Metropolitan Coach Lines operated bus service in Los Angeles from 1953 to 1958 under the leadership of former Pacific Electric executive Jesse Haugh, with the goal of improving bus service and abandoning operation of rail transit. Pacific Electric sold its passenger rail cars and buses to Haugh on October 1, 1953 and gave MCL two years of rent-free usage of rail facilities.
MCL service began June 19, 1955. On August 3, 1954, MCL acquired Asbury Rapid Transit System, further expanding service.
Context for Metropolitan Coach Lines chronology in our interactive timeline
OUR PRIMARY RESOURCES
Metropolitan Coach Lines company records: Our finding aid via Online Archive of California
Financial ledgers, labor contracts, equipment and facilities contracts, documents pertaining to the replacement of rail with motor coaches, service information, employee news magazines and other records comprising 3.44 linear feet, 9 boxes
Images: Metropolitan Coach Lines albums via Flickr
Buses | Bus Lines | Events | Facilities | Facilities (Parts) | Metro Lines | Park & Ride, Hollywood Bowl | People | Publicity | Promotions | Railcars | Rail Lines
Film and video:
Metropolitan Coach Lines produced Los Angeles’ first “Metro” television commercials in 1956. These two 20-second spots played alternately on Monday evenings and Tuesday evenings during timeslots that featured The Rosemary Clooney Show, the Liberace Show the David Niven Show, and late-night news.
These commercials are perhaps the earliest primetime television advertising for transit. Additional information about the animation and how they were created can be found in this post as well as this article in the Metro Coach News employee news magazine.
Metropolitan Coach Lines key text resources
1954 February: Smith Emery Diesel Smog Report
1954 April: Metro Diesels Don’t Cause Smog
1923: Report on some of the Problems of Operation of the Los Angeles Railway
1944: Types of Passenger Cars
MCL Mergers #
Ashbury Rapid Transit (1935-1954) #
Asbury Rapid Transit (1935 – 1954) On August 3, 1954, Metropolitan Coach Lines (1953-1958) acquired control of its largest competitor, the Asbury Rapid Transit System for $150,000. Asbury became a wholly owned subsidiary and was separately operated. The transfer of assets took place on August 3 and included Asbury routes, 98 buses, the Glendale garages at Los Feliz Blvd. and Central Avenue, and terminals at San Fernando and Hollywood. Metropolitan Coach Lines and its Asbury assets were acquired by L.A.’s first publicly governed and operated transit agency, the Los Angeles Metropolitan Transit Authority (1958-1964).