Metro and LA city officials broke ground on the 12.4-mile Vermont Transit Corridor Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project Wednesday.
The project is scheduled to be completed before the 2028 Olympics, according to Metro, and is expected to be the largest bus rapid transit line in the nation. Daily ridership is also projected to surge from 38,000 to over 66,200 by 2045, the agency said.
“For so many Angelenos in this neighborhood, the Vermont bus isn’t a choice, it’s how life gets done,” said LA Mayor Karen Bass, who also chairs the Metro Board of Directors. “This ground breaking is a nearly $440 million investment to bring faster, safer and more reliable public transit options to those who need it the most.”
The mayor added that the uprisings of 1992 destroyed the Vermont corridor and left it “undeveloped for so many years,” so the BRT is a major development for South LA residents. Bass says having a reliable mode of public transportation will improve accessibility and provide essential services for a historically disenfranchised community. However, some residents expressed concern about the project’s infrastructure and the lack of consideration for bikers and pedestrians.
Metro’s board approved the BRT in March 2025 and some of its funding came from a $149.9 million Small Starts grant from the Federal Transit Administration, the agency said. During a community meeting about the project in earlier this year, several public commenters expressed support for the project, but others wanted to see more bike and pedestrian-friendly infrastructure as part of the design.
“I want to emphasize prioritizing those of us who don’t use a car as we need it to be safe and reliable for all types of mobility, so that includes bike lanes and pedestrian access,” Anne Marie, transit rider and cyclist, said during public comment in March.
Metro officials say the Vermont BRT aims to cut riders’ travel time by 24% and improve on-time bus performance by 80%. Additionally, the project will offer off-board fare payments along the 26 stations at the 13 intersection locations, connecting the B, C, D and E Metro rail lines.
