RTD to Try a Novel Lure: A Free Ride if Bus Is Late

Come September, a late bus may mean a free ride for thousands of Southern Californians under a novel program proposed by RTD officials Wednesday to lure back passengers who have abandoned public transportation.

Under the four-month pilot program, patrons of the Southern California Rapid Transit District would be entitled to board and ride free if their bus is late by 15 minutes or more.

Transit district officials said they expect the RTD Board of Directors on Thursday to approve the program, which officials said is the first such transit incentive in the country.

RTD Board President Nick Patsaouras said the experiment is designed to beef up daily ridership, which has fallen from 1.8 million passengers to 1.3 million in the last five years. The RTD serves 1,400 square miles of Los Angeles, Orange and Riverside counties.

While acknowledging that some loss in ridership is attributable to a 60-cent fare increase since 1985, Patsaouras said that the system also has lost public confidence.

“One of the perceptions, sometimes justified, is that RTD cannot provide on-time service (and) people feel they can’t depend on us,” Patsaouras said at a news conference. “It’s important to face reality. If you have a problem, deal with it out front.”

Patsaouras said a study earlier this year by the Southern California Assn. of Governments showed that Los Angeles residents want an alternative to driving their cars, citing freeway congestion as their third-biggest concern behind drugs and crime.

“We’re going to put our money where our mouth is,” Patsaouras said, noting that the pilot program will cost the RTD between $1 million and $2 million in lost revenue. “I am positive our ridership will increase . . . and if it (costs) a million or two, so be it. We’re making a long-term investment.”

From September through the end of December, passengers boarding buses that arrive at least 15 minutes behind schedule can ride for free. Passengers with an RTD monthly pass will be given fare receipts by the driver that can be applied to the purchase of their next monthly pass.

Drivers will be instructed that if the late arrival time is disputed, Patsaouras said, “the customer is always right.”

Officials of the RTD drivers’ union could not be reached for comment.

At the end of the trial period, the program and on-time performances of RTD routes will be evaluated. “We’ll be able to pick out trouble spots,” said Patsaouras, and “we should stand up and take a beating if we have to” for poor performance.

Officials at transit agencies in some other major cities were skeptical of the RTD proposal. Jeff Stern, spokesman for the Chicago Transit Authority, said, “You’re going to lose your shirt.”

“There are so many variables that have nothing to do with the transit agency (or) how well the driver is doing his job,” Stern said. “There could be a fire, a delay. . . . I think that (program) is unworkable. That’s not something we’d ever try.”

Caren Gardner, a spokeswoman for the New York City Transit Authority, the largest transit district in the country, said the RTD experiment might work. But in Manhattan, such a program “would be impossible because of things out of our control--construction, traffic. We (just) try to keep the interval of time between buses about the same. If it’s within four or five minutes, from a passenger’s perspective they’re on time.”

Several regular RTD riders applauded the proposal and said the program could result in better service. But they said they would rather get to work on time than get a free ride.

“It’s long overdue; something should have been done long before now,” said Karen Richardson, adding that she depends on the bus as her sole source of transportation and has sometimes waited up to an hour for one to arrive. “If you’re late for work, 15 minutes could lose someone a job, their livelihood.”

In the San Fernando Valley, several bus riders predicted that they would save some money as a result of the RTD’s plan.

Eddie Gibson, who rides the bus from his home in Hollywood to his janitorial job at a seafood market in Chatsworth, said he usually gets to work late two or three days a week because his bus is running 20 to 30 minutes behind schedule.

Laura Newman, 23, who has ridden the bus daily in search of a job since moving to Encino from Chicago, said she has had similar problems. “They’re always late. . . . The bus system here is pathetic.”

Otis Newell, 33, said he looked forward to the possibility of free transportation, but he was skeptical of how much good could come from the program. “It’s not going to help,” said Newell, who catches the bus near his home in South-Central Los Angeles and rides to Burbank each day. “Drivers are still going to drive the way they drive. You never know the obstacles that are going to get in their way.”

RTD officials admit that there is no telling how the program will work out. About 2% of all bus trips on a given day now run about 15 minutes late, said Gary Spivack, interim assistant general manager of planning and public affairs for the RTD.

Spokesman Jim Smart added that there is a chance that some people, eager for a free ride, might dispute arrival times even when a bus is on time.

“We’re making a good-faith gesture,” Smart said. “I hope the public will honor that and, if there’s abuse, we’ll deal with that.”

While a free ride may encourage passengers to hop on a bus, Smart said that pride and a desire to serve their patrons will motivate drivers to be on time.

“We think that the proposal will encourage our operators to strive to make every effort to be on time in a safe manner,” he said.

Times staff writer Jeffrey Ball contributed to this story.