Duplicate Bus Service Prohibited : Transportation: Mediator tells two agencies operating on same lines in San Gabriel Valley to split routes between them until issue is settled at trial.

A court-appointed mediator on Friday ordered competing public-transit agencies to stop duplicating bus service on two freeway express routes in the San Gabriel Valley by splitting the lines between them.

William Schoettler, appointed by Superior Court Judge Bruce Geernaert to mediate the dispute, told the Southern California Rapid Transit District and the Foothill Transit Zone to flip a coin to determine which agency would run which line.

Since June 28, tax-subsidized buses from both the RTD and Foothill have been racing to the same stops on the same two routes, trying to be the first to pick up riders.

Schoettler’s order, which was quickly accepted by both agencies and the RTD drivers union, will remain in effect until a trial can be held on a lawsuit by the union against the RTD to sort out which bus district is legally entitled to operate the lines. The trial is scheduled to start Oct. 15.

“This insane situation has wasted an estimated $500,000 of taxpayer money and resulted in a preposterous duplication of service,” said RTD board President Marvin L. Holen. “I believe the court has determined the most equitable interim solution to the dispute at this time.”

Foothill officials also supported the decision. “We’re very pleased a temporary solution could be found,” said spokeswoman Joyce Baner.

Under the settlement, the RTD will operate Line 488, a freeway express route from Glendora and West Covina to downtown Los Angeles via the El Monte Busway. Foothill will serve Line 486, a freeway express route to downtown Los Angeles from El Monte.

However, the compromise will not be in place until Tuesday morning.

Dueling bus service began when the Los Angeles County Transportation Commission instructed the less-expensive Foothill agency to start serving the routes, even though a state appeal court had already told the RTD that it was contractually bound to continue operating the same service.

When the agencies realized what they had done, the LACTC tried to resolve the situation by offering to give the RTD $2.8 million--equal to the annual subsidy for the redundant Foothill service--if the district would drop service on the two lines.

But the RTD said it could not voluntarily give up the lines because an arbitrator had decided--and the state appeal court concurred--that to do so would violate the district’s contract with the United Transportation Union, which represents the district’s drivers.

The LACTC, which already had cut off the RTD’s subsidies for the two lines, then formally ordered the district to drop the service, hoping that would get around the prohibition against the RTD “voluntarily” surrendering certain lines. The transit district still refused to comply, saying it would wait until a trial on the issues in Superior Court.

Meanwhile, however, the RTD petitioned the court for an interim solution. That plea resulted in Geernaert’s decision to appoint the arbitrator.