November
14,
2003
CONTACT:
Dave Sotero/Marc Littman
MTA MEDIA RELATIONS
(213) 922-3007/922-2700
www.metro.net/press/pressroom
FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MTA Announces Plans to
Place 60 Additional Buses into Service within Next Two Weeks
Newest lifeline service
will begin operation Monday, Nov. 17 and will run East/West between LAX and
Huntington Park
MTA today announced that it
plans to expand free "Lifeline" bus services within Los Angeles County in
the next two weeks to aid commuters stranded by the transit strike. The agency
plans to place 60 additional contract buses in service, eventually bringing the
total number of Metro Buses running throughout the county to 390.
"While we are working to
resolve the strike as soon as possible, we must continue to provide service to
our customers, who continue to suffer tremendous hardships getting to school,
work, hospitals and other important destinations," said MTA CEO Roger Snoble.
"MTA's core function is to provide transportation services. We have an
obligation to serve our customers as much as we possibly can while this work
stoppage is in progress."
The newest lifeline service
will operate along Florence Avenue between Los Angeles International Airport and
Huntington Park starting Monday, Nov. 17.
As with MTA's existing
lifeline bus services, commuters will be able to ride buses free of charge.
Primetime, a private bus
operator, will provide 15 shuttle buses capable of carrying 25 passengers each
on the route, which emulates Metro Rapid Bus Line 711. Buses will run every 8-10
minutes from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday.
The new service is designed
to make connections with currently operating municipal bus lines and provide new
east to west links through the city. Bus service will run through the cities of
Los Angeles, Culver City, Inglewood, and Huntington Park.
Three
additional contracted bus lines will go into operation within the next two
weeks: Line 21 on Wilshire Boulevard from UCLA to Alvarado operating every six
minutes; Line 180/181 from Pasadena to Hollywood via Fair Oaks/Colorado to
Vermont/Sunset, operating every 15 minutes; and Line 761 on Van Nuys Boulevard
from Foothill to the Federal Building in Westwood operating every 10 minutes.
All three new lines listed above will operate from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday -
Friday and from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. on the weekends.
A
network of lifeline bus lines are currently in the planning stages for
implementation should the strike continue that will involve the deployment of
600 contracted buses expected to carry more than 250,000 riders.
Since the strike began Oct.
14, MTA has increased municipal bus services, added point-to-point shuttles,
created a free emergency vanpool program for employers, created an exclusive
carpool program for schools, and implemented online ridematching via the
regionwide www.ridematch.info web site.
For a complete listing of
lifeline bus services in Los Angeles County, visit MTA's web site at WWW.MTA.NET
and click on "Transit Service Update" link.
MTA-178