Full-Time Community College Student? Go Metro for $15

Metro has announced that for the Spring 2009 session, students at LA community colleges taking 12 units or more will qualify for obtaining a six-month bus pass for $15.00. I haven't seen this anywhere outside of this week's LA City Beat, next to the letters section, but it is worth contacting your student services center. Per Los Angeles Pierce College's official website:

"Pierce students can now get a six-month Metro Transit Pass worth $165 for only $15 when they register for 12 units or more for Spring Semester.

"Spring Semester is Feb. 9 – June 8, 2009. The bus pass, called I-TAP for Institutional Transit Access Pass, will be good starting even earlier, from Jan. 1 to June 30, 2009. I-TAP passes are good on all Metro Buses (including zone travel), Metro Rapid and Metro Rail. [...]

"According to Metro, the I-TAP provides full-time college students at participating campuses with a specially-priced Metro pass at a reduced rate or at no cost to the student. I-TAP reduces parking demand, allowing more students more access to campus, and making college more affordable by reducing auto and gas costs."

And according to the news brief in this week's LA City Beat, other eligible campuses for this offer are LA Trade Tech, LA City, Southwest, Valley, Mission, East LA, Harbor, and West LA colleges.

For more information, call Metro's phone line at (213) 922-2811.


Photo via Metro.net

Re-Paving the Metro Orange Line Busway

Taking the bus regulary to work every morning, on errands after work, or to night classes during the week can give one plenty of people-/environment-watching opportunities. Color me interested when one morning this week I noticed an Orange Line bus on Victory Boulevard. Happens sometimes, perhaps it was out of service. But then two or three others were seen going in the other direction! Invasion, on our streets! (Obviously, I kid.)

Seems that the Metro Orange Line is doing some streetwork, for the betterment of operation and transit efficiency:

"The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s (Metro) contractors will be re-paving a portion of Metro Orange Line transitway between the intersections of Topham Street/Victory Boulevard and Balboa/Victory Boulevard beginning Wednesday, Dec. 3, for approximately two weeks barring any weather-related delays. Metro Orange Line buses will be detoured off the transitway and stops may be temporarily re-located during this time. [...] Metro intends to successfully meet its 10-week estimate for completion of all work. [...]

"Metro Orange Line buses will travel eastbound and westbound through Oxnard Street/Topham Street and Victory Boulevard with temporary bus stops at Topham Street and Tampa Avenue and Oxnard Street and Reseda Boulevard."

For more info, please click here.

New York, Los Angeles, and the Metro Red Line (Oh My)

I just had the opportunity to spend a week in New York, and of course, having taken it (since it was on my dime) I realized that obviously the transit system in the city is much more advanced. Such a given. But I must also admit that having taken the Red Line from NOHO to Union Station and some other combination involving the Orange, Gold, or Blue Lines had equipped me with a confidence not displayed on prior trips to New York before. There were a ton of detours on the subways, depending on where I was headed, but thanks to some careful listening and utilization of the station maps, I was able to get home - without directions, without asking for help... without looking like an outsider so much. I believe the quality that will have you respected in this town is if you at least look like where you're headed (even if you've no damned clue). Confidence, no matter the concentration percentage, tends to go a long, long way - whether in NY or LA, plain and simple.

It's been swell, being back.

However, I am going to miss the L train, running pretty much every five seconds alongside Bedford Avenue. Okay, five minutes - still not bad!

Map of NY subway system
Map of Los Angeles' subway system

Although I must say that it is rather impressive that Metro is doing a trial run of the Red Line until 3am, Fridays and Saturdays through December 27th. All the better to sober up the individual as they make it home from the bar or club. Absolutely, positively smart.


Photo via Metro.net

Metro Customer Relations

Let's get personal.

I had an incident this morning involving a negligent bus operator who bypassed me - after making eye contact and almost hitting me while I was waiting for him to slow down, no less, continuing to make his way down the street. Rather unfortunately, I ended up being fifteen minutes late to work. I felt seriously burned, until I remembered that Metro has a Customer Relations line (1-800-464-2111, available from 8:00 am - 4:15 pm) for one to make known virtually anything about their commuting experience, as well as an email address (CustomerRelations@metro.net). One thing I didn't know, however, is that "for safety purposes" the representatives will not address issues while you're on a bus of any kind, at any time of day or night - no matter who the driver. Even if it's a different one than the driver you're upset with, as I was this morning. Reasonable; aggravating while in the moment, but understandable and therefore good to know.

I don't mean to come down on any operator in any avenue of customer service. I myself am one. But this experience has truly shown me the value of good customer service - even if it's as basic as not dismissing the customer. I never used to wonder why patrons would say "thank you" or "have a good day" to bus drivers while exiting at their stop, but again - this experience has cemented why it's important (if not imperative) to thank where necessary. Life and all the seemingly insignificant things in it are made seamless by all those who actually contribute - aka do their jobs - accordingly. Ourselves included.

Just some food for thought.

Soon to come: directions to upcoming events, places to go, hangout & eat soon!


Photo via Metro.net

Increased Ridership Due to Gas Prices and the Economy

Has it really been three years since the Orange Line began regular operation in the San Fernando Valley? Per Metro.net, ridership on the Metro Orange Line has increased immensely from September 2007 to September 2008.

