ANAHEIM : Shuttle Bus System Will Be Put to Test

In a test to see whether an inner-city rail system could succeed, commuters who take the train from South Orange County to Anaheim Stadium soon will be taken to work by shuttle bus, city officials said.

Beginning in June, the bus, following a route that could be used by an inner-city train, will pick up South County commuters dropped off by Amtrak at the stadium’s depot and take them to employers near the stadium, Disneyland and downtown, said John Lower, the city’s traffic and transportation manager. The cost will be 30 cents per shuttle trip. Four trains arrive at the stadium each morning.

City officials have been contemplating the construction of a $755-million light-rail system that would connect several points within the city but do not have the money to build it.

At least 10 employers have expressed interest in the shuttle project, which will be funded by a $20,000 grant from the South Coast Air Quality Management District, Lower said. The Orange County Transportation Agency will provide the city with a propane-fueled bus.

Mike Greenwood, an OCTA associate senior planner, said similar shuttle systems have been started this year in Santa Ana and Irvine.

“We think if we can get people to try the system, they’ll like it,” he said. “In the other cities, it has done very well.”