New Year's weekend bus and rail service on Metro includes free fares on Friday night and beefed up rail service to Pasadena for parade and the big game

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A few notes about service this upcoming New Year’s weekend:

•On New Year’s Eve, all Metro Rail and Bus Lines will operate on regular weekday schedules.

•Metro Rail & Orange Line will operate ALL NIGHT into Jan 1st. This is in addition to bus lines which normally operate late night owl service.

•Metro is FREE to ride from 9 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 31, until 2 a.m. on Saturday, Jan. 1.

•The Long Beach Transit Mall will be closed from 7 p.m. on Dec. 31 through 3 a.m. on Jan 1 due to a special event. As a result, Blue Line will operate modified service during this time.

•On Saturday, Jan. 1, bus lines will follow the Sunday/holiday schedule. All bus lines will operate EXCEPT Lines 126, 127, 128, 154, 155, 175, 176, 177, 202, 209, 211, 220, 237, 239, 242, 243, 244, 254, 258, 270, 290, 439, 442, 450X, 489, 577X, 607, 620, 625, 634, 645, 685, 705, 710, 728, 730, 734, 740, 741, 750, 751, 762, 770, 780, 902.

•Extra rail capacity will be provided for travel to/from Pasadena’s Tournament of Roses parade and the Rose Bowl game between Wisconsin and TCU.

•Patrons may consider purchasing a Metro Day Pass for $6.00 ($1.80 Seniors 62+ or Disabled), valid for unlimited travel on the day of purchase through 3 a.m. the following morning. Day passes may be purchased aboard buses (TAP Card required) or at any Metro Rail station or Orange Line station. Zone charges may apply on some lines.

And, of course, Metro wishes everyone a happy and safe holiday weekend!

Categories: Service Alerts

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12 replies ›

  1. Luis: The day pass is good from the purchase time until 3am.
    If you purchase the card at 10am on the 31st, it will only be good until 3am on the 1st.
    May i suggest buying some tokens instead. That way you have no limitations of time.
    Have a happy and safe trip everyone and Happy New Year ! 🙂

    -Konbon Yute

  3. I bought my day pass on Dec 29th, and plan to use it on Jan 1, 2011. I plan to go to the RoseBowl that day, and plan to take the Blue line to the Red line to the Gold Line and get off at Memorial Park. I’ll be coming back the same way. Will my day pass pay cover for my overall trip? I am changing a total of 6 lines (going there and back). From what I read, the TAP day pass only cover 4 lines for that day. Am I wrong? Please help.

    • Luis,

      My impression is that a Day Pass should give you unlimited rides over that 24 hours period, but I’m not a regular TAP user, so I can’t say for sure. I would recommending calling 323.GO.METRO (323.466.3876) tomorrow and getting someone on the line who can talk you through it.

      Happy New Year!

      Carter Rubin
      Contributing Writer, The Source

  4. A good place to pickup TAP cards is the visitors booth outside Hollywood/Highland. And unless it’s changed in the last few months you can also get TAP cards there without needing to purchase any passes. They charge $2 for empty cards.

  6. I’m always surprised that Metro doesn’t make rides on January 1 free for everyone or at least rides on the Gold Line. I realize that money is involved but going to and from the parade seems like a perfect way to introduce non-riders to Metro, which has plenty of less-effective marketing programs throughout the year.

  7. Richard F: Yes, the driver is correct. It’s one of the major liabilities of the TAP program for people who don’t ride regularly. Moreover, the TAP card costs you a one-time fee $2. Your alternative is to pay cash (exact fare) for each leg of the ride; unless you plan on riding more than four legs round trip in one day (e.g., one bus ride and one rail ride each way, two bus rides each way, or two rail rides each way), the cost is the same.

  9. YES…

    Where to get your TAP card.

    Before you can load a pass on TAP, you need to have the appropriate TAP card. A reusable TAP card for regular fare riders costs $2 (in addition to whatever pass is loaded) and can be obtained three ways:

    At Metro Customer Centers and approximately 400 Metro pass sales outlets around town including Ace Cash Express, ContinentalCurrency Services, Inc., Nix Check Cashing and selected Ralphs. To find a location near you, please check taptogo.net.
    Online at taptogo.net. Your card will be mailed to you.
    From ticket vending machines at select Metro Rail and Metro Orange Line stations (coming soon – check metro.net for updates).
    If you qualify as a Senior, Disabled, Medicare, College/Vocational or K-12 Student rider, you can purchase passes on TAP at a reduced rate, but you’ll need a special TAP card. For details and applications, please go to metro.net/reducedfares.

    Note: TAP cards are sold together with fare products only; blank cards are not available. TAP cards are not available on Metro buses.

  10. To Richard F. To answer your question,yes,a tap card is required to purchase a day pass aboard a bus.However,if you are going to be taking any Metro Rail line prior to boarding the bus,you can purchase a day pass from the TVM-Ticket vending machine.Paper day passes are no longer sold on buses.Tap cards can be obtained from any of the Metro customer service locations including but not limited to Union Station.

  11. I’d like to double-check on the “Day passes may be purchased aboard buses (TAP Card required)” part. I’ve tried to purchase a day pass on the bus and have been told that I’d need a TAP card, but when I’ve told the driver I didn’t have one, he said I’d have to obtain a card BEFORE riding the bus. Was he correct?