Metro announced Friday it will expand all-door boarding to the Vermont Avenue Rapid Bus Line 754 in a bid to speed up transit trips and reduce the time buses idle at stops.
The expansion comes after an all-door program launched last year on the Silver Line, where the county transit agency said all-door boarding has helped increase on-time performance by 10 percent.
"We're going to keep improving bus service to make the journey faster, easier and greener," Los Angeles Mayor and Metro Board Chair Eric Garcetti said. "Allowing riders to enter the bus from all doors will give people a quicker and more convenient way to travel through our busiest corridors."
Riders will be able to board the line at any door of the bus in the front, middle or rear, and pay their fare by tapping their TAP card on the fare validator installed next to each door rather than lining up and waiting to board at only the front door.
"Faster boarding means faster buses and a better, more convenient ride for everyone who relies on our transit system," said Mike Bonin, a Metro board member and chair of the City Council's Transportation Committee. "The immediate improvement riders will see from all door boarding is a preview of what's possible through NextGen's comprehensive investment in better bus service, and I am excited to continue working to improve the customer experience."
The new service is set to begin Sunday.
Metro also said all-door boarding will begin in October for the Rapid Line 720 along Wilshire Boulevard, the busiest in the system with close to 30,000 boardings on an average weekday.
