RETAIL : Shuttle From Downtown Santa Ana to MainPlace Mall Begins 2-Week Free Run

Is there an environmentally correct way to do the malls?

Yes, if you work in downtown Santa Ana and want to shop at MainPlace/Santa Ana during your lunch hour.

On Monday, shuttles began moving between downtown Santa Ana and the shopping center, 2800 N. Main St., just off the Santa Ana Freeway. The service, which will operate from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on weekdays, is free for the next two weeks. After that, a round trip will cost 60 cents.

Santa Ana City Manager David N. Ream said the shuttle will cut vehicle emissions, helping the region to meet federal and state clean-air objectives. The project’s $38,000 price tag is covered primarily by state funding, but MainPlace General Manager Tanya Thomas said the mall will “absorb costs of managing and marketing the project, which are quite substantial.”

The shuttle makes environmental and economic sense, Thomas said, because downtown Santa Ana is the daytime home of an estimated 20,000 potential shoppers.

The shuttle is also available for downtown workers who ride-share and don’t have ready access to an automobile. “The very first woman to get on the shuttle was ecstatic for just that reason,” Thomas said. “She was ride-sharing and was unable to get out and do the things she needed to get done.”