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.