The amigas on the bus
Anizeta Lopez, 77, front row left, Eloisa Ruiz, 75, Josefina Gonzalez, 73, and Clarita Trujillo, 79, enjoy one another’s company while riding on the Dial-A-Ride shuttle bus in Bell Gardens. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
Dial-A-Ride bus driver Laura Torres, reflected in the mirror at left, shares a light moment with her passengers. She greets each rider in a loud, playful voice: “Come in, come in. Where are we going today?” Half the time, she doesn’t need to ask. She knows nearly everyone’s address by heart. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
Salud Suarez, 65, left, and Maria Ruiz, 87, share a laugh on the Dial-A-Ride bus. The amigas open up about everything: their husbands and their families, their aches and their regrets. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
Asuncion Gomez, 55, exits the Dial-A-Ride bus as driver Laura Torres writes in her log. Some of the women enjoy tooling around town so much, they tell Torres to make their stop the last. (Genaro Molina /Los Angeles Times)