Help LADOT cut bus service

Photo by Fred Camino via Flickr. This and other photos can be seen on the MetroRiderLA Flickr pool.

What a stark contrast to the transit picture in Los Angeles. Just a few days ago, Metro spent the better part of a meeting fighting over how to divide a multibillion-dollar pie among rail projects and constituents fighting for, rather than against, service.

A lot of places in the country are envious to be in L.A.’s position for once. Imagine how sorry that is.

The typical mid-recession planning transit agencies have been focused on, though, is how much service to cut just a year after bus and train services nationwide reached highs not seen in decades. And L.A. is no exception. The Los Angeles Department of Transportation, the city’s official transit agency, has sounded its own warning sirens about upcoming service cuts. The agency is asking for rider solicitation on how services would impact them. Obviously, this is not a call for MetroReaders to tell LADOT what to cut, but all riders should make their voices heard to tell them what buses to save.

The story is the same. Government funding is being cut back at the time it is needed the most. We can pretty much write off the empty piggy bank that has been the funding coming from Sacramento. Funding from the county’s sales taxes, which funds the bulk of operating costs, has also fallen off sharply. LADOT itself has projected a $260 million deficit over 10 years if it does not restructure service. LADOT is also looking at how much service it duplicates — and outside of downtown L.A., the routes rely on poaching riders from the productive parts of Metro services.

The findings are to go to the L.A. City Council next month. If you need help finding who your council member is, or if you live outside of L.A. city limits and use a Commuter Express or DASH bus to commute to or within L.A., use the boundaries PDF as a guide.

Make your voice heard through official channels. MetroRiderLA only provides the news and links, but any comments posted here have no bearing on policy makers’ decisions. So use the form on the site or contact a council member for help. Your comments then become part of official public record. Remember, the bus you save may be your very own.

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commuter express • DASH • LADOT • los angeles • service change