West Hollywood to offer free buses to Metro subway

Drag queen Manila Luzon, a.k.a. Karl Westerberg, from TV's "RuPaul's Drag Race," sits behind Leonard Shapiro, 62, left, and his wife, Shari, 60, while on the inaugural ride of West Hollywood's PickUp line trolley along Santa Monica Boulevard in 2013.

Jan. 8, 2016 10:17 AM PT

West Hollywood doesn’t have a Metro rail station within its city limits, so, this month, it’s going to start busing people to the nearest subway station for free.

The new mini-bus service, dubbed CitylineX, will offer free weekday commutes from West Hollywood to the Hollywood & Highland Metro Red Line station in neighboring Los Angeles. The service will have its official launch Tuesday night.

“The city of West Hollywood is always looking for innovative ways to provide transportation alternatives that give people an opportunity to move around without cars,” West Hollywood Mayor Lindsey P. Horvath said in a statement, adding that the service will “improve regional connectivity.”

CitylineX is an extension of the city’s regular Cityline bus, which operates within West Hollywood’s 1.9-square-mile city limits.

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CitylineX will run during morning and evening commuting hours from 7 to 9 a.m. and 5:30 to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday, offering seven trips in the morning and five trips in the evening to Hollywood & Highland. The trips will be 15 to 20 minutes apart, city officials said.

Eastbound shuttles will depart from the West Hollywood Library at 625 N. San Vicente, and westbound shuttles will depart from the west side of Highland Avenue.

CitylineX was approved by the West Hollywood City Council as a six-month pilot program through June.

In true West Hollywood fashion, the city will be hosting CitylineX informational outdoor “pop-up” tables next week along Santa Monica Boulevard, complete with free breakfast burritos.

CitylineX is just the latest free bus service added by West Hollywood. In 2013, the city launched a popular bus -- called the PickUp line -- that offers free late-night rides to partygoers traveling between bars and nightclubs along Santa Monica Boulevard.

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The city called the PickUp, which has a jar of free condoms next to the bus driver, a “flirtatious take on public transit.”

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