The Region : Transit Ruling Reaffirmed

A July ruling allowing the Foothill Transit Zone to assume bus routes in the San Gabriel Valley has been reaffirmed by a Superior Court judge, who last week denied a request by two Southern California Rapid Transit District unions to reconsider his decision.

Last month, Superior Court Judge Eli Chernow ruled that Foothill Transit, a partnership of 20 area cities and the county that contracts with private bus companies to provide service, was legal. Unions representing 7,000 RTD drivers and mechanics challenged the transit zone’s creation, arguing that it threatened union jobs and was an illegal breakup of the RTD.

Foothill was approved by the county Transportation Commission, which oversees county transportation policy, in late 1987 as a low-cost alternative to the RTD. Since December, it has operated service on two express routes from Diamond Bar and Glendora to downtown Los Angeles, featuring lower fares than the RTD and reporting increased ridership.

The unions have said they will appeal, said William P. Forsythe, Foothill Transit’s executive director. Barring a setback in the higher court before Aug. 11, Foothill will continue expansion plans for six RTD local service lines by mid-September, Forsythe said.

The tentative start-up dates for the new routes are: Aug. 21, Line 178, providing service east from El Monte to Cal Poly Pomona; Aug. 28, Line 185, from Hacienda Heights through West Covina to Montclair; Lines 274 and 276, from Basset and La Puente to Glendora; Sept. 11, Line 280, from Azusa to Industry along Azusa Avenue, and Sept. 25, Line 187, from Pasadena to Pomona through the Foothills area.