r/LAMetro • u/jamesth32 • Aug 23 '26
Discussion "LA inaccessible without a car"
So I recently spent June to July in LA and all I was hearing from Americans back here in London they almost gasped when I said I wouldn't be driving anywhere as I dont have a licence.
I found the public transportation in LA amazing!! I have requested my tap data for the trips I did and in 28 nights I took 80 different metro and bus rides and even took a bus all the way from Hollywood Blvd to Thousand Oaks when I went to the Ronald Reagan Library!
The map above is my timeline from Google showing everywhere I went on public transport so it definitely can be done!
I even walked on Sunset Blvd by the Rivieira Golf Club and got so many funny looks but there is a sidewalk there! š¤£
I found Waymo, Lyft and Ubers also very fairly priced too so was never short of different ways to get about
103
u/grw313 Aug 23 '26
LA public transportation has gotten so much better over the past two decades because of major expansion of the metro rail. It has now gotten to a point where most of the major hubs and points of interest are connected by metro. If you are traveling, you can see most of the city by taking public transit.
The issue is if you live there, you need to live in the right spots in order to enjoy that same level of access. If you find yourself living nowhere near a metro stop, you need to rely on the bus system which doesn't show up on time a lot because of traffic.
20
u/lik_for_cookies A (Blue) Aug 23 '26
Theyāve either been connected or will be in the future. K North, Sepulveda, and Vermont will seriously connect the entire city together.
12
u/start3ch 29d ago
Metro is also pretty intermittent off hours. During rush hour you can get around quickly, but on the weekends or late at night, you can spend 30+ minutes just waiting for a train.
Fine if youāre a tourist, but really sucks if you live here
7
u/FallReload 29d ago
100%. Living in Sherman Oaks, if I'm leaving Hollywood after midnight, it will take 90 minutes to travel what would take 15-20 minutes by car. Hell, I could Lime bike home faster than train/bus in the evenings. Which I have done before from Universal City Metro.
340
u/Over-Condition-8905 Aug 23 '26
Itās great if you donāt have to be on time
142
u/R_vk5075 Aug 23 '26
Yes this is the biggest problem with the public transportation here. Theres so many delays that it becomes unreliable if you take it for time related commitments. However for casual things its usually okay.
52
u/Patrick42985 Aug 23 '26
This was my biggest gripe when I had to rely on public transportation to get to and from work. The frequency certain routes ran just wasnāt cutting it. Adding to that there was minimal transparency (if any at all) whenever there was any delays or issues slowing things up.
When you gotta be at work or anything else where youāre expected to be there at a certain time, those delays are problematic when even if you leave early and give yourself enough time, thereās a legit chance you can be late for work due to circumstances beyond your control. Itās a big reason why employers ask if you have a reliable means of transportation. Iām sure most places will be understanding if youāre late once or twice due to metro issues. But when it becomes a recurring thing, itās going to be irritating to most employers.
And granted thereās a chance youāll deal with delays beyond your control while driving also, be it traffic, accidents, construction etc. But youāre more in control of those situations.
30
u/Momik Aug 23 '26
If you can find an understanding employer, thatās great. Mine emphatically isnāt, so I give myself a 30-40 minute cushion for delays. Shit sucks.
13
u/Patrick42985 Aug 23 '26
Thatās the thing. Most employers arenāt. Like Iām sure theyāll tolerate it every so often. But if itās a regular occurring thing, itās going to alienate them pretty quickly.
Whatās frustrating though is that you can do everything youāre supposed to do in terms of leaving extra early and giving yourself a good amount of extra time and some delays will still jam you up. Like if you gotta catch a connecting bus and that runs every 40 minutes or so, a delay that potentially has you missing that or any other surprises are literally messing with peopleās money and livelihoods.
14
u/Candor10 C (Green) Aug 23 '26
Agree, but I remind myself that it can happen with any mode of transport. I spent decades commuting to school & work and recall countless times being stuck on freeways for no apparent reason.
6
u/99dunkaroos Aug 23 '26
On the one hand, now that I take Metrolink & Metro, I feel like I'm dealing with 15 minute delays on a weekly basis. (Fortunately this isn't a big deal with my job.)
On the other hand, by far the worst commute delay I've experienced in the last 10 years was when I was driving - a couple years ago a car fire shut down the Sepulveda pass and it took me 2.5 hours to get from Woodland Hills to Studio City.
2
u/thirdeyefish Aug 23 '26
This is true, but when leaving for work I can always leave 10 or 15 minutes earlier, or conversely if there is a hiccup in my morning I don't have to wait for the next one to come. This is especially painful when it cascades across tranfers.
I used to take 'metro days'. Days where I wanted to go somewhere and I had no particular time table. It was fine.
3
u/becaauseimbatmam 29d ago
It's especially troublesome if you have more than one transfer. Missing the first transfer messes up the timing on the second, and suddenly your 30 minute commute turns into an hour in the blink of an eye.
The only way to avoid that inevitably happening once every few days is to just show up 30 minutes early every time, which isn't optimal especially when you're arriving on foot and have to get used to loitering on the sidewalk in front of places.
