‘Why I Ride‘ is a series where Metro employees share their transit routines – read more about the concept here.

Name: Zipporah Yamamoto
Position: Senior Public Arts Officer, Creative Services

How often do you take transit?

Almost every day. I rarely drive unless I expect a late day at work.

If so, what lines/routes?

I either take the LADOT Commuter Express 438 to the Metro Red or Purple Lines.

Are you car-free? If so, why? If not, why not?

My husband and I both drive cars because the places we need to go are not accessible by public transportation, or because public transportation just takes too long to get to the places we need to go. I would love to see us become a one car family in the future if public transit grows to become a reliable option for our daily needs.

Do you use any other alternative transportation (bicycle, rideshare, etc)?

I carpool with my husband on days when our schedules line up. He teaches at a community college so his schedule changes with the semesters. I enjoy carpooling because it gives us a chance to catch up and spend time with one another. Sometimes we take advantage of carpooling and go out to dinner or run errands together on our way home.

Do you think being a regular Metro rider is important to your job?

I do. Riding Metro on a daily basis puts me in touch with the overall customer experience and gives me a deeper understanding of the unique context in which our art program exists.

Why do you love transit?

I love people watching, the high energy context of big city transit, and the time and space to reflect and unwind at the end of the day before I get home so I can be more present with my family when I arrive at my home.

‘Why I Ride‘ is a series where Metro employees share their transit routines – read more about the concept here.

Name: Dennis Lytton
Position: Train Controller, Rail Operations Control Center (aka the ROC)

How often do you take transit?

About four days a week.

If so, what lines/routes?

I take the Red, Purple, and Blue Lines regularly to work (from Hollywood to Blue/Green Imperial Wilmington Station).  Sometimes I take other Metro bus routes, Amtrak and Metrolink.  And I use the Gold Line to go to my UCLA football games.  I’m a season ticket holder, Go Bruins!

Are you car-free? If so, why? If not, why not?

Not quite car-free, though my coworkers would tell you that I just barely own a car.  I own a SmartCar, the smallest car in America (about 40 miles-per-gallon).  I drive it to work about one day a week or less and use if for errands around LA.  It’s great.  I only buy a tank of gas about once a month.  I also have a 1986 Honda Elite scooter. 80cc engine, 80 miles-per-gallon of zipping around LA fun!

Do you use any other alternative transportation (bicycle, rideshare, etc)?

I own a bicycle that I use for recreation and errands around Hollywood.  Cycling around Griffith Park and riding over the top of the Hollywood Hills through Laurel or Runyon Canyons to the Orange Line bike path from Hollywood are great workouts.  I’d love to cycle to work, but at nearly 19 miles it would be a bit arduous.  If I worked closer to home, such as Downtown or at Division 7 in West Hollywood, I’d definitely ride my bike to work.

What is your job at Metro?

I’m a Rail Transit Operations Supervisor.  I supervise the Metro Rail system from ROC and also in the field.  ROC looks kind of like air traffic control, but way cooler because it’s our trains.  And I take our trains to work, ironic, I know.

Do you think being a regular Metro rider is important to your job?

It definitely helps me understand what riders on Metro Rail and Bus go through by being a passenger.  I was also a regular passenger for many years before I worked at Metro.

Why do you love transit?

I’ve been a train geek since I was a kid.  I also like seeing how transit connects communities, from the suburbs like Orange County and the Inland Empire where I grew up to the heart of Los Angeles where’ve I’ve spent most of my adult life.  Hollywood and Downtown have really come alive in recent years with all the residential development and Metro is a big part of that.

Is there anything else you’d like to add (anecdote, advice, etc)?

The first time I took Metro was June of 1995.  I had just been accepted as a transfer from community college to UCLA and wanted to visit for the school for the day.  I took the Amtrak San Diegan from Santa Ana and the Red Line to where it ended at Westlake MacArthur Park.  I then took the 320 bus (no 720 back then) to UCLA.  It was quite an experience for me.  I would have never guessed that I’d ever work here!

‘Why I Ride‘ is a series where Metro employees share their transit routines – read more about the concept here.

Name: David Gutel
Position: Operations Instructor

How often do you take transit?

Five days a week, except for an occasional day when my wife lets me have the car (every 5 or 6 weeks).

If so, what lines/routes?

I live in Westminster and I report to work at Operations Central Instruction and Improvement (OCI) every morning at 6am. Either my wife or one of my boys drives me to the Wardlow station to catch the Blue Line train at 4:32am. It arrives at the 7th Street Metro Center Station at 5:09 and is usually on time. I then catch a Red or Purple train across town to Union Station and walk across the street to report to work. I love my job so it is no hardship for me (don’t ask my wife or boys their opinion on driving me to the Blue Line).

