Metrolink Shuttle Service to Continue

The Metropolitan Transit Authority will pick up the cost of two shuttle services begun with federal emergency funds in the aftermath of the Northridge earthquake, an MTA spokeswoman said Thursday.

The services, which transport Metrolink riders from the Glendale and San Fernando/Sylmar stations to their workplaces in Pasadena and the San Fernando Valley, were scheduled to end Sunday when Federal Emergency Management Agency funds run out.

But with a $250,000 pledge Wednesday to fund four existing services including the Glendale and Sylmar/San Fernando shuttles, service is likely to continue until October, according to Cynthia Pansing of the MTA.

“The board decided to approve a continuation of the feeder services,” Pansing said. “But it’s a short-term solution.”

The 12th Council District Transportation Management Assn. is attempting to continue the San Fernando/Sylmar service without interruption on Monday, said Aaron Hanson, executive director of the association. But instead of vans, commuters will take free taxis to their destinations, he said.

“It’s the most cost-effective way to do it,” Hanson said. “We lost a good number of people at the beginning of the month.”

Hanson said an impending hike in Metrolink fares coupled with the threat of the shuttles’ demise caused nearly 150 riders, about half of those who used the San Fernando/Sylmar station, to return to their cars.

Fares that were discounted in the aftermath of the quake will return to normal in August when FEMA funding runs out, raising the cost of a monthly pass from Lancaster to Sylmar/San Fernando from $80 to $176.