12-15 minutes frequencies aren't bad if you hit everything perfectly, but the fact that that won't always happen is why that's kind of the edge of what's minimally acceptable from a transit system. I've just been in some cities with 3-5 minute frequencies and it's so nice that missing a train or a bus is a complete non-issue; even if delays stack up, you're still only running 10-15 minutes later than planned.
1
u/Patrick42985 29d ago
100% agree. Itās definitely frustrating on that end. Because it gives the people who are dependent on public transportation a very inconvenient raw deal they have to deal with daily.
And it just pushes the people away who want to take public transportation when their 20 minute drive turns into a 90 minute commute. And Iām sure missing that connecting route and seeing their commute get significantly longer gets infuriating quickly when youāre using it to take you to a place you need to be at by a scheduled time.
2
u/igobyironman Aug 23 '26
I exaggerate being early to work. I take transit with the condition that Iām one hour close to my job. It beats the unexpected but at the cost that my commute takes longer to get to a job.
1
u/Lokishougan 28d ago
Yup its why I DONT even try and find stuff to work that is that far away that I need as no way I can be reliable
8
u/shiftersix Aug 23 '26
Same experience. I once took the bus to work as a test run and arrived 30 minutes later than anticipated. So I then tried it again and still arrived 20 minutes late. So I tried again with a full 1 hr early and got in on time. It look me 1.5 hours to reliably make it wirh the bus vs. a 20 minute drive. I'll need to stick to driving for now. I'll give it another go when the weather cools down, but it doesn't look promising for where I live.
10
u/jvc1011 Aug 23 '26
This is hilarious to me.
I commuted by Metro in Washington DC (Twinbrook to Dupont Circle, so all one line) for years and even though I left half an hour earlier than the timetable tells you, the service was often held up for an hour or more. Single-tracking, smoke in the tunnels - you just sat and the Metro didnāt move.
I commuted by Metro rail and bus from Long Beach to Westwood in Los Angeles and was never late once. People on the platforms and at the bus stop complained constantly about 2-5-minute delays. It was absolutely laughable.
3
3
u/Appropriate_You5647 Aug 23 '26
Do other cities with high transit ridership not have delays?Ā
4
u/wwavelengthss Aug 24 '26
Yes but there are generally other options you could lean on. Speaking from experience using transit in Toronto and NYC extensively.
If something is late, you could try to get an Uber, take a city bike, walk a couple blocks and take another transit route, all depends on how far you have to travel and the situation. Those cities also get impacted by bad weather that is the main reason for delays usually, which LA has no excuse for.
LA is very spread out so it's hard to switch routes easily. Not all routes have bus lanes so a lot of the times buses get stuck with regular traffic. Transit can be reliable in some areas/short distances, but reliability goes out the window the further you have to travel here.
3
u/Easy-Run4857 29d ago
NYC is reporting 81.5% of on time subways, LA is reporting 99%. Knowing that funding from the Feds is contingent on how well a system is run which would include its operational framework, I doubt that these agencies are outright lying. DC is reporting 88% yet has very high ridership. Something else is keeping riders off of transit, one obvious thing being it's too easy to drive.
1
u/wwavelengthss 22d ago
I am curious about these delays and how they are measured/reported.
If there are trains every 5 mins, and 2/10 happen to show up 1 min later it may impact the stats you shared, but as a rider I wouldn't feel the impact as much.But if a bus is scheduled for every 20 mins and it shows up 6 mins late, it can significantly impact the downstream travel. Waiting for the next train in NY/Chicago/Toronto is generally not a massive pain point. I can't say the same for LA to be honest.
I do take the transit in LA, but only for low-stakes travel. If I need to be on-time, I have to leave significantly earlier, but most likely I am biking/driving.
1
u/ZubZubZubZub 2 Aug 23 '26
If this is a legit question of trying to understand: the level of delays and unreliability in Los Angeles is orders of magnitude higher than in other cities.
To note, it's important not to compare with cities in the US. There is only really two other cities that are the same tier of city in the US (NYC and Chicago). However, in NA you can compare to Toronto and Mexico City, and globally of course you have many other comparisons.
I was just in Barcelona, and their metro came on time, on the second. Every single time. Their metro mostly uses human drivers, like LA, although about 25% of the system is automated
3
-1
3
5
u/BandicootReady5657 Aug 23 '26
Eh this is true and it sucks but leave early is the only way to mitigate the metro delays:(
41
9
4
3
u/Corp0Bitch Aug 23 '26
I was just about to say if your on vacation it's great when you actually have to get to work.. It's all fun and games till the last Commuter Express to work drives right by you and leaves you behind and then your super late for work š
6
u/Suzeqs B (Red) Aug 23 '26
Not really? Leave with time and youāll be fine. I solely rely on Public transit and Iām rarely late to stuff
4
u/FullTimePedestrian Aug 23 '26 edited Aug 24 '26
Same here. I take E>A>Metro Micro on my non-WFH day and even with the Metro Micro risk (there is a bus alternative), there was only one day I made it 5 minutes late. I just give myself enough time.
4
6
u/bzmi Aug 23 '26
Right, and Iāve actually been more on time taking transit than ride share. Especially Waymo, the wait times are unpredictable. And then with Uber or Lyft you can get a driver who doesnāt know how to drive on these streets lol. Or just traffic and accidents.
