The Southern California Rapid Transit District (almost always referred to as RTD or rarely as SCRTD) was a public transportation agency established in 1964 to serve the Greater Los Angeles area. It was the successor to the original Los Angeles Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA). California State Senator Thomas M. Rees (D-Beverly Hills) sponsored the bill that created the RTD, which was meant to correct some deficiencies of the LAMTA,[2][3][4] and took over all of the bus service operated by MTA on November 5, 1964.[5][6] RTD was merged into the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority in 1993.