Bus Service Will Offer Alternative to Commuters

A new commuter bus service from the Antelope Valley to downtown Los Angeles is scheduled to begin in early January, officials said Wednesday.

Palmdale and Lancaster city officials said they hope the $1.2-million, one-year pilot program approved by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday will bolster efforts to encourage commuting alternatives. About 40,000 of the Antelope Valley’s more than 200,000 residents work in the Los Angeles Basin, officials said. Rush-hour traffic snarls along the mountain route of the Antelope Valley Freeway and four-hour round-trips have become commonplace.

The initial bus service will offer two runs from Palmdale to the downtown Los Angeles business district, said Greg Kelley, transit manager for the county Public Works Department. It will cost $5 one way, with a monthly pass costing $145, he said.