and Foothill Transit Commuter Express, causing some confusion. Fares vary based on the destination. In particular, Metro Express service is always significantly cheaper than Foothill Transit service, because of the maximum two zones permitted under the Metro fare structure ($2.25 on Metro for the trip between El Monte and Downtown Los Angeles compared to $3 under Foothill).

==List of stations, from West to East=={| class="wikitable" |- !Station !El Monte Busway Services !Other Connections ! |- |Union Station |Foothill Transit Local Plus: 480, 481, 482, 486, 488, 492, 494
Foothill Transit Commuter Express: 493, 495, 497, 498, 499, 699
Metro Express: 485, 487, 489, 490 |Amtrak, Metrolink
Metro Rail: Gold, Red
Metro Bus: 33, 38, 40, 42, 68, 70, 71, 78, 79, 304, 368, 370, 378, 439, 442, 444, 445, 446, 447, 484, 485, 487, 489, 490
Metro Rapid: 740, 745
LADOT DASH: B, DD (Weekends Only), Lincoln Heights/Chinatown
LADOT Commuter Express: 430, 534
Santa Monica Big Blue Bus: 10
Torrance Transit: 1, 2
Orange County Transportation Authority: 701
Santa Clarita Transit: 794, 799
Antelope Valley Transit Authority: 785
|- |Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center |Foothill Transit Local Plus: 480, 481, 482, 486, 488, 492, 494
Foothill Transit Commuter Express: 493, 495, 497, 498, 499, 699
Metro Express: 485, 487, 489, 490 |Metro Bus: 71, 250, 253, 254
LADOT DASH Boyle Heights |- |California State University, Los Angeles |Foothill Transit Local Plus: 480, 481, 482, 486, 488, 492, 494
Foothill Transit Commuter Express: 493, 495, 497, 498, 499, 699
Metro Express: 485, 487, 489, 490 |Metrolink: San Bernardino Line
Metro Bus: 65, 71, 256
[[El Sol (bus line)|El Sol: Orange
Children's Court Shuttle
ACT: Blue
Monterey Park: 5 |- |El Monte Bus Station |Local Plus: 480, 481, 482, 486, 488, 492, 494
Metro Express 484, 490 |Metro Local: 70, 76, 170, 176, 267, 268, 270, 370, 376, 487
El Monte Trolley: Flair, Civic Center |}

External links

Foothill Transit Metro