Going home is very different. I generally leave work at 2pm, walk across the street to catch a Red or Purple train to connect with the Blue Line to go home. I then ride the Blue Line to the very end in downtown Long Beach. I then have a choice depending on what time I get to Long Beach: I can catch the Metro 577 from downtown Long Beach to CSULB to connect with the OCTA 60 that takes me within 100 yards of my home or I can pay $.35 for a transfer and catch the L.B. transit # 91, 92, 93, or 94 from downtown to CSULB to connect with the OCTA 60.

The OCTA 60 previously came to downtown L.B. but with their service cut-backs, they stop at the Veterans hospital. The connection to the 60 can be tight, so sometimes I have to wait 25 minutes for the next 60. I usually walk in the door at my home around 4:25 or 4:50. If I am really lucky, occasionally I can be home at 4.

Are you car-free? If so, why? If not, why not?

We are a one car family. My wife and I share our car with our two teen-age boys as best we can.

What is your job at Metro?

I am an instructor at OCI, training Metro bus drivers.

Do you think being a regular Metro rider is important to your job?

Absolutely! As an instructor I tell all my students to go out and ride a bus after they have been here at OCI for a couple of weeks. You would be amazed at the number of bus drivers that have never ridden a bus as a passenger. It would definitely make them a better, more empathetic driver if they ever did. As an instructor that rides buses regularly, I see both good and bad driving; habits that drivers have learned, both good and bad. That helps me as an instructor.

Why do you love transit?

I don’t fight traffic, saves on fuel, car repairs, etc. I read, sleep, balance my checkbook, play sudoku, or just watch people on my way home (the Blue Line can be very entertaining).

Is there anything else you’d like to add (anecdote, advice, etc)?

Whenever my family grouses about sharing one car I politely (or not so politely) inform them that sharing one car is one reason we are (usually) a close- knit family. The day we, or my boys get a second or third car, and I know it’s not in the too distant future, we will not be as close as we are now. I will miss the cooperation that we share now.

‘Why I Ride‘ is a series where Metro employees share their transit routines – read more about the concept here.

Name: Paula Faust
Position: TAP Adminstrator

How often do you take transit?

Five days a week. On rare occasions I do have to drive my car. Not very happy about that.

If so, what lines/routes?

I live in Lakewood and take the Blue Line to the Red Line into my job at the Gateway building.

Are you car-free? If so, why? If not, why not?

Not completely car –free. I use transit for my commute to work. However, my family (husband and three kids, son-23, two girls, 19 and 17 and I) use transit to go to fun places on the weekend, Hollywood, LA Live, Staples Center, Hollywood Bowl, Coliseum for USC Football Games, Universal City Walk. )

Do you use any other alternative transportation (bicycle, rideshare, etc)?

Not really.

What is your job at Metro?

I work with the TAP program.

Do you think being a regular Metro rider is important to your job?

Absolutely. It gives me one of the best perspectives of how, why and to whom Metro provides service to in Los Angeles County.

Why do you love transit?

I LOVE how much I am saving in gas! I also was able to reduce my car insurance because I only drive to the train station and back. The predictability of the train also sets a good tone for my workday. I don’t have to leave it up to the unpredictability of traffic whether my day is going to start out on the wrong foot.

Is there anything else you’d like to add (anecdote, advice, etc)?

I moonlight as a standup comic, so I find my daily rides very inspirational to say the least.

‘Why I Ride‘ is a series where Metro employees share their transit routines – read more about the concept here.

Name: Priscilla Jimenez
Position: Graphic Design

How often do you take transit?

Five days a week.

If so, what lines/routes?

The Silver Line.

Are you car-free? If so, why? If not, why not?

Not completely. I ride my bike as much as I can, but lugging around my laptop as well as other things on my back isn’t too much fun. I use my car about one day a week.

Do you use any other alternative transportation (bicycle, rideshare, etc)?

I have two bikes. A fixie and a road bike.

What is your job at Metro?

Graphic Designer for the Communications Department. I design everything from passes to billboards.

Do you think being a regular Metro rider is important to your job?

Absolutely. Especially with design! What better way to design for something than actually being immersed in it. Riding the bus allows me to see if people are actually paying attention to our designs.

Why do you love transit?

The number one reason is because of the state of our environment. Number two, it’s cheaper. Number three, it’s faster (sometimes), but in my case it’s two or three times as fast. And last but not least, it really makes me appreciate my beautiful city for all of it’s glory, grime, and taco trucks.

‘Why I Ride‘ is a series where Metro employees share their transit routines – read more about the concept here.

Name: Dave Sotero
Position: Public Relations

How often do you take transit?

Five days per week

If so, what lines/routes?

Antelope Valley Line [Metrolink], Metro Rapid 734.  I also regularly take Red Line and Orange Line.

