April 26: This Date in Los Angeles Transportation History

1972:  The Southern California Rapid Transit District demonstrates a public transit bus powered by steam in Sacramento.

Members of the California State Legislature, including Speaker of the Assembly Bob Moretti, are shown the vehicle, which will be tested in the Los Angeles area in the near future.

More information can be found in the June 16, 1972 issue of RTD Flyer, the Southern California Rapid Transit District employee news magazine.

Much more information about the steam bus project can be found in our Primary Resources blog post here, along with promotional videos and links to full-text documents.

 

 

2002:  The Metro Board of Directors takes a major step toward providing transit riders seamless service countywide by approving a regional pass program. Beginning in Summer 2002, transit riders who use the services of more than one of a dozen Southland transit operators will have the option of using a monthly regional pass called EZpass.

EZpass will be valid for unlimited travel on the Metro Bus and Rail systems and on the fixed route bus systems of 11 municipal operators.

EZpass will entitle the pass holder to unlimited local travel on all Metro buses and trains and on the fixed route bus systems of the following municipal transit operators: Culver City Municipal Bus Lines, Foothill Transit, Montebello Bus Lines, Gardena Municipal Bus Lines, Commerce Municipal Bus Lines, Long Beach Transit, Norwalk Transit, Santa Monica’s Big Blue Bus, Torrance Transit, Santa Clarita Transit and LADOT (Los Angeles Department of Transportation).

More information can be found in the April 26, 2002 MyMetro employee news digest. and the April 26, 2002 Metro Press Release.