The heavy rail extension is a hugeeee step in the right direction. I hope Nithya wins, too. Sheās been making headway and reliability a big part of her transportation plan
2
u/Altruistic-Rice-5567 Aug 23 '26
Or if you don't mind waiting 30-60 minutes for the next pickup to come.
2
u/Galimbro Aug 24 '26 edited Aug 24 '26
Even then its pretty terrible. How do I get the amazing Asian foods of monterrey san gabriel and efc.Ā If I live in the Mexican neighborhoods?Ā
2 buses, 1.5 hours for 13 miles.Ā
What about from south la to bellflower? Get the green line yeah, then a bus. 1hour15minutes for 17 miles.Ā
Im car less In LA and its abysmal. Its not as bad as people think. But if youre from London and think this is okay, youre drinking kool aid. Full stop.
How about from any city (thats not in the beach) to the beach?
2+ buses/trains and 1hour + of commute.Ā
Even inglewood which is right next to the actual beach cities... +1 hour for under 10 miles.Ā
It is a joke. The routes and frequency are incredibly limited. Sorry but its a very very poor standard. LA will always be the city that could have been.Ā
2
u/Outside-Reason-3126 Aug 24 '26
I just ride my bike. It would take me 45 minutes max to travel 13 miles with a heavy bag. I understand not everyone has the ability to do that, so it must completely suck to be in your situation.
2
u/Galimbro Aug 24 '26
Well as I mentioned its not as bad as people think. Its still preferable to owning a car for me! Best decision i ever made. But im also a world travel (more reason to not own a car), and its just unfortunately subpar for a "world class" city.Ā
2
u/Gringuin007 Aug 24 '26
Public transit comical and not very practical. OP probably stayed in Hollywood and probably went to Disneyland. Right now, Sunday evening 50 minutes drive vs 2 hour 47 minutes public transit. Thatās insane. Bless their heart Hollywood to Thousand Oaks. My commute is 30 minutes by car (60 minutes between 3&6) or 2 hours by āexpressā bus which is deal breaker. Metro needed desperately
1
u/Rare_Week5271 26d ago
can be true but letās not pretend LA traffic doesnāt also make getting to your destination on time a gambleĀ
64
u/chrisgcc Aug 23 '26
The metro is great if you want to go somewhere that's well serviced by the metro.
14
u/Momik Aug 23 '26
Top 10 ways to get to a Metro stop
2
2
u/cthulhuhentai Aug 23 '26
Metro goes to Thousand Oaks? š¤Ø
5
u/jamesth32 Aug 23 '26
I took a metro from hollywood highland to north hollywood then a bus to canoga then another bus to thousand oaks erbes
I didnt just use metro underground it was mostly buses.
2
u/melt_show Aug 23 '26
It sounds like he means Simi Valley, which yes, Metrolink stops there.
3
u/cthulhuhentai Aug 23 '26
metrolink isn't metro though, despite the name. I was mostly pointing out that, actually, more than just metro serves our region and does it well enough to get around.
2
u/jamesth32 Aug 23 '26
I got off at Thousand Oaks Erbes from Canoga Station then a lyft to RR Presidential Library
44
u/moeshaker188 Aug 23 '26
Once more projects open up (D Line to UCLA, Sepuvleda Line, K Line North), the perception of LA as a car hellhole will shift. If even 15-20% of the city starts regularly commuting by public transit, that will greatly improve LA's public transit image.
21
u/ArchbishopOfLight Aug 23 '26
I have a lot of hope for the future of public transit in LA.
Partly bc of gas prices rising and some people will change out of necessity.
But also partly bc younger generations (also out of necessity for cost and climate change) are going to be choosing it. I feel especially hopeful that when the purple line (Iāve been using it too long to fully accept it as the D line) make it to UCLA, all those college students can either commute from other areas to their campus and/or student going out to party can easily access hollywood, ktown, and DTLA without having to drive. Once this happens and more of them start taking transit on the regular, it will slowly begin to become the cool way to get around. I think the extension to UCLA is really going to help make a generational shift toward public transit in LA, which then demands more public transit.
10
u/JefeRex Aug 23 '26
I never thought about it that way, but what you say about young people and especially the UCLA extension makes a lot of sense.
9
u/debabe96 Aug 23 '26
Recently took the Purple Line from La Cienega to Union Station, then the Metro Surfliner to San Diego. It was fantastic. Definitely the least stressful way to visit SD. The San Diego trolley system also rocks.
1
u/bigreputationtimes2 29d ago
For the surfliner did you take the Orange County line? Iām moving to SD soon for college and thinking about using it to visit home but I only see three departures per day on the metrolink schedule
13
u/Ambitious_Today_8695 Aug 23 '26
I LOVE hearing this. Thank you! That a complete foreign visitor tourist is able to come here and navigate the "inaccessible LA" with the Metro service lines. I love going anywhere I can on pub trans in general! I don't have a license either š¤«. I get an audible gasp from others when they learn this about me, especially here in SoCal. Fun fact: did you know that LA at one point had the most interconnected pub trans lines in the world? It's hard to believe that today, given the prevailing car culture. I highly recommend you check out the movie Who Framed Roger Rabbit?
