‘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: Richard
Occupation: Administrative
Location: East L.A.

Your Transportation Routine:

How often do you drive and for what purpose?

To and from work.

Where are you typically traveling from and going to?

East L.A. to Downtown L.A.

How many vehicles do you or your family have?

6

How long does your commute typically take?

30-40 minutes.

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?

Bike on occasion. Sometimes will take Gold Line train if traveling during the day.

Why do you drive?

Much less time involved due to extremely long waits for buses at night.

Your Perspective:

Why can’t/don’t you take transit?

Takes over an hour to travel only 10 miles.  Buses and trains have excessive dwell time between stops.

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

Use transit only for travel to Downtown during business hours.  Otherwise the wait is much too long.

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

More frequent stops on all routes.  Max of 15 minute wait during off peak hours

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?

Increase frequency of buses on all routes to allow for 15 minute max wait times.