The Silver Streak is a bus rapid transit service between Los Angeles and Montclair, operated by Foothill Transit. Between Downtown Los Angeles and El Monte, buses use the El Monte Busway. Between El Monte and the Montclair Transit Center, buses travel on the San Bernardino Freeway. The service was introduced in 2007 in response to overcrowding on Foothill Transit route 480. It runs 24 hours a day, with hourly service in the late evening.
LA Metro's J Line service, which also uses the El Monte Busway, was introduced in 2009, and since 2012, both agencies have offered a reciprocal fare program, allowing pass holders to ride either route between Downtown Los Angeles and El Monte.
History The express Silver Streak was introduced in 2007 in response to overcrowding on Line 480, Foothill's most popular line. The new service used higher-capacity vehicles and eliminated the many deviations and minor stops on Route 480. It was designed to appeal to discretionary riders.MassTransitMag.com Foothill Transit's Silver Streak Set to Launch Retrieved on December 18, 2016 The route is also referred to as Line 707.Foothill Transit - We Drive Silver Streak was introduced with onboard Wi-Fi on the NABI articulated buses. It also had all-door boarding for pass holders, although it was subsequently discontinued due to the lack of rear TAP readers when that was introduced.
Ever since the introduction of the Silver Streak, the 'Local Plus Service' on routes 486, 488, 492, and 494 was converted to local service only and terminating at El Monte station; with routes 480 terminating at Westfield West Covina and 482 terminating at Puente Hills Mall (originally shortening to El Monte station until it was replaced by route 282). Passengers were then asked to transfer to either Silver Streak, 481 (later discontinued in Late 2017) or Metro service to Downtown Los Angeles.
On-board Wi-Fi was discontinued in 2009 due to low usage and to cut costs. Ridership of the Silver Streak fell since the introduction of the Metro J (Silver) Line in 2009.
In October 2012 the rebuilt and expanded El Monte station opened, and a joint fare program was introduced on the Silver Streak/Metro J Line. This allows the same ticket to be used on either service between the bus station and Downtown LA. In October 2013, a Silver Streak bus driver lost consciousness and crashed into the wall of the 10 Freeway, injuring seven passengers.
On January 23, 2023, a weekday-only stop at Cal Poly Pomona was added and hours were later extended to 9 p.m. in October 2023.
The Silver Streak uses a dedicated fleet of New Flyer Xcelsior XN60 buses, which are in length, articulated and fueled with compressed natural gas, which produces less emissions than diesel fueled engines. The Silver Streak was the first US route operated by the Alexander Dennis Enviro500EV, a double decker bus which was deployed in February 2021.
Fares Metro and Foothill Transit passengers can ride either the Metro J Line or Foothill's Silver Streak using each other's pass between Downtown Los Angeles and El Monte station. The program is not eligible outside this range. The joint agreement range of the Silver 2 Silver bus program is only between Downtown Los Angeles and El Monte station. Effective July 2022, one-way fare is $1.75 for trips of any length, including transfers to Foothill Transit local lines. A discounted fare of $0.75 for seniors, the disabled, and Medicare card holders applies.
List of stops from west to east StopMajor ConnectionsStop typeLA Convention Center LA Metro: (at Pico)Street stop↑ Flower St & 12th St LA Metro: (at Pico)Street stop↓ Figueroa St & 11th St LA Metro: Street stop↓ Olympic Bl & Flower St LA Metro: Street stopGrand Av & 9th St / Olive St & Olympic Bl LA Metro: Street stopGrand Av/Olive St & 7th St LA Metro: (at 7th St/Metro Center)Street stopGrand Av/Olive St & 5th St LA Metro: (at Pershing Square)Street stop↑ Grand Av & 2nd St LA Metro: (at Grand Avenue Arts/Bunker Hill)Street stop1st St & Hill St LA Metro: (at Civic Center/Grand Park)Street stop↑ 1st St & Broadway LA Metro: (at Historic Broadway)Street stopLA City Hall LA Metro: Street stopArcadia St/Aliso St & Los Angeles St LA Metro: Street stopUnion StationBusway stationLA General Medical Center LA Metro: Busway stationCal State LABusway stationEl MonteTransit centerI-10 & Puente Av Foothill Transit: , Freeway ramp stopWest Covina Pky & Toluca Av Foothill Transit: Street stopPlaza West Covina Foothill Transit: , , , , Street stopVincent Av & Lakes Dr/Plaza Dr Foothill Transit: , Street stopI-10 & Azusa Av Foothill Transit: , Freeway ramp stopCal Poly PomonaStreet stopPomona Transit CenterTransit centerMonte Vista Av & Plaza Ln/San Jose StOmnitrans: , Street stopMontclair Transit CenterTransit center
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