Drastic bus route changes

By Chris Ledermuller
Daily Forty-Niner

Beginning Sunday, the Orange County Transportation Authority will drastically reconfigure bus routes, the first time such a major change has been made in the agency's 28-year history.

Riders will have more routes available, but the new "straight-lined" service will keep lines on a single street and force more transfers.

Dave Simpson, transit authority spokesman, said passenger increases and productivity issues compelled the agency to overhaul its services.

"It [the restructured service] allows us more flexibility and opportunity," Simpson said. "OCTA's growth is expected to continue. We will be adding 100,000 hours to the system overall, and we will go from 72 to 84 routes."

The 12-line increase is primarily due to bus services being straight-lined, operating on a single street instead of L-shaped or other meandering routes.

The overhaul will also make passengers transfer at intersections rather than transit centers, or off-street connection points where several bus lines meet.

The transit center near Golden West College in Huntington Beach will be all but abandoned. At the Fullerton Park & Ride near the 91 freeway, most local buses will stay on surface streets instead of serving the stops inside the lot.

Simpson predicts the transit authority's new, simplified routes will shave several minutes off most schedules and improve on-time performance.

Because these changes can overwhelm thousands of Orange County bus riders, the transit authority will offer free rides on all lines for the first four days after the service change.

Simpson adds that the agency will deploy "ambassadors", employees who will answer riders' questions and provide routing assistance, throughout the county.

Changes affecting service near Cal State Long Beach

• Line 1 (Pacific Coast Highway) - The southern end of the line in San Clemente will be extended from the K-Mart Plaza to near the San Diego County line.
• Line 1 will still provide hourly service to Long Beach.
  
• Line 50 (Katella Avenue) - All trips will now end in Long Beach,
  providing 30-minute service Monday through Saturday and 45-minute Sunday service.
  
• Line 60 (Seventh Street/Westminster Avenue/17th Street) ? Buses will no longer serve Leisure World nor the Santa Ana Transit Terminal.
  
• Line 164 (Seal Beach Boulevard/Lampson Avenue/Edwards Street) - This new route will use mini-buses and serve the Leisure World area no longer covered by Line 60. Buses will operate every 50 minutes Monday through Saturday.

After the four-day trial period, a single ride costs $1 and a day pass costs
$2.50.