Villaraigosa on Board for a Week of Free Transit

In an effort to boost ridership, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa on Thursday proposed a free transit week on regional buses and trains.

Villaraigosa asked staff at the county Metropolitan Transportation Authority to determine how much the free rides would cost and try to find the money to pay for them.

Luring more people onto buses and trains would not only stimulate ridership but also improve air quality and reduce traffic congestion, the mayor said.

He said that in a similar program in the Bay Area, boardings went up by 10% during the free week.

The mayor hopes to encourage people who have never taken public transit to get on board, said his deputy, Jaime de la Vega.

“We are saying, ‘It’s free. Try it. You might like it,’ ” he said, noting that the bigger goal is to get commuters out of their cars and onto public transit at least once a week.

MTA’s average daily boardings rose 7.3% last year, from 1.5 million in June 2005 to 1.6 million last month.

The increase was partly a result of the opening of the Orange Line, which runs from North Hollywood to Warner Center in the western San Fernando Valley.

The popular busway, which was put in service in October, accounts for more than 18,000 boardings a month.

Villaraigosa, whose term as MTA chairman ended June 30, has promoted public transit by riding buses and trains in an outreach effort called “Go Metro With the Mayor.”

The proposal for a free week comes just two months after Villaraigosa urged MTA staff to cut administrative jobs and sell more advertisements on buses and in rail stations in an effort to narrow a projected $131-million operating deficit.

Bus and train riders pay $1.25 each way or $3 for a day pass. Monthly passes cost $52.