Beach Bus Service a Wipeout So Far

The idea was to give youngsters in landlocked Mission Viejo a way to catch a few rays and waves by offering a once-a-week beach bus to Laguna and Salt Creek State beaches. But on its first run, the service drew only a few riders, and on its second run Friday, nobody showed up.

“This is disappointing,” Orange County Transportation Authority spokesman John Standiford said Friday.

City officials expressed surprise at the lack of interest. When the city surveyed middle school students earlier this year asking them where they’d like to be able to go during summer vacation if bus service were available, their overwhelming choice was the beach.

“We’re trying to help out parents who work and give kids some options,” said Shirley Land, the city’s traffic engineer. “There are a lot of resources in the area, and we want to give kids a way to get to them.”

The beach bus is also part of an effort by OCTA to customize bus service, community by community. The agency has designated part of its annual budget to supply smaller buses called runabouts. OCTA planners work with city officials to decide what kind of service best serves a particular community.

“There is a need for people to get around in the community in the day,” Standiford said. “We’re trying to give travel choices.”

Senior citizens and school-age children are the most frequent beneficiaries of the program. The runabouts typically pick up passengers in large residential communities, then roll to shopping malls, medical centers and other popular local stops.

“The roundabout service within the community has worked,” Standiford said. “I guess the service to the beach needs more promotion.”

Popular or not, the beach bus will continue on Fridays through Sept. 6, officials said. The cost is $1 each way.

The bus’s first stop is at 9 a.m. at Vista Del Lago and Marguerite Parkway. After two more stops in Mission Viejo, it proceeds to Salt Creek State Beach and downtown Laguna Beach. In the afternoon, it leaves Salt Creek beach at 2 p.m. for the return trip.

Information: 634-RIDE.