‘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: JIM
Occupation: Research Analyst
Location: South Pasadena

Your Transit Routine:

How often do you take transit and for what purpose?

I take transit everyday to and from work. I also ride on the weekends to Dodger games, Downtown destinations and other stops off the Gold Line. I often ride Metro buses to run errands during lunch.

Where are you typically traveling from and going to?

My most common route is from Mission Station in South Pasadena to Union Station via the Gold Line.

What lines/routes do you take?

Gold Line, Bus routes in Downtown LA, DASH B, D and F, and Dodger Stadium Express.

How long does it typically take?

My regular route takes approximately 15 minutes station to station. Including walking my commute is about 25 minutes.

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

I love it!

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

$300 – $500

Why do you take transit?

I take transit because I’m tired of driving, it allows me to do something other than drive during my commute and I enjoy the people watching.

Other Transportation:

Do you use any other forms of alternative transportation?

I also ride my bike to work once a week.

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

I share a car with my fiancee. He also owns a scooter. We’re not able to be totally car-free because weekend travel via Metro is time consuming and unreliable. Also, we have family that live in non-public transit accessible areas in LA.

Your Perspective:

If you could make one change to improve your transit experience, what would it be?

Real time arrival info hands down for both bus and rail.

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

More bus lanes is definitely the answer to L.A.’s transit quagmire. Rail is cost prohibitive and cannot reach a large enough transit audience.

Do you think L.A. transit is better or worse since you started riding? What’s changed?

It’s gotten better. The Gold Line extension has provided more destinations. The accuracy of the trains is very good.

How would you encourage Angelenos to use transit?

Just try it one day! Pick a destination that has bad parking like Downtown or the Hollywood Bowl and you’ll be amazed at how much you enjoy the experience, but plan ahead or you might end up hating it.