Santa Clarita / Antelope Valley : Reinstating Bus Route Supported

Administrators of the Antelope Valley Transit Authority, who canceled commuter bus service to Century City after earthquake relief funds ran out, have had a change of heart.

After hearing from angry commuters at a July 25 meeting and talking with them again July 30, bus agency officials recommended Wednesday that one weekday bus run to and from Century City be reinstated.

A special meeting will be held at 10 a.m. Monday to allow the agency’s three-member board of directors to vote on the proposal.

AVTA spokesman Tim Galbraith said a small group of Century City bus commuters, who prepared a detailed proposal concerning route changes and marketing ideas, deserve credit for persuading the agency to reconsider this service.

“The plan was bound and presented very professionally,” he said.

The agency, which runs bus service in Palmdale, Lancaster and nearby county areas, as well as commuter service to Downtown Los Angeles, added commuter routes to Van Nuys and Century City in April. The Federal Emergency Management Agency paid most of the cost to help commuters affected in the Jan. 17 earthquake.

Galbraith said riders were informed from the beginning that these new services would end if the FEMA money ran out and there were too few riders to justify its continuation by the Antelope Valley bus agency.

By early July, the two 45-seat morning buses to Century City together were carrying only about 12 to 15 passengers a day.

But in their recent proposal, some Century City riders suggested that more passengers would use the bus if its route took it past more major employers in West Los Angeles.

After reviewing this material, Bill Budlong, executive director of the AVTA, recommended that the board reinstate one Century City bus each weekday morning and a return trip in the evening.

The proposed fare is $7 for one trip, $110 for a 20-ride punch pass and $190 for a monthly pass.