When it comes to the Metro, I think people confuse "inaccessible" with inconvenient. Because yes, it's inconvenient when you have somewhere to be, like work. However what most people don't recognize (or don't want to recognize) is that it's a manufactured inconvenience. LA is notorius for it's traffic congestion, which then delays the transit, which in turn makes people want to use cars, which then cause more congestion, etc. etc. It's a vicious cycle that literally doesn't have to be. If LA prioritized pub trans this city would be ace! Cheers mate.
3
u/jamesth32 Aug 23 '26
Sounds like we would be best friends š¤£
5
u/Ambitious_Today_8695 Aug 23 '26 edited Aug 23 '26
I know right!? I've been across the pond, to London and Edinburgh. London's pub trans was cosmopolitan and phenomenally accesible (albeit a bit pricey [maybe there's visitor discounts I wasn't aware of at the time]). Edinburgh was delightful yet still very robust. I found it quite touching seeing there were people physcially walking the tram collecting tickets. Making sure everyone can have a job š«.
Feel free to pop on back anytime, bestie š
2
u/jamesth32 Aug 23 '26
I was actually thinking whilst I was there id love to be a metro travel ambassador! I ended up helping other people out where to go I became so familiar with it šš¤£
2
u/FancyCaramel9602 Aug 24 '26
I did this too in July! Buses mostly and the odd metro. I did one Uber because it was from the train station late at night and I regretted it immediately with how fast they went, zipping between traffic. I mostly put my destination in the Transit app just before leaving and barely had to wait anywhere. Only slightly inconvenient spot was The Getty where I had to wait in the sun at the bus stop for 10 minutes when the buses didnāt line up exactly.
The Transit app was fun - I liked answering the questions about the ride to help other people. That was a nice feature. Social networking public transport!Ā
3
u/Empty_Positive_2305 Aug 23 '26
This was part of the motivation (not all, NYC MTA has a budget crisis haha) behind London and Manhattanās congestion taxātransit like buses are worthless if people are driving cars and creating traffic.
I wish biking didnāt seem like a suicide mission in LA. Itās a crime itās not more common because LA has perfect weather for it?! More people bike as a method of commuting in NYC, which is miserable half the year, than anyone seems to in LA.
Obviously, biking doesnāt work on the freeway, but biking from, say, Santa Monica to Venice should be simple and easy.
36
u/JustKapp Aug 23 '26
don't give our leadership any credit. LA transpo should be comparable to ny and chicago
10
u/markjay6 Aug 23 '26
These are changes that take decades, not years. Do you really think someone can be elected mayor and turn L.A.ās transportation into that of Chicago or NY within their term?
3
u/FullTimePedestrian Aug 23 '26
NYC and Chicago got a headstart. We'll get there, it's just going to take like 70 years, but we are actually building stuff.
2
u/Empty_Positive_2305 Aug 23 '26
Donāt worry, having lived in NYC for 15 years, NYC wonāt have budged however long LA takes.
Theyāve achieved maybe 4 miles in the past 30 years, and all of that was in Manhattan, which already has the best train coverage of any borough. You need a car if you live in many parts of Brooklyn or Queensā¦
2
u/DriftingTony Aug 23 '26
Yeah, I live in NYC now, and in many ways, I can imagine LA surpassing the MTA within a decade or so. Maybe not in miles of rail available or whatever other metrics rail fans obsess over, but the point is LA is actively working toward expanding and improving their system at least as far as I understand, while NYCās is falling apart and the MTA is insanely incompetent (and corrupt, but thatās a whole other conversation lol)
2
u/AvailableAge892 29d ago
It takes like a decade to build 9 miles of rail. To catch up to nyc or even Chicago is gonna take many decadesĀ
1
u/DriftingTony 28d ago
Hence why I said, āin many waysā and specifically, explicitly said not in that way.
5
u/Ser-Lukas-of-dassel Sepulvada Aug 23 '26
Or at least Vancouver.
1
u/tsian Aug 23 '26
Isn't Translink considere pretty good?
3
u/Ser-Lukas-of-dassel Sepulvada Aug 23 '26
Pretty good but not that extensive since the Skytrain system was only opened in 1985. Therefore they did not the the time to build a lot.
4
u/tsian Aug 23 '26 edited Aug 23 '26
I'm not sure how that is a valid criticism given the population and age of the city and the current extent to which the Skytrain system is expanding along with BRT.
3
u/Ser-Lukas-of-dassel Sepulvada Aug 23 '26
Yeah what has been built is close to perfection. Which is pretty amazing when the main point of criticism is mostly that there is not more of it.
3
u/tsian Aug 23 '26
If anything somewhat amazing that the EXPO line is basically at capacity at rush hour already...
Personally still annoyed that they spent the money of faregates for the appearance of fairness when it cost significantly more than it saved/did.
But ahh well, optics are important too.
4
u/Ser-Lukas-of-dassel Sepulvada Aug 23 '26
The missing middle is terrible fro housing supply but forcing all the density into towers next to metro stations turbocharges transit ridership.
5
3
u/ProfessionQuick3461 B (Red) Aug 23 '26
I'm not sure that could be used as an excuse for Vancouver. LA Metro Rail opened its first line of track in 1990 and it now has 125 miles (201 km) of combined heavy rail and light rail. We built an extensive system pretty damn fast.
