MTA Buses

* I’ve had it with the bus system. I wish I could say it was inept, inefficient and unreliable. But I’m in no mood to be generous after waiting two hours for a Line 26 bus.

I finished work in Hollywood at 6:10 last evening and stepped outside to catch the 6:15. It didn’t show. So I waited--what choice did I have?--for the 6:50. Never showed. Next up (theoretically) was the 7:48. At 8, it was still MIA. It finally pulled up at 8:05. My commute home to Long Beach, which according to MTA’s own schedule should have taken an hour and 40 minutes, took me four hours.

I’ve been experimenting the past couple of months with using the bus system and Blue Line instead of driving. But for three weeks in a row, I’ve had nights like last night. It’s just not worth the hassle. Now I know firsthand why most of the buses run around nearly empty: Frustrated would-be riders have sought out something more reliable, like a skateboard, maybe, or a thumb. Me, I’ve gone back to helping clog the freeways.

KEITH HOLLAR

Long Beach