In the run-up to the opening of the Gold Line extension to Azusa on March 5, there’s another important new transit service debuting: an express Metro bus connecting Pasadena, Glendale, the Burbank Media District and the North Hollywood Red Line and Orange Line stations. The new bus service will be called the NoHo-Pasadena Express, or the 501.

Service begins tomorrow — Tuesday, March 1. This is the kind of frequent all-day and weekend transit connection between the San Gabriel and San Fernando valleys that has been missing and oft-requested by riders and transit activists. (The Metro news release is here).

The bus will primarily use the 134 freeway. The regular fare will be $2.50, the standard fare Metro charges for express bus service that uses freeways. If transferring from another Metro bus or train, you’ll have to pay an additional 75 cents (all fares are listed on the timetable below). Trips between NoHo and Del Mar Station in Pasadena are expected to take 34 to 50 minutes depending on the time of day and direction of travel.

In addition to connecting to the Orange Line, Red Line and Gold Line, the NoHo-Pasadena Express will also offer transfers to a number of other bus, including those run by Metro, the BurbankBus, Foothill Transit, the Glendale Beeline, the Pasadena Transit and Santa Clarita Transit. Here are links to connections:

The NoHo-Pasadena Express timetable is below; if you would like it as one pdf document, click here. Even though we’re eight days away from the bus running, I wanted to post this again as a reminder of the new service and to give everyone time to ask any pertinent questions in the comments section. The original plan was to begin service the same day as the Gold Line extension but Metro wanted to make sure this important new service wasn’t overshadowed by the new train, so the bus will begin rolling a few days earlier.

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