PDP #188: Inside a Metro Liner

The bus rapid transit Metro Liner system is one of the newest public transit options in Los Angeles today. While I was there I had a chance to check out the Orange Line, which at the time was the only active Metro Liner service - the Silver Line started operations the day I left California, and I wasn't about to risk missing my flight so I could ride a bus around. The Orange Line exists mainly due to political wrangling, and I didn't cover it in my latest Tunnel Visions post because, really, these buses don't got rails. Since it was night when I rode it, I didn't see much.

The buses themselves aren't that bad, though. This same model, North American Bus Industries' 60-BRT, is also used on Metro's Local and Rapid bus services. What I found particularly interesting were the scrolling digital clocks mounted on the roof, and the televisions jutting from the walls, playing Metro-focused programming. A system like that might be something for the TTC to consider - TVs on the buses and streetcars would make it easier, at the least, to disseminate news of subway shutdowns _before_ people get to the platforms.

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