La Habra Heights Included in Schabarum’s Proposal : 19 Cities Asked to Create Transit Zone

City councils from Temple City to Pomona will be asked in coming days to approve a new transit plan that would allow private companies to begin operating 26 bus routes in June.

County Supervisor Pete Schabarum has asked 19 San Gabriel Valley cities to form the Foothill Transit Zone, which would contract with private bus companies. All of the cities have previously indicated their support for the plan but have not given final approval.

In a March 3 letter to mayors, Schabarum said it is crucial that the councils approve the transit zone’s governing agreement by the end of this month for service to begin by late June.

The transit zone is a scaled-down version of a plan Schabarum first proposed in 1984 for 28 cities in the San Gabriel Valley.

Six Cities Dropped

Three cities declined from the outset to take part, and six other cities--Alhambra, Monterey Park, Rosemead, Sierra Madre, San Marino and South Pasadena--have been cut from the proposal to make it more acceptable to opponents concerned about the size of the transit zone.

The transportation zone would also include the Southeast-area city of La Habra Heights and all unincorporated areas in the San Gabriel Valley.

Under Schabarum’s plan, 26 bus routes formerly operated by the Southern California Rapid Transit District would be turned over to private companies chosen through bids. The private companies would purchase, maintain and operate their own buses and be accountable to the transit zone’s governing board.

The RTD would continue to run up to 55 routes in the San Gabriel Valley, maintain all bus stops and provide information on routes and schedules in the zone’s service area.

Schabarum estimated that setting up the transit zone would cut transportation costs about $8.9 million a year. The supervisor has said the savings would be used to keep fares low and expand service.

In his letter to the mayors, Schabarum said a pilot project begun last summer is already providing cheaper and better service.

After the RTD indicated in June that it would drop some high-cost San Gabriel Valley lines, the county and the city of Los Angeles took over express routes from Glendora and San Dimas to downtown Los Angeles and local service in Pomona and Claremont.

So far, the routes have been operated for about half of what it cost the RTD, according to William P. Forsythe, the county’s project coordinator for the proposed transit zone.

If any cities decide not to participate--something most transit zone supporters consider unlikely--implementation of the new service could be delayed.

But after meeting with city officials this month, Schabarum expects all of the cities to approve the agreement, according to Jeff Jenkins, a Schabarum staff member.