Private Firm to Start Service on 3 Bus Lines
Beginning Monday, three San Fernando Valley-downtown Los Angeles commuter bus lines will be sporting a new look.
The three Valley lines are among nine countywide being taken over from the Southern California Rapid Transit District by privately run Laidlaw Transit of Van Nuys. Instead of the usual white and orange-striped RTD buses, commuters will be picked up by new blue-and-white, air-conditioned buses with upholstered, high-back seats.
The takeover is part of a publicly funded, $12.5-million, three-year experiment, approved earlier this year by the Los Angeles City Council, to see if private enterprise can provide transportation more cheaply than the publicly funded RTD. The nine lines were selected because they were targeted for budget cuts by the RTD.
The Valley lines are Line 413, originating in Van Nuys and stopping in North Hollywood and Burbank; Line 419, originating in Chatsworth and stopping in Granada Hills and Mission Hills, and Line 423, originating in Thousand Oaks and stopping in Westlake Village, Agoura Hills, Calabasas and Woodland Hills. Collectively, they serve about 450 commuters.
Fares, routes and schedules on the lines remain unchanged. RTD passes will be honored.
Funds for the experiment come from a half-cent sales tax increase approved by Los Angeles County voters in 1980 to finance transportation projects.
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