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Metro Rider Updates: C/K Lines, Bus Lane Cameras, TAP-to-Exit, and Cell Service

Cameras on Metro buses are now enforcing bus lanes! Metro K Line Aviation/Century Station opens this Sunday, with changed C and K Line operations. TAP-to-exit and cell phone reception are expanding.

Aviation/Century Station opens this Sunday. Photos by Joe Linton/Streetsblog

For your Friday reading: a round-up of four changes happening on Metro transit basically right now.

Drivers parked in La Brea bus-only lanes are subject to camera enforcement
Bus Lane Camera Enforcement Has Started

Today Metro officially started using on-bus cameras to issue warnings to drivers parked in bus-only lanes or at bus stops. The initial phase includes lines 212 (on La Brea Avenue) and 720 (on Wilshire Boulevard, 5th Street, and 6th Street).

For the first 60 days - now through the end of 2024 - Metro, partnering with the L.A. City Transportation Department (LADOT), will be getting the word out about the program, while mailing warnings to drivers parked illegally. In early 2025, drivers violating bus lanes will receive $293 citations.

The program is expected to increase bus speeds and grow Metro ridership.

For more information, see earlier SBLA coverage and Metro program page.

The Metro K Line's Aviation/Century Station opens this Sunday

K Line Station Opening at LAX

This Sunday, Metro will open an additional light rail station at LAX. It's not the big LAX station (that one - the LAX Metro Transit Center - is still wrapping up construction); it's the Aviation/Century Station.

This weekend's opening will set the stage for new LAX service, which includes retooling how light rail lines work at LAX.

This Sunday, the west end of the C Line will become the south end of the K Line

The big change is that the four South Bay Stations at the west end of the C (former Green) Line will become the south end of the K Line. Though for a couple months, the upper K Line will connect to the lower K Line via a bus bridge between Westchester/Veterans and Aviation/Century stations.

As of Sunday, the C Line terminus will no longer be Redondo Beach. The western terminus of the C Line will be Aviation/Century, where riders can transfer to the K Line.

Metro K Line Century/Aviation Station

Read all about the C/K Line changes at The Source, or just follow the signage at stations.

Signage today at Westchester/Veterans K Line Station
LAX/Metro Transit Center construction is nearly complete

And look forward to the big LAX station opening in the next month or two or three. As of July, the expected opening was this month. Now it's looking like maybe January?

Starting next week, Metro riders will have to TAP to exit at APU and DTLB stations - image via Metro CEO presentation
TAP-to-Exit at A Line Terminus Stations

Starting Monday, riders will be required to TAP to exit at the two end-of-line Metro A Line stations: Downtown Long Beach and APU/Citrus College in Azusa.

While Metro bus and rail are overall very safe, Metro is under pressure to "do something" to respond to a few tragic high profile crimes. End-of-line stations have seen some issues with unhoused riders disembarking. Metro has responded by requiring TAP-to-exit at some stations - to date, just North Hollywood and Downtown Santa Monica.

Metro claims that this practice reduces reported incidents (fights, drug usage, etc.) on transit; it also creates a bottleneck for riders exiting, especially during busier times.

The Long Beach and Azusa A Line end-of-line stations do not have actual turnstiles, so Metro will post Transit Security Officers (TSOs) there. The TSOs will use mobile TAP readers will scan disembarking riders' TAP cards.

Cellphone Service Coming to Recent Stations

At a late October committee meeting (minute 1:03:00), a Metro staffer announced that underground K Line cellphone service would be available that month - for Verizon. All remaining carriers (AT&T, T-Mobile) would have K Line cell service available in November - this month.

This Streetsblog editor hasn't been able to get cell reception there yet. Anyone able to get a signal? Can you hear me now?

The same staff reported that Downtown L.A. Regional Connector stations (Little Tokyo, Historic Broadway, and Grand Avenue) would have cell reception available in three months, so around late January.

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