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September 25, 2001 |
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Versión
en español
MTA
will add an additional 88 peak-hour buses on heavily traveled bus lines
throughout Los Angeles County to comply with a federal appeals court
decision that calls for more bus service. The
MTA Board of Directors in early September agreed to add the additional
buses while at the same time asking the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of
Appeals for a rehearing to further clarify how the consent decree, an
agreement designed to improve bus service, is to be interpreted. MTA
over the last two years has already added 160 buses into service and the
remaining 88 buses will bring the total of buses added to 248, the total
buses ordered by the court. MTA bus lines to receive the additional buses
were selected based on the volume of passengers who use the lines as well
as those lines with a recent history of excessive crowding. As
part of the deployment of the additional 88 buses into service, MTA will
promote 145 part-time bus operators into full-time operators and will hire
an additional 30 mechanics and 18 service attendants to support the extra
service. Total
costs of the additional bus service are estimated at $11.4 million in FY
2002. The added costs will be off-set by operating efficiencies, overhead
cost reductions, lower fuel costs and spare part cost savings. MTA
currently has a record amount of bus service on the road and will have
completed the process of purchasing over 2,000 new state-of-the-art
compressed natural gas (CNG) buses by 2004. MTA has already taken delivery
of more than 1,300 new CNG buses and has initiated new types of bus
service including the popular Metro Rapid buses that speed travel time. The
deployment of new buses and the introduction of Metro Rapid bus service as
well as other factors have contributed to the lowest rate of customer
complaints received by MTA in one month. In
July 2001, customer complaints declined from a ratio of 6.37 complaints
per 100,000 daily boardings experienced in July 1997 to a ratio of 3.15
complaints per 100,000 daily boardings, a new record and perhaps the
strongest indicator yet that the Metro System continues to improve. A
total of 46 bus lines will receive added service in at least one peak hour
time period. Those lines include: 2, 4, 14/37, 16/316, 18, 26/51,
27/28/328, 33/333, 38/71, 40, 53, 55, 60, 66, 68, 81, 83/84/85, 90/91,
105, 108, 110, 115/315, 130, 152, 163, 164/165, 166, 167, 169, 175, 183,
204/354, 205, 206, 207/357, 212, 217, 230, 234, 236, 243, 444, 484, 561,
620, & 720. A
total of 20 bus lines will receive added service in both the morning and
afternoon peak periods. Those lines include: 45, 53, 66, 68, 81, 90, 108,
110, 152, 163, 165, 166, 200, 212, 234, 251, 260, 268, 434, & 720. For
specific MTA route and schedule information visit our web site at www.mta.net
or call 1-800-C-O-M-M-U-T-E. MTA-128 |
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