Hughes to Pay Half of Bus Program Bill

Faced with strict clean-air regulations and employees who commute long distances to work, Hughes Aircraft has agreed to foot half the bill for Orange County Transit District express bus service to its Fullerton facilities.

The OCTD Board of Directors on Monday approved a 50-50 split with Hughes on the $73,388 cost of the new bus service, known as the Outreach Express. The service will be operated under contract by Yellow Cab Co. of Northern Orange County during a six-month trial period.

Hughes officials said they hope the 17-passenger buses will attract those commuters already participating in car pools and van pools.

Bill Jones, Hughes’ director of administration, said the service is scheduled to begin in the next few weeks.

“We did a survey of ZIP codes in the San Juan Capistrano area and in the Moreno Valley area, and we decided to go forward with the program,” Jones said. “This is really directed at the people who are reluctant to van-pool and car-pool for whatever reasons. Some of those may be personality reasons. They may prefer public transit. We are prepared to go to larger buses if this is successful.”

Jones acknowledged that pressure from anti-smog regulations influenced the company’s decision on the new bus service. Under rules adopted last year by the South Coast Air Quality Management District, major employers must reduce the number of single-person trips their facilities generate each day.

Hughes has operated its own van-pool program for several years, and it provides preferential parking for van-pool riders.

“We’re trying to be proactive with our employees to try to provide them with options,” Jones said.

Hughes’ own survey found that 246 employees live in the San Juan Capistrano area and another 145 in Moreno Valley. Jones said he does not know how many of them will use the new express bus service.

The OCTD contract calls for two round trips Monday through Friday between the Moreno Valley and Fullerton and between San Juan Capistrano and Fullerton. The one-way distance for the Moreno Valley service is 53.3 miles; for the San Juan Capistrano route, 37.7 miles.