Mayor Karen Bass Secures $80 Million Federal Grant for Dedicated Olympic Bus Rapid Transit Corridor

LOS ANGELES — Mayor Karen Bass announced on Monday that the City of Los Angeles and the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) have been awarded an $80 million federal Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation to construct the Vermont Avenue Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Corridor.

The project, a cornerstone of the city's "Twenty-Eight by '28" transit initiative ahead of the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games, will convert 14 miles of Vermont Avenue between Hollywood Boulevard and 120th Street into a high-capacity, center-running dedicated transitway with all-door boarding and automated traffic signal priority.

Accelerating Transit Along L.A.'s Second-Busiest Bus Corridor Vermont Avenue currently carries more than 45,000 daily bus riders, making it the second-heaviest bus transit corridor in Los Angeles County. Heavy traffic congestion currently slows peak bus speeds to under 9 miles per hour.

"As Los Angeles prepares to welcome the world for the 2028 Olympic Games, we must build a world-class public transit network that moves Angelenos quickly, cleanly, and reliably," Mayor Karen Bass said at the Vermont/Expo Metro station. "This $80 million federal investment will transform Vermont Avenue, cutting transit travel times by over 30 percent, improving pedestrian safety, and delivering fast, clean electric transit to the transit-dependent communities of South Los Angeles."

Key Infrastructure Features The $80 million federal package funds:

• Center-Running Dedicated Lanes: Physically separated bus-only lanes preventing vehicular obstruction.
• Level-Boarding Station Platforms: Raised passenger platforms with real-time digital arrival displays, shade canopies, and automated ticketing kiosks.
• 100% Zero-Emission Fleet: Deploying 60-foot articulated battery-electric zero-emission buses with high passenger capacity.
• Pedestrian and Active Transit Safety: Upgrading 85 street intersections with high-visibility crosswalks, protected bike lanes, and expanded urban tree canopies.

Transit advocates, regional riders' unions, and local business councils commended the federal grant award, highlighting that rapid transit access along Vermont Avenue connects South L.A. residents directly to regional healthcare hubs, universities, and downtown employment centers.