The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro, formerly branded as MTA or LACMTA) is the public transportation operating agency for the County of Los Angeles formed in 1993 out of a merger of the Southern California Rapid Transit District and the Los Angeles County Transportation Commission. It is chartered under state law as a regional transportation planning agency (RTPA).
Metro directly operates bus, light rail, heavy rail, and bus rapid transit services. It provides funding and directs planning for commuter rail and freeway/expressway projects within Los Angeles County.
The agency develops and oversees transportation plans, policies, funding programs, and both short-term and long-range solutions that address the county's increasing mobility, accessibility and environmental needs. The agency is also the primary transit provider for the City of Los Angeles providing the bulk of such services while the City of Los Angeles Department of Transportation (LADOT) operates a much smaller system of its own Commuter Express bus service to outlying suburbs in the city of Los Angeles and the popular DASH (Downtown Area Short Hop) mini-bus service in downtown and other neighborhoods in the city of Los Angeles.
The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority operates the third-largest public transportation system in the United States by ridership with a 1,433 mi² (3,711 km²) operating area, and 2,000 peak hour buses on the street any given business day. Metro also designed, built and now operates 87.8 miles (141.3 km) of urban rail service. The authority has 9,200 employees, making it one of the region's largest employers. (Wikipedia)
The authority also partially funds sixteen municipal bus operators and a wide array of transportation projects including bikeways and pedestrian facilities, local roads and highway
improvements, goods movement, Metrolink regional commuter rail, Freeway Service Patrol and freeway call boxes within the greater metropolitan Los Angeles region.
Security and law enforcement services on Metro property (including buses and trains) are currently provided by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department's Transit Services Bureau via contract, in conjunction with Metro's Transit Security department. Between 2003 and 2008 Part I crimes have decreased 29.4 percent on Metro rails and 10 percent on Metro buses.
Metro Rail is Los Angeles County's rail mass transit system with two subway and four light rail lines. The system runs a total of 87.8 miles (139.7 km), with 80 (thirteen under construction) stations, and includes the Blue Line, the Red Line, the Purple Line, the Green Line, the Gold Line and the Expo Line.
Metro Liner is an express bus system with characteristics of bus rapid transit meant to mimic the Metro Rail system, both in the vehicle's design and in the operation of the line, with two lines operating on dedicated or shared-use busways. The system runs a total of 40 miles, with 27 stations, and includes the Metro Orange Line, and the Metro Silver Line.
Metro Bus is the primary bus operator in the Los Angeles Basin, the San Fernando Valley, and the
Ceres: How long have you been a bus operator?
Nedrea: I’ve been a bus operator for MTA for three years. Prior to that I drove for other bus companies like Culver City, and Orange County Transit. I did Orange County Transit for three years until they laid us off. I did Culver City for two years until they did a massive shakeup, and we got laid off again.
Ceres: So, why did you choose MTA after that?
Nedrea: Well, I figured that it was a bit more stable. It’s larger, more bus routes, and more
people. Job security here is also better, a lot better.
Ceres: Why do you do this job?
Nedrea: I do this job because I love people. I love meeting people. I love getting out and moving around, making sure people get to their destinations on time. Also, helping out old people because they don’t have transportation. Sometimes they don’t have much money, either. They only pay pay thirty-five cents to go grocery shopping, run errands, go to the doctor, and all that kind of stuff. So, I think it’s better for me to try to see that the job is well-done, helping out everybody, at the end of the day.
Ceres: Is it difficult to be a bus driver here in LA?
Nedrea: Very. You have traffic, you have crazy people. You have the men that sometimes don’t want to respect you. They look at you like you’re crazy. Nine times out of ten, the male customers don’t respect women. You’ve got to let them know: “Look this is my coach, and I’m running it, so if you abide by the rules, you get to step in!”
Ceres: What is the most difficult thing to deal with as a female bus operator?
Nedrea: Some of the male passengers… that’s the most difficult because they feel as though they’re superior over women. Some of them really don’t want to respect you. They don’t want to pay. They don’t want to listen. Whatever you tell them to do, they do the opposite. So again, you have to let them know: “This is how it’s gonna be, this is what we’re gonna do.”
Ceres: Any safety concerns or issues?
Nedrea: My biggest safety concern is, as a
About METRO
Overview
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From top-left clockwise: light rail Gold Line, bus Metro Rapid, Silver Line, and subway Red Line. Sources: AEMoreira042281, Optigan13, Cian Ginty. Author: Jkfp2004
26 - Ceres Magazine - Winter 2016