Silver Streak is a

bus rapid transit Bus rapid transit (BRT), also called a busway or transitway, is a bus-based public transport system designed to have much more capacity, reliability and other quality features than a conventional bus system. Typically, a BRT system includes ...

route between Montclair and

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

operated by

Foothill Transit Foothill Transit is a public transit agency that is government funded by 22 member cities in the San Gabriel and Pomona valleys. It operates a fixed-route bus public transit service in the San Gabriel Valley region of eastern Los Angeles Cou ...

. Between the Montclair TransCenter and the

El Monte Bus Station El Monte Station is a large regional bus station in the city of El Monte, California, United States, adjacent to Interstate 10, serving the Metro J Line, Foothill Transit, Greyhound Lines, and El Monte Transit. It is the Metro J Line's easter ...

buses travel on the

San Bernardino Freeway Interstate 10 (I-10) is a transcontinental Interstate Highway in the United States, stretching from Santa Monica, California to Jacksonville, Florida. The segment of I-10 in California runs east from Santa Monica through Los Angeles, San Bernar ...

and between El Monte and

Downtown Los Angeles Downtown Los Angeles (DTLA) contains the central business district of Los Angeles. In addition, it contains a diverse residential area of some 85,000 people, and covers . A 2013 study found that the district is home to over 500,000 jobs. It is ...

they utilize the

El Monte Busway The El Monte Busway (also known as the I-10 ExpressLanes) is a shared-use express bus corridor ( busway) and high occupancy toll (HOT) lanes running along Interstate 10 between Union Station in Downtown Los Angeles and Interstate 605 or El Mo ...

. The service was introduced in 2007 in response to overcrowding on Foothill Transit route 480. 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 Line 480. It was designed to appeal to discretionary riders. The route is also referred to as Line 707.''Foothill Transit - We Drive''
Silver Streak was introduced with onboard

Wi-Fi Wi-Fi () is a family of wireless network protocols, based on the IEEE 802.11 family of standards, which are commonly used for local area networking of devices and Internet access, allowing nearby digital devices to exchange data by radio wave ...

on the NABI articulated buses. With the introduction of the Silver Streak, the 'Local Plus Service' on Lines 482, 486, 488, 492, and 494 was converted to local service only, and terminated at

; with Line 480 terminating at

Westfield West Covina Plaza West Covina (formerly Westfield West Covina, and before that Plaza at West Covina, West Covina Fashion Plaza, and West Covina Plaza) is a large regional shopping mall in West Covina, California, owned by the Starwood Capital Group. Its ancho ...

. Passengers were then asked to transfer to Silver Streak, 481 or Metro service to continue 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 Bus 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. The Silver Streak uses a dedicated fleet of New Flyer Xcelsior XN60 buses, which are in length,

articulated An articulated vehicle is a vehicle which has a permanent or semi-permanent pivot joint in its construction, allowing it to turn more sharply. There are many kinds, from heavy equipment to buses, trams and trains. Steam locomotives were someti ...

and fueled with

compressed natural gas Compressed natural gas (CNG) is a fuel gas mainly composed of methane (CH4), compressed to less than 1% of the volume it occupies at standard atmospheric pressure. It is stored and distributed in hard containers at a pressure of , usually in cy ...

, which produces less emissions than diesel fueled engines.

Fares

Metro and Foothill Transit passengers can now 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 El Monte Station and Downtown Los Angeles. 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 East to West

References

{{USBRT Bus rapid transit in California Transportation in Los Angeles Transportation in Los Angeles County, California San Gabriel Valley