‘Why You Ride (or Don’t Ride)‘ is a series where you, our faithful readers, share your transportation routines in L.A. and your thoughts on how to make things better – read more about the concept here.

Want to share your story? Take the survey here if you ride transit regularly, or take this one if you don’t ride.

Who You Are:

Name: Deanne
Occupation: Engineer
Location: Calabasas

Your Transportation Routine:

How often do you drive and for what purpose?

I don’t own a car.

Where are you typically traveling from and going to?

It really varies.  I am unemployed so I use the bus to look for work.  I also use it when shopping and going everywhere that I cannot get a ride along with a neighbor.

How many vehicles do you or your family have?

None.

How long does your commute typically take?

Varies.

Briefly, how would you describe your typical driving experience? Love it, deal with it, or hate it?

I deal with it.

On average, what do you spend each month on transportation?

$100 – $300

Do you use any forms of alternative transportation?

Car share.

Why do you drive?

I don’t drive – no car.

Your Perspective:

Why can’t/don’t you take transit?

There is only one bus route within two miles of where I live.  It’s schedule is Monday through Friday and 6 AM to 7PM.  This is impractical for a reliable mode of transit.

I have lived in San Francisco, New York, and Boston.  In any of those cities I could get most places I needed inexpensively and quickly using trains or buses. This meant that I had very little use for a car.  L.A. is different.  The transit system is confusing and expensive to navigate.  Other systems allow me to enter a single point of entry and use as many routes needed to get where I am going.  In L.A. I have to pay for each transfer.  If I buy a pass it’s good for a month and costs $75.  This is equal to 50 rides.  But since I only go places a couple times a week it doesn’t make sense.  Other systems have a way of loading the pass so that it just charges you the fare against what you have paid.

Have you tried to use transit before? What was your experience?

I have relied on transit in other cities for years,  I would prefer to use trains and buses over cars.

What could local transit agencies do to encourage you to take transit more often?

Restructure the TAP so that I can use it as a regular fare when I need to.

How do you feel about buses?

I’d ride a bus if there was a route that served my needs.

How do you feel about rail?

I’d ride rail if it there was a route that served my needs.

Given limited funds, how would you address L.A.’s transportation issues?

See the other responses.