The Metro Board of Directors voted 7 to 6 on Thursday morning to approve changes to Metro bus service, including the cutting and shortening of some lines. The changes are scheduled to go into effect June 26.
The changes amount to about 300,000 hours of service annually — about 100,000 hours less than originally proposed by Metro staff earlier this year. Metro CEO Art Leahy told the Board of Directors that the cuts will help remove low ridership lines and duplicative service from the Metro bus system and that the money saved — about $32 million annually — will help produce a balanced budget for Metro.
Nine million of those dollars will go back into the bus system. Leahy said that the money will also allow him to reallocate 212 Metro employees to improve the cleanliness and maintenance of buses and to work on a real-time system to improve on-time performance.
The yes votes were by the following Board members: Pam O’Connor, Zev Yarolsavsky, Ara Najarian, Mike Antonovich, Don Knabe, Diane DuBois and John Fasana.
The no votes were by the following Board members: Antonio Villaraigosa, Richard Katz, Mark Ridley-Thomas, Mel Wilson, Jose Huizar and Gloria Molina.
“I’m not convinced that all this does is consolidate and make [the bus system] more efficient,” said Villaraigosa. “I can’t find myself being convinced of that argument.”
Lines impacted include the 26, 71, 94, 96, 155, 217, 230, 247, 254, 445, 450x, 485, 577, 634, 751, 757, 760 and 794. Some lines will be shortened, some expanded and some will not run on some times or days. Please see the full list of changes beginning on page 15 of this Metro staff report. In addition, the Board approved a number of bus service changes that will go into effect 90 days after the Expo Line light rail opens; those changes are on page 17 of the staff report.
The lines that will be entirely discontinued are the 26, 247, 445 and the 634. Existing bus service will replace those lines and/or Metro will modify existing service to replace those lines.
CORRECTION: An earlier version of this post erroneously stated that the 757 Rapid Bus on Western Avenue will be discontinued. It will continue service on weekdays and articulated bus service on Western will be bulked up.
In discussion, Supervisor Gloria Molina asked Leahy if the service changes were motivated by cost savings alone — i.e. was he looking to carve a particular dollar amount from the Metro budget. Leahy answered no, that the changes were motivated by removing low-ridership lines and duplicative service so that resources could be used to improve the rest of the system.
The Board also approved a motion asking for a report on service changes by Metro and other local transit agencies since 1997. In addition, the motion asked Metro staff to develop a policy on how savings from service reductions are reinvested and criteria for ensuring continued service in the future to “regionally significant destinations.” The motion was by Mayor Villaraigosa, Supervisor Molina and Mel Wilson, a city of Los Angeles appointee to the Board.
Metro staff will provide that information to the Board next month, giving them the chance to possibly reconsider the service changes if they find the information to be troubling or problematic.
Several dozen members of the public testified to the Board of Directors, including many members of the Bus Riders Union. Many protested that the changes will inconvenience them and make it more difficult to reach their jobs.
Over the past three months, Metro held six public hearings about the service cuts with more than 300 people testifying. The proposed changes were also approved by the five community-based Service Councils that advise Metro staff on bus service in different parts of L.A. County.
MTA’s whole plan is to REDUCE BUS SERVICE to dump more money into the light-rail lines! This is a complete bias against MTA customers OUTSIDE of the city of Los Angeles! Additionally, NOT ONE “SERVICE CHANGE” proposal involves ADDING ANY BUSES TO OVER-PERFORMING LINES (like the Line 76, or the 266!). God forbid MORE BUSES are put where they MIGHT ACTUALLY BE RIDDEN ON!
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Has Metro thought about handing over the 190 and 194 East San Gabriel Valley routes to Foothill?
These are right in the middle of Foothills Service area.
Also running more busses like the 121 every 2 hours on weekends and holidays?
Turning Lines 190 and 194 over to Foothill would be equivalent to having NO SERVICE ON THOSE LINES AT ALL! Compared to Foothill, MTA is a dream! Please don’t destroy what is barely being served by the MTA as it is! Remember, the MTA is called the Los Angeles COUNTY MTA, and it SHOULD SERVE ALL PARTS OF THE COUNTY EQUALLY (which it CLEARLY DOES NOT!). Giving any further lines to Foothill, just INCREASES the disparity!
What changes were actually approved? I went to page 15 of that document but some stuff is lined out – for instance changes to bus line 460. Were these lined out items excluded for the approved changes?
The report says 757 will be axed -
Service available via Line 207 and proposed new Line 307. Hopefully Line 307 will still be a bendy bus.
Why can’t they figure this out?
Why can’t we have reports like these also to see how good/bad a line is doing? http://www.goo.gl/bF6jG
@John, in all likelihood Line 307 will use the same buses as Line 207.
Internally at Metro, a limited-stop line is a branch line of a local trunk. This means orange buses can be used on the line.
A northbound 207 can turn around southbound as a 307. Right now, a 757 bus has to stay a 757.
For me, it would completely be a tragedy if Metro decides to give over Lines 190 & 194. I commute 31.5 miles from South LA. to Mt. Sac for the aeronautics program. I heavily rely on lines 190 & 194 to get to school. Foothill should consider discontinuing the Silver Streak service west of El Monte Station because the majority of the riders ride the Metro Silver Line instead. If Foothill never implemented their Silver Streak service, Metro was originally going to discontinue the express fare on the proposed line. They were planning the fare for the Silver Line to be the regular base fare, just like the Orange Line. This would have attracted new riders. The Silver Line is supposed to have the same Metro Liner concept as the successful Metro Orange Line. Though both lines on the system map appear labeled as Metro Liner routes, the Metro Silver Line has no BRT characteristics. No TVMs, no line signs, stations don’t even look as close to the Orange Line stations. Bottom line, Foothill should discontinue the SS, so that Metro may offer the regular base fare for the Metro Silver Line. Many PEOPLE DON’T EVEN RIDE THE SILVER STREAK FROM EL MONTE TO DOWNTOWN LA. Instead they prefer the Metro Silver Line!!!!!!!!
John McCready/Victor
Thank you for your support.
It is like give you couple cookies, take away your lunch/dinner
Foothill did introduces couple extra line of service in foothill area. However, 484 (194 predecessor) no longer goes to Ontario/Pomona. It used to be people live closer to Valley can get to Pomona easily. Then MTA has to take that away.
I depend on 194 all my life. Without 194, people in SG valley will definitely need cars to use the Expo/Gold Line Extension
I always wander why Foothill wants to spend so much money on Gold Line extension while the bus system is so terrible. Gold Line extension will useful for people who have cars. I kind doubt the no choice riders can get to Gold line extension easily.
Well MTA invented the carail system. What can I say
490 (190 predecessor) used to go to Diamond Bar/Brea/Fullerton. Now it just stops at Cal Poly. 490 was terrible. Is 190 getting better. No. Now getting to Diamond Bar is even more difficult. Going to Brea/Fullerton from SGV is mission of impossible.
MTA kept thinking the municipal/regional bus are duplicate. They are not. They are supplement. Some of the buses are lousy but at least it gave bus riders more choice to ride
John McCready
Don’t blame MTA. MTA is helping the economy. On one hand, gov’t has to tell people to drive less, on the other hand gov’t has to make sure that big 3 don’t die. How to achieve that? Design carail system. People drive to train stations than get out train stations drive zip cars. Environmentalists and car industry will be happy. Oh what about no choice riders. It is their fault they don’t drive. That is MTA mentality