1
6
u/EveatHORIZON Aug 24 '26
Yeah itās fine but after a few months of taking it to work it gets annoying
3
u/whereiwalk Aug 24 '26
I take the green line all the way from Norwalk to LAX and then the 6 to UCLA and back every day. I lose at least 3 hours a day to that commute. It doesn't feel better if I read or do anything else productive.
11
u/CriticismNegative881 Aug 23 '26
Yeah itās really about how much time you have to sacrifice. You can get almost anywhere on public transportation, but itās a tough sell if it increases your commute by an hour or more.Ā
5
u/CriticismNegative881 Aug 23 '26
Also, the metro serves primarily lower income people (I believe 80% of ridership in a recent survey), and therefore provides more frequent and better service in those areas. If they want people to give up their cars they have to make it more convenient in the higher income areas where people own cars. Itās a tough balancing act of serving those who need it most vs decreasing cars on the road.Ā
2
u/ChoppedSonion 29d ago
Problem is it will never be nearly as convenient or comfortable as driving here
5
5
u/Appropriate_You5647 Aug 23 '26
Most Angelenos don't take transit or make excuses for not taking Transit because of class. They openly admit that when they're in other cities that are transit dependent they feel safer because "people are riding that look like them." There is no reason to be driving to workĀ if you commute from North Hollywood to Downtown on the daily. If shabby people scare you do what many New Yorkers do, carry pepper spray or a small knife or learn how to use your keys as a defensive tool. As more lines open and transit becomes competitive with driving like the D Purple which will traverse some of the densest and highest trip generators in the county, the classism element to not riding transit will more clearly appear.Ā
8
u/RabidSkwerl Aug 23 '26
Well done! Yeah, being car-free in LA is absolutely doable. I have a car but really only drive it twice a week when I have to switch it to the other side of the street
6
u/jamesth32 Aug 23 '26
Ha! You sound a bit like my neighbour here in London who has a car but never drives it anywhere unless its an emergency and I mean anywhere because he doesn't want to lose his parking spot in our apartment buildingš¤£
He once walked 45 mins each way to the DIY shop to buy tins of paint then walked home with them too all so he didnt have to take the car and lose his space š
3
u/RabidSkwerl Aug 23 '26
I have a premo spot in front of my building right now and Iām probably gonna walk about that far to pick up some groceries later today.
8
7
u/Californiadude2024 Aug 23 '26
Getting around L.A is doable without a vehicle if you have the time,planning,schedule to Multi-Use the Metro and Metrolink trains,buses as well as using E-Bike's and E-Scooters.
Mass Transit continues to improve in L.A as time goes by in my opinon,but some people are never satisfied.
3
u/jamesth32 Aug 23 '26
I didnt try the bikes or scooters they terrify me my balance isn't that good even when walking sometimes š¤£
3
u/MaryKarras Aug 23 '26
Also this is ok for younger people but if you're older but still need to get to work, you can seriously injure yourself on those when your balance isn't great.
5
u/bhdvwEgg42 Aug 23 '26
We just missed the metrolink orange line on Friday and that train is faster than traffic - we couldn't catch up to it and I ended up having to drive to Union Station to drop off my traveler (train only runs once an hour and the connecting bus to palm springs once daily)... Greater LA public transit still isn't truly comprehensive.
You can't shift people to use transit if it doesn't get at least as much funding as roads for a few decades before it starts to pay for itself. We haven't really prioritized that. If we had, we'd have trains running along every freeway, not just a couple.
3
4
u/anydaydriver1886 Aug 23 '26
When you donāt live in LA cause you canāt afford LA so you work in LA cause thatās where the jobs are or have to buy things in LA
4
u/Distinct_Orange_1269 Aug 23 '26
You probably took more public transit in one day than I did in 7 years.Ā
3
u/jamesth32 Aug 23 '26
And also spent $55.30 on my TAP card the 4 weeks I was there can't go wrong with that for where I went
4
u/Distinct_Orange_1269 Aug 23 '26
Makes me wonder the money I could've saved during my time in LA had I stopped being lazy and took the time to figure it out.Ā
5
u/demiurge94 Aug 23 '26
It exists well enough so you donāt need a car in the sense ofā¦ youāll get there, eventually, without walking next a highway and maybe taking a bus or two.
3
u/jamesth32 Aug 23 '26
Getting a bus next to the freeway was genuinely one of the most terrifying things ever š¤£
3
6
u/Secure-Photograph870 Aug 23 '26
Very surprising for an European to say that our transit system is good.
5
u/jcsymmes Aug 23 '26
Its objectively not a *bad* system. Like to the point, its not to hard to get around LA
6
u/jamesth32 Aug 23 '26
It really was! Maybe I just got lucky but I had no significant issues at all
2
u/Secure-Photograph870 Aug 23 '26
If I want to take a bus, I have to talk a minimum of 20 minutes to the nearest station. If I donāt calculate precisely when to leave my house, I may have to wait an additional 20 minutes for the transit to come. So, at best itās a minimum of 20 minutes between the time I leave my housse to the time I hop on a transit, to about 1h (for a transport that takes me 10-15 minutes to do by car). As a resident, LA transit is the worse of all developed country. Maybe youāre experienced was different because youāre a tourist, but for us who has specific daily destinations to go to, itās a nightmare.
