Santa Clarita Adds Bus Link to Antelope Valley : Transportation: Officials will start a new route next week to raise Metrolink ridership during off-peak hours.

Buses will run between the Santa Clarita and Antelope valleys beginning next week, boosting public transportation now provided by Metrolink, Santa Clarita transit officials announced Monday.

The new Line 795 will stop at seven locations, including various Los Angeles County offices within the Antelope Valley and Metrolink stations in both valleys. Departures begin at 7:55 a.m.; service begins Sept. 6.

“This is a new service, and we’re very excited about it,” said Gail Foy, Santa Clarita public information officer. “We have not had services to the Antelope Valley since our cityhood.”

Northern Los Angeles County residents have long expressed interest in an inter-valley bus service, according to transit officials in both valleys.

“Hopefully, the ridership will be good. I think people are excited,” said Kurt Mills, transit analyst for the Antelope Valley Transit Authority. “In the long-range plans, we’ve always wanted to have service between the valleys.”

Only three of the 11 daily trips along Metrolink’s Santa Clarita line extend into the Antelope Valley. The new bus route will allow residents to connect with the other eight Metrolink departures out of Santa Clarita’s Metrolink station in the Saugus community, Mills said.

“We have (received) requests, over the two years since I have been here, for service between the two valleys,” said Ron Kilcoyne, transit manager for Santa Clarita. “The new line will fill the service gap that Metrolink doesn’t provide to and from the Antelope Valley. It is geared toward key locations and times which previously were more difficult for commuters to meet.”

Santa Clarita is administering the new service, which uses existing equipment and personnel and won’t cost the city more to operate, Kilcoyne said.

Drivers and buses are now used during peak ridership hours for routes between Santa Clarita and the San Fernando Valley. Instead of sitting idle, they will begin running during other times into the Antelope Valley. Peak ridership hours are 6 to 7:30 a.m. and 4 to 6 p.m.

Although the new route is cost-effective, transit officials admit that its operation only during non-peak times makes it of limited use for commuters.

“The one market that won’t be served, when you take (into consideration) both the Metrolink and the buses, are people that live in Santa Clarita and work in the Antelope Valley,” Kilcoyne said.

Adult fares are $3 one way and $100 for a monthly pass. Youngsters and senior citizens pay half-price.