LA Metro: Transfers Design Guide – Improving Connections for a Seamless Trip

Metro's Transfers Design Guide

This guide helps improve connectivity between transit lines in LA County by supporting more direct and efficient trips and transfers. Developed by the Systemwide Design Team in coordination with several other teams and departments across Metro, the guide includes a checklist and toolkit to help transit operators, jurisdictions, public agencies and designers improve transit connections at both existing and new transfer stops and stations. In doing so, the guide helps enhance connectivity, improve customer experience, encourage inter- and intra-agency coordination and support local and regional growth. In recognition of these efforts, the guide was the recipient of the 2018 APA Los Angeles Planning Best Practice Award and the APA California Chapter Best Practices Award.

To read more about Metro’s Systemwide Station Design Standards and the Metro teams that coordinate the agency’s plazas, concourses and platforms, visit the Station Design Hub.

Key Takeaways

  • Most Metro transit riders transfer at least one time to complete any given trip, so making transfers easy, safe and comfortable is critical to creating seamless transit journeys.
  • Jurisdictions must coordinate design standards to foster connectivity between stops and stations for riders.
  • The guide provides a user-friendly Design Checklist and flexible Design Toolbox that can be used to assess and improve a variety of transit conditions across LA County.
View Guide

This tool is best used on desktops and laptops.

Step 2: Add your amenities to your bus stop

  • Click the “Amenity Library” button to open the Library:
    • Scroll through the Amenity Library on the right to drag and drop your chosen amenities or use the “Add” button.
    • You can add, move, rotate, scale, and delete any amenity. You can also add as many as you like.
    • NOTE: All amenities may not be appropriate for all sidewalk widths. Consider amenities like the Lean Bar for narrower sidewalks, whereas amenities such as Shelters are more appropriate for wider sidewalks.


Step 3: Save your design

  • Choose the “Finalize & Save” button, then fill out the brief Contact Form.
    • You’ll then be taken to a unique link to your design; keep it on file for viewing later at any time.

Using the Builder to design your bus stop

This tool is best used on desktops and laptops, and when the background image you choose below is viewed straight on

Step 1: Find your background image

  • via the map below on the left, you can go to the bus stop you wish to design, then drag the gold Google “Pegman” (in the map below, lower right corner) to where your bus stop is on the map, or
  • via the “Upload Background” button, you can upload an image of the bus stop from your local device (it works best if your image is square), then you’ll be taken to Step 2 right away, or
  • you can type in an address or street corner and city via the search field, then click the “Search” button and then drag the gold Google “Pegman” (in the map below, lower right corner) to the red location Pin.


NOTES: It’s possible Google hasn’t created a Street View for some bus stops. If this is the case for the bus stop you want to add amenities to, you may want to consider taking a smartphone photo of that bus stop and uploading it here via the “Upload Background” button (crop your image square). Per Google Street Map View compliance rules, it is not possible to edit the lighting or shading of a Google Street View background, so choose thoughtfully or upload your own image.

Once you have your chosen bus stop background on the right, select the “Design Bus Stop” button to go to the next screen to then add amenities.