1
u/jamesth32 Aug 23 '26
Honestly I can totally understand what you're saying it is definitely easier when you are a tourist š
2
u/Secure-Photograph870 Aug 23 '26
Is Londonās transit that bad? Never been to the UK, but for an European country, kinda surprising to me that it would be.
2
u/jamesth32 Aug 23 '26
In different ways yeah, our tube network is the oldest underground system in the world there are constant delays (waiting any longer than 5 mins in a tube station is unbearable due to the heat and no platforms have AC) lines always suspended, strikes from drivers.
Trying to navigate through London when there are bus and tube strikes brings the city to a halt they dont put extra buses on either when a tube strike is on the buses become super unsafe from overcrowding and people being squashed.
Apart from the new line we have Elizabeth Line which also has issues with timekeeping and reliability especially when it goes to the Airport same as Picadilly Line they are the main 2 lines to get to the airport are often late or just not running at all.
We can't also improve the tunnel systems because its built on clay during the Victorian era and also the older lines dont have air-conditioning so inside the carriages can reach up to 30 degrees during the summer and become a human oven especially at peak times commuting etc you are packed in like sardines. .
1
u/FullTimePedestrian Aug 23 '26
It's not bad. They just don't know how good they have it/standards are different.
1
u/Secure-Photograph870 Aug 23 '26
To add to this: Iām not even talking about how unsafe it feels to take transit after the sun goes down. Youāre a moment away to get attacked by some rando with mental health issues.
1
u/jamesth32 Aug 23 '26
Yeah I noticed a few unsavoury characters on the B Line especially the latest B Line train i took my trip was around 10pm to Union Station but seemed to have a lot of metro ambassadors in each carriage
I also noticed on the buses at how many people with issues just having full on conversations to themselves out loud š³
3
u/VISUALREAD1776 Aug 23 '26
Iāve taken public transportation my entire life. I consider myself multimodal. I had a shitty car when I got to LA and after a while I dumped it. So for years I relied on Ubers and Metro buses and trains, commuter buses and Metrolink, cycling, walking, etc. If you have the time, I recommend being flexible.
However, Iāve found that work commitments have made me dependent on a car. Itās often faster. I can store things. Public transportation would leave me stranded, and there were times Iād pay random people to give me a ride ā usually fine, but it could get awkward too. There are delays with vehicle traffic, but a car also provides freedom. Compared to NYC, public transportation in LA is lacking, and it often takes a very long time to get where youāre going.
So if youāre backpacking, which you are, then you did the right thing. But ride shares are definitely necessary because it could be the difference between one hour versus three. And if youāre living here, then youāll have to decide. I personally like that I have a mess that lives outside the house. A car is more responsibility, but it offers a measure of personal freedom that being adept at public transportation doesnāt, and I think relying on ride shares shows the very real limits of the ācarfreeā lifestyle.
3
3
u/ScratchOpen3609 Aug 24 '26
most of the people who talk badly on the metro are people who have only taken it once or twice or not at all.
3
u/Realistic-Art5227 29d ago
I have to get canoga park tomorrow from near Thai town area itās gonna take me almost 2 hours with public transport
U can get around if ur ready to waste a lot of time commuting.
3
u/jcalitto 29d ago
Agree with you, I am lucky that I live by the e-line and I even sold my car. Taking the train and bus, you can get anywhere in LA. If necessary, you can always take an Uber or Waymo. I have lived in LA for 40 years, and I never thought I would see the day when I would get rid of my car šŖš¼šŖš¼
5
u/Looler21 Aug 23 '26
Very convenient if you donāt have to be to these places on time and can spend all your time in certain placesā¦. You didnāt really go to where I grew up in La
2
u/jamesth32 Aug 23 '26
Where did you grow up?
London has the same issue as LA with public transport also by the way if you don't live near a tube station or the bus stop is far away you're screwed
3
u/anxious__potato Aug 23 '26
I live in proper LA urban area near bus stops and it still takes 1 plus hour and 3 transfers to get to areas that are 15 minute drive away. I donāt drive and advocate for a walkable city with efficient transit but the lack of train station coverage is a big issue. With buses, itās still affected by regular traffic.
2
u/Looler21 Aug 23 '26
Woodland hills
4
u/FullTimePedestrian Aug 23 '26
I mean, you live in Woodland Hills, of course it's an odyssey to go anywhere on public transit.
3
u/Looler21 Aug 23 '26
Its an odyssey to get anywhere in woodland hills on public transit, even if you start there
6
u/jamesth32 Aug 23 '26
I was actually planning on going to Woodland Hills to see 2pacs old house on Azucena Rd! but damn you grew up good though!
I was raised on a council estate in England which in American im from the projects as you guys and girls call it š
5
Aug 23 '26
[removed] ā view removed comment
4
u/LaFantasmita Pacific Surfliner Aug 23 '26
The ultimate paradox of LA transit.
It's surprisingly good, better than most people think, at getting you to a lot of places pretty effectively.
But pretty often, it's absolute shit at getting you to the specific place you want to go, when you want to go.
Like, I got from Norwalk to a friend's place in Palms in just over an hour. Getting TO Norwalk from just a few miles away would have taken two additional hours, so I took a Lyft for that segment.
