Los Angeles: Public transportation
Hampered by construction scandals and budget cuts, LA's long-anticipated Metrorail train system was envisioned to cover the whole of Los Angeles County, but is currently made up of only three lines, each distinguished by color. Centering on the Seventh Street Metro Center Station, the Red Line stretches from Union Station through Hollywood to North Hollywood in the San Fernando Valley. The Green Line goes from Hawthorne to Norwalk along the Century Freeway, and the most complete route, the Blue Line , connects downtown through Watts to the Pacific Transit Mall in Long Beach. Tickets cost $1.35, or 75¢ at night from 9pm-5am, and trains run every five to fifteen minutes (and more infrequently at night).Car-less Angelenos are still most well served, however, with buses , most of which are run by the LA County Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA or "Metro"; ), still sometimes abbreviated to its old name, the RTD. For information, phone 213/626-4455 or 1-800/COMMUTE, or show up in person at 515 S Flower St, downtown (level C of Arco Plaza; Mon-Fri 7.30am-3.30pm), 5301 Wilshire Blvd (Mon-Fri 9am-5pm), or 6249 Hollywood Blvd (Mon-Fri 10am-6pm). Buses on the major arteries between downtown and the coast run roughly every fifteen minutes between 5am and 2am; other routes, and the all-night services along the major thoroughfares, are less frequent. At night, be careful not to get stranded alone downtown waiting for a connection.
The standard single fare is $1.35; transfers cost 25¢ more, but must be made within an hour; express buses , and any others using the freeway, are $1.85 up to $3.85. A monthly pass costs $42, slightly more to include express buses, with weekly passes for $11 and a student pass for $30. Smaller DASH buses run five routes around downtown, and a Hollywood service weekdays and Saturdays (25¢ flat fare).
You'll be hard pressed to find an available taxi cruising the streets, so call ahead; among the more reliable companies are the Independent Cab Co. (tel 1-800/521-8294), LA Taxi (tel 1-800/200-1085) and United Independent Taxi (tel 1-800/411-0303). Fares include a base charge of around $2; add $1.60 per mile and tack on another $2.50 if you're getting picked up from LAX.
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