"At 27,987 average weekday boardings for September, the San Fernando Valley’s popular Metro Orange Line reached the highest boardings since the line opened in October 2005. Average weekday boardings on the Metro Gold Line reached 25,511 in September, which is more than a 30 percent increase compared with September 2007. Metro’s subway and Blue Line both experienced a nearly 10 percent increase in boardings, and Metro Green Line boardings grew by almost 12 percent. Metro directly operated bus boardings jumped 6.3 percent during the same year-over-year period."

While this is great news, I must address an issue concerning the amount of riders in comparison to the number and frequency of local buses in Los Angeles. Often times it is expected during certain times of the day (namely, rush hour) to not find a place to sit on the bus. However, at times whole buses are so full that buses need to pass on by, leaving crowds of people to wait on a street corner for the next bus to come - which often times isn't for another 15 or 30 minutes, if you're lucky.

Metro has gotten smart, allowing later and more frequent operation of trains and subways, making it less of a concern, say, if one is out past midnight and they're in need of getting home. But what about the local buses and their regular frequency - throughout the day? Apparently the argument revolves around three key elements: ridership, population, and availability. My opinion? If there are people around, especially in population-dense areas, there is a need for transport, no matter how late or how often. Practicality just isn't met when local lines are running every 30 minutes during rush hour. If you were one of the unfortunate people told that "the bus is too full; wait for the next one" - and you have to be at work in 10 minutes - it wouldn't be so convenient, would it? Say that you are the student whose night class ends at 9:45 pm and you have to wait for the next bus that will come an hour after the 9:41 you just missed. When local lines are ending their service at 8:00 and 9:00 pm, or running every hour (especially as the weather gets colder), it's just not good customer service.

This might just be my opinion, and my opinion only - but if it is shared by more than one, it begs to be addressed to the right person.

Measure R and the Economy

Money is on the minds of the public these days. We really can't afford to shell out another cent for anyone other than ourselves. Pay the bills, pay the rent, and make it through another day. With all the money leaving our wallets - as much as we would like for it to not - the plain and simple truth is that Americans pay taxes, to whomever, for whatever. It is part of the job description.

With so many other things to think about day to day, it is easy to forget what is considered to be "the other person". A possibility that one should probably weigh is that "the other person" could be them - it's just that time has not yet revealed that.

Being "the other person" shouldn't be considered a bad thing; it would do every Angeleno a world of good to consider it a reality. With the unfortunate balance in what most are being paid in comparison with what most things are costing, cutting corners is a necessary thing - not a bad thing. Some people in large cities have sold their cars in order to take advantage of the local public transportation systems. Others have traded their SUVs for hybrids or other fuel-efficient vehicles. Still others have invested in a bicycle, taking advantage of rideshare programs available through their respective places of work, or doing the work themselves and getting on the bus (train, subway, etc.) Measure R has been proposed with the goal of improving roadways, the service of public transportation, and more importantly the extension of railways and all-in-all a better quality of life - in that perhaps Angelenos won't have to be so dependent on being behind the wheel, their baby.

Los Angeles is like every established city in the world - except for the reliable mass transportation. So you have a car. What if - with the rising cost of insurance and the dwindling yet still high prices of gasoline - you decided to not drive anymore, if not as much? What if you had to take the bus then?

Still considering the state of our economy - should Measure R cost us an extra $25.00 a year, who cares? If the end result is something that works better with the big picture - or repairing the economy and being proud of being self-sufficient - then wouldn't such a notion be worth considering?

Consider this, then. By all means.

From Metro.net
Photo via about-losangelesca.com

The End of Rideshare Week... Then What?

Today marks the end of Metro's Rideshare Week, but that doesn't mean that the good habits acquired should end for everyone who hopefully made an effort to take part in carpooling, bus-riding, vanpooling, cycling, etc. Per Metro.net:

California Rideshare Week is a statewide campaign to reduce solo driving that is causing congestion on the region’s roadways. [...]

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, solo drivers accounted for 70 percent of the work commutes made within Los Angeles County in 2000. Carpooling accounted for just 15 percent, while public transit represented nearly 7 percent of work commutes. Other means, including walking and bicycling comprised the remaining 8 percent of work trips.

I must admit to being a little peeved when seeing numerous solo drivers on the road. While I understand that we all have to be somewhere, the following question seems to beg constantly: can't you go solo on a bicycle? Or on a bus, perhaps? If you're able to, why not utilize the bus two or three days a week? With the introduction of more frequent bus and railway lines running in most directions, that's not as impossible an idea as it was considered to have been about five years ago. Due to input from Angelenos - perhaps by way of suggestion boxes such as this and general observations on the state of our environment and over-population - Los Angeles has been 'gifted' six railway lines connecting various points of the city, even recently to places where hope of getting there in a reasonable time was once slim to none. As mentioned in prior articles, there has been mention of construction of an extension to the Westside/Santa Monica - which these days can easily take an hour to an hour and a half to get to. One-way. This city is booming ... and for those who say that a suggestion doesn't make a difference, they might want to revisit the issue and ponder what high demand can produce.

My personal concern would be the amount of buses traveling north to south in the San Fernando Valley, as well as to areas beyond Calabasas. If you've a concern with services in your area, or would like to give your input on anything from roads to, for example, habitually incompetent operators, behold the power of email - Customer Relations @ metro dot net is a click away from addressing an issue.

And for more information on ridesharing in your area, call 1-800-COMMUTE (Option 3), or visit http://www.commutesmart.info online.

From Metro.net

Photo via greendioxide.com