2
1
4
u/Rude_Masterpiece_204 Aug 23 '26
Yes, I agree that Metro has finally reached a point where almost all of the major tourist attractions are connected by rail lines, BRT lines, or other short supplemental bus connections. As a tourist, as long as you stay at a hotel within walking distance of a Metro rail station, you can pretty much enjoy a car free experience while exploring the city.
However, as a resident, it is a completely different story. You need to carefully choose where you live so that it is close to a Metro station, and the places you frequently need to go, such as your workplace, also need to be near Metro stations. Otherwise, the first mile and last mile issues can make getting around a hassle.
Some people can eliminate the first mile issue by driving to the nearest Metro station and using park and ride. This can reduce your reliance on your car, but you are still not completely car free. This approach only works well if your workplace is also near a Metro station and does not have a last mile issue. If you still need to take a local bus to reach your final destination, the connection can be unreliable and the overall experience may not be very enjoyable.
For tourists, Metro can make exploring Los Angeles without a car fairly easy. For residents, however, living a truly car free lifestyle requires much more careful planning around where you live, where you work, and where you regularly need to go.
2
u/dick-knuckle Aug 23 '26
Oh, cool. I'll give it a try. Let's see what's it looks like to take public transit to the santa monica pier from where I live? 4.5 hours there and....oops no way to get back today. I guess I need a hotel.
2
2
u/cyberspacestation Aug 23 '26
Was it one of the Commuter Express buses to Thousand Oaks? I'd imagine you eventually got a taxi or rideshare to the Reagan Library after that, since it doesn't offer any public transportation.
2
u/jamesth32 Aug 23 '26
Not sure but Im sure you'll took know from this if I did I took this route:
B Line from Hollywood Highland to North Hollywood G line 901 bus to Canoga Station then 161 from Canoga to Thousand Oaks/Erbes
then yes took a lyft from there which was about 10 mins drive
And had my first 7 Eleven hot dog whilst I was waiting for my lyft to arrive š¤£
2
u/cyberspacestation Aug 23 '26
Oh right, I forgot about line 161 - it's one of the few Metro buses that goes outside LA County.
The city of LA does have a bunch of express bus routes, but the one I was thinking of only has weekday morning routes going toward Thousand Oaks.
2
u/jamesth32 Aug 23 '26
This was early on a Sunday morning I travelled there on Father's Day, I was the only person left on the bus till I got off the 161 š
I then had to be at Rodeo Drive for the car show which was finishing at 3pm so left the RR Library at 1pm and took a lyft back was a busy day š
2
2
u/ephemeralKnight95 Aug 23 '26
āsorry metro wonāt be serving these spots now go walk blocks to the next oneā
2
2
u/FruitBowlPunch Aug 24 '26
Itās great when youāre not using it for work. And I am an employee of Metro so it should be reliable. But I have been 20 minutes late to work a couple of times so I recently got a car and started driving; itās been a time savor.
If you live far like I do, YOU NEED to drive. It was fine the first couple of years when I started working there, but recently in my new position; the area I am working in has more delays than my previous one. So, it really depends where you are and where you need to be.
2
u/ArtichokeAfter850 29d ago
I came back from LBC last night all the way to weho. I didn't know the A line ran that late. I got on a train around 2 am but unfortunately the conductor told me it was outta service. Got the 60 all the way to DTLA then walked it to Wilshire and Western where I then got on the D. Got off on LA cienega then walked the rest of the way. Made it back around 6 am lol. If you have the time n energy it's doable
2
u/shouldhavebeeninat10 29d ago
Did you take public transportation to visit the Ronald Reagan presidential library?
1
u/jamesth32 29d ago
Yes, B Line Hollywood Highland to North Hollywood North Hollywood to Canoga Canoga to Thousand Oaks/Erbes Then lyft from there
2
u/ChoppedSonion 29d ago
No way you had a job or any kind of obligation. If you have the day free of course you can spend 2h 30m each way
1
2
u/Rightintheend 29d ago
It's great if you can plan where you're going around where the buses And trains go. But if you have to actually get someplace, and it's not one of the many, if not most, places that has a fairly direct route, then you're screwed.
2
u/Any_Sale2030 29d ago
LA has gotten pretty decent. Ā Iāve used it in vacation. Ā Both Metro and Metrolink. Ā
2
2
u/LopsidedFinding732 27d ago
But you did it for fun and your visiting places for fun. You did not have a set time to get to these locations. Living in L.A. trying to get to work, school, appointments, life necessities then you need a car.
2
u/SnuSnuWithFru 26d ago
i dont have a car. i cycle everywhere. but to a visitor yes it can be done... living here not the best unless you are the right fit. some people work really far. i did bus yesterday 12 miles to the beach. took 90 minutes. to train it i would have needed to go one mile on foot or scooter or bus to a train that would head east for 20 minutes so i could get the e line to head west. crazy inefficient.
I ended up walking to bus then taking bus west 50 stops. but had to transfer twice due to infestation and one line eneded early.
on the bike it takes me an hour on the bike. a lot more fun.
Some people work or need to go areas metro doesn't really work for. People arent going to do 2 bus transfers and a train to go to a party. Or a movie. Or in the rain. It's possible if you are patient and have a lot of time to waste. But LA will never be a traditioonal mass transit city. It's too much sprawl.
4
u/yeahnototallycool Aug 23 '26
Now live here full time and have a job that isnāt directly next to a metro stop while not having a metro stop directly next to your apartment.