Are you car-free? If so, why? If not, why not?

I’m car-light.  I’m working to reduce automobile Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) as much as possible.  I’ve recently started shopping and errand-running by bike to reduce the number of my regular auto trips.  It’s fun!

Do you use any other alternative transportation (bicycle, rideshare, etc)?

Bicycle.

Do you think being a regular Metro rider is important to your job?

I think it’s a necessity! Rather than preaching mode shift from an ivory tower, you are actually part of the solution and a voice for change. It’s also important to personally put your butt in a bus or train seat and experience the system the way our customers do.

Why do you love transit?

I love transit because it transforms the public space and creates a better quality of life for those who use it. I love when transit interfaces well with pedestrian and bicycle facilities to create a more holistic multi-modal solution.  The Metro Orange Line is the best example of that on the Metro System.  We need more.

Is there anything else you’d like to add (anecdote, advice, etc)?

Transit, combined with bicycle commuting, really is the best way to reach your destination.  While it may take years and hundreds of millions of dollars for a transit line to be extended, you can get there today by incorporating the two modes.  Why wait?

Inspired by feedback from my post earlier this month on how to go car-free in L.A. I’ve taken it upon myself to find Metro employees who take transit regularly and find out why they do it and how it plays into the job they do for the agency.

The goal is two-fold: I want to share with readers that there are Metro employees who actually ride the system they run and I want to encourage those Metro employees who don’t ride regularly to look to their colleagues for inspiration, and hopefully join them on the trains and buses.

So over the next few weeks look for regular ‘Why I Ride’ postings as I hunt for those Metro employees who ‘talk the talk, and walk the walk’.

To start things off, and to share the general format, is yours truly:

Name: Fred Camino
Position: Lifestyle Blogger, The Source

How often do you take transit?

Essentially, anytime I need to get somewhere that’s beyond walking distance, I take transit. I live and work in downtown Los Angeles so a lot of my mobility comes from simply walking to the places I need to be – my apartment is within close walking distance to a major grocery store, countless restaurants and bars, my favorite taco truck, the gym, the library, post office, a movie theater and more. But when I need to venture out beyond downtown’s confines I have at my access – and withing walking distance – the Red, Purple and Blue Lines and a myriad of different bus lines that can take me to virtually any corner of  L.A.

If so, what lines/routes?

When heading to Metro HQ I hop on the Red or Purple Line. I often take Metro 76 to The Brewery in Lincoln Heights where one of my close business colleagues is based. On the weekends, you’ll often find me on a Metro 2 or 4 for late night excursions to Echo Park and Silver Lake. Pasadena is my favorite place to indulge in rampant consumerism (Apple Store!) and the Gold Line facilitates it. Those are my regular routes, but depending on where I need to go I’ll hop on any line that takes me there.

Are you car-free? If so, why? If not, why not?

I’m car-free and have been for over five years now. I got rid of my car because driving in L.A. stressed me out – chalk it up to the combination of traffic, parking (the lack of it), the expenses, left-hand turns and maniacs behind the wheel. I also happened to live adjacent to the Hollywood/Western Red Line Station in Hollywood and in it discovered a much nicer mode of mobility. I became a train rider, and soon after I found myself on Metro buses. Once I discovered public transit, I discovered L.A. I haven’t looked back since.

Do you use any other alternative transportation (bicycle, rideshare, etc)?

I own a bicycle – it helps me get to those places that are too far to walk but are too close or too inconvenient to get to by transit. I’m a member of Zipcar and LAXCarShare (although I probably be dropping Zipcar soon as LAXCarShare’s vehicles are more convenient to my location) for those rare times when I need a set of wheels. I have no problem calling a taxi when it’s needed. And if a friend wants me to sit shotgun in their ride, I’m game too.

Do you think being a regular Metro rider is important to your job?

Seeing as how I’m the lifestyle blogger, I think being a regular Metro rider – and car-free to boot – is really helpful in building trust with readers. Having relied on the transit system for five years for virtually all my mobility needs has given me a library of knowledge, insight and stories that I’m eager to share – it also means I’m well aware of the shortcomings of the system and can be upfront about the challenges that come with the lifestyle.

Why do you love transit?

I love transit because transit is freedom. Freedom from the privately owned car and all of its (pricey) trappings. It’s a little ironic since the private car is sold as a everyone’s ticket to freedom, but I don’t buy it. I love hopping off a bus with nothing but my backpack on knowing that I’ve reached my destination without having to search and pay for a place to store my 1-ton ball and chain.

Is there anything else you’d like to add (anecdote, advice, etc)?

Don’t be afraid of:

1. A little bit of walking (it’s actually really really easy).

2. Riding the bus (it’s not THAT bad).