Car Drivers Make Beeline for Free Rides : Council Drops Fares for Shuttle

It used to cost a quarter, and some passengers thought they were getting a bargain. Then the fare went down to nothing, and now the Glendale Beeline is beginning to look like the most popular ride in town.

In less than 2 months, the free fare has gotten more people out of cars and into public transportation, city officials said.

Since the Glendale City Council voted to eliminate the Beeline fare Nov. 1, the number of riders has risen 43% to more than 16,000 a month, according to city statistics.

“Since the bus is free, people are tempted to try it at least once, and once they’ve tried it, they start using it,” said Tom Horne, Glendale traffic and transportation administrator.

Before the council eliminated the fare, the shuttles, which travel the business district on Central Avenue and Brand Boulevard between Glenoaks Boulevard and Broadway Street, were often half empty.

The City Council decided to completely subsidize the service to increase ridership on the 4-year-old shuttle service. The service had cost the city $165,000 annually. Eliminating the fare will increase that cost to $190,000.

The added cost to taxpayers is justified, Horne said. No urban transit system can operate without a subsidy, and non-users as well as users benefit from the service, he said.

‘Good for Car Drivers’

“It’s good for car drivers too,” Horne said. “They get the cleaner air, the reduced traffic congestion and a better chance of finding parking space.”

Horne said he hopes that eliminating the fare will continue to expand the Beeline’s appeal. He envisions a Beeline service that would reach the most remote neighborhoods of Glendale, and connect with shuttles from Pasadena, Burbank or other cities.

“We’re committed to eliminating as many vehicles from the road as possible,” Horne said.

Before the fare was dropped, the bus catered almost exclusively to the elderly, Beeline driver Francisco Alvarez said.

“When you get older, it’s best to have this kind of” bus service.

“It makes everything so much easier,” said Mary Clark, 78, who uses the Beeline to go to her bank, the post office and doctors’ offices.

A lunch-hour ride on the Beeline this week showed that its riders are as diverse as their reasons for riding the bus.

“I’ve been riding it since it got started,” said schoolteacher Mary Torres, 56, who takes the shuttle to the mall two or three times a week. “With the terrible parking situation we have downtown, the bus becomes very convenient.”

Preteen children were dragging their baby-sitters with them to exchange Christmas presents. A business recruiter who commutes every day from Los Angeles transfers to the Beeline to cross Glendale because the shuttle buses “are so much nicer than the RTD.”

Dozens of passengers agreed that it is the service and atmosphere in the buses that bring them back.

Beeline buses are carpeted, clean and peaceful. Passengers said the drivers are courteous. At peak hours the buses come by every 15 minutes. The passenger seats face each other and invite conversation, inducing social contact.

On one crowded bus, a self-described “small-scale actress” who did not identify herself spoke up as the bus passed the Roxy theater on Brand Boulevard.

“Did anyone see ‘The Naked Gun?’ ” she asked. “I photo-doubled for the queen.”

“And who’s the queen?” asked a passenger on the other side of the bus.

“That’s not the point!” she blurted, catching bus patrons by surprise. “The fact is, every actress needs a double for the long shots, and I was the queen’s double.”

A young man in the back seat was impressed. “Well, I’ve seen the movie, and it’s really good. Congratulations.”

Providing the opportunity for human interaction is secondary to what city officials believe is the Beeline’s immediate goal--helping the city reduce air pollution in accordance with South Coast Air Quality Management District standards required by state law.

The free bus fare is just one of the city’s incentives to induce people to drive less.

Two weeks ago the City Council voted unanimously to allocate $262,000 for further incentives, including “pay bonuses” for workers who agree to ride-share, discount fares for commuters who use public transportation and preferred parking for van and car-pool drivers.