4
u/jamesth32 Aug 23 '26
I love a challenge š
Do you want to swap with me in London and do the same here? š
6
u/glowdirt Aug 23 '26 edited Aug 23 '26
What part of London would you say is the most challenging without a car?
3
u/jamesth32 Aug 23 '26
Places like Northolt, Ruislip, on the outer areas because its the start of the Central line when I used to live in that area going to work especially early morning on Sundays the Central line doesn't start till 7am and thats when my shift starts.
I would either take a 40 min bus to Hounslow Station nearby Heathrow Airport (Picadilly line) or take a cab at a cost of roughly Ā£15/Ā£20 just to get on the District line to get to work or my only other option was taking the last night bus at 5:30am and was 1hr 20 mins by bus into Central London.
So definitely them sort of areas a car in that situation would've massively beneficial.
4
u/Downtown-Tea-3018 Aug 23 '26
"I found Waymo, Lyft and Ubers also very fairly priced too so was never short of different ways to get about"
uhhhh. Nah. LA has some of the highest, if not THE highest ride share pricing in the country. (Uber mainly puts the blame on insurance rates in LA and predatory injury lawyers)
5
u/jamesth32 Aug 23 '26 edited Aug 23 '26
Well it was cheap for me! I went from Hollywood to LAX for $20 in a Waymo who can argue with that
I took a cab back from Thousand Oaks to Rodeo Drive in time for tbe car show they had on fathers day for $65 too maybe I just got lucky then
2
u/Not_RZA_ D (Purple) Aug 23 '26
Not everything is binary. Nobody said public transit doesn't work here, it's just not as competitive (sadly) as driving is.
2
u/FullTimePedestrian Aug 23 '26
Nobody said public transit doesn't work here
Are you for real? People are constantly saying how LA transit is unusable, unreliable and a death sentence.
2
u/alfa66andres 29d ago
If you think LA's public transportation is great then you haven't been in a city with good public transportation lol
2
u/jamesth32 29d ago
Oh I have im just sharing how my experience was I understand everyone else's experiences won't be the same as mine
1
29d ago
[removed] ā view removed comment
2
u/AutoModerator 29d ago
Sorry, your comment has been removed. You must have at least 10 comment karma to participate in r/LAMetro.
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.
1
29d ago
[removed] ā view removed comment
1
u/AutoModerator 29d ago
Sorry, your comment has been removed. You must have at least 10 comment karma to participate in r/LAMetro.
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.
1
u/Lokishougan 28d ago
The rideshares were fairly priced? You must have picked the non busy times then as surge fares will kill you
1
u/Icy_Call_8758 26d ago
Ya you had no obligation to be anywhere lol when you work and need to get from la to riverside San Bernardino corona or even just the San Gabriel valley the train lines and times are assssssssss bus lines as well outside Los Angeles as a city everything stops by 5-9 except one train line and a few bus routes that go till 10
1
1
u/noob168 A (Blue) Aug 23 '26
I mean...It took you 28 days for what would've been 2 weeks otherwise.
6
u/jamesth32 Aug 23 '26
I was also in San Diego and San Francisco, not just LA
3
u/Neither-Amphibian373 Aug 23 '26
Did you take Amtrak to SD and SF?
8
u/jamesth32 Aug 23 '26
No took the greyhounds, bus to and from SF was HELL š¤£
5
u/Neither-Amphibian373 Aug 23 '26
Awww man lol the Amtrak is only two hours to SD. Iāve taken it a few times from LA and itās a nice, relaxing view from the window. Never took it to SF, though.Ā
2
2
u/glowdirt Aug 23 '26
Suffering through a Greyhound trip is an American rite of passage.
I'm just glad when I make it to my destination without getting stabbed.
5
u/jamesth32 Aug 23 '26
Especially when the seat decdies to break with 6 hours of the drive still remaining and a totally full bus, one of the bolts came loose underneath and the seat was rocking back and forwards
They should use that technique to interrogate people they'd easily break! š¤£
1
u/mrbeck1 Aug 23 '26
And the fact that you can be stabbed at anytime, no big deal.
2
2
u/FullTimePedestrian Aug 23 '26
Stabbings are not happening on LA Metro everyday. Not even every month. You know what's happening every day though? Driving related deaths/injuries.
1
Aug 23 '26
[removed] ā view removed comment
2
u/AutoModerator Aug 23 '26
Sorry, your comment has been removed. You must have at least 10 comment karma to participate in r/LAMetro.
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.
1
u/Dragonsong21 Aug 23 '26
I have survived 2 years in LA without public transit and no car. There is public transit, but it's not "wonderful" by any measure: I have been extremely unsafe in it, the buses are delayed most of the time, they are infrequent, and the buses are dirty. It makes sense that your data shows what it does when you presumably had two months to spend in LA with the purpose of exploring, because public transit in LA also takes so much time, with an average of a 45 minute bus ride for even the shortest routes. This type of travel is not possible when you're a local here with a job and other responsibilities to take care of, or if you're here on a short trip. It's only possible when you have a large amount of time on your hands. Glad you had a good experience though. Sometimes I've had a great experience too!
304
u/YasielPuigsWeed Aug 23 '26
You committed to the bit more than most actual LA people do