MTA Buses

It’s all well and good that Mayor Richard Riordan was treated to a round of congratulations in Washington due to MTA rail cuts (Feb. 4). However, all the hoopla does not do one iota of good for the daily bus commuter. This has been my recent experience:

On Feb. 3, in the midst of the worst storm this winter, my morning bus to work was 25 minutes late. This line is scheduled to run every 10 minutes during rush hour. (When one calls MTA, a recording states they are prepared for El Nino. Hah!)

On Feb. 4, a late-night bus scheduled to run every 15 minutes did not arrive for 30 minutes. The following morning the bus broke down, causing me to be late to work.

The above is by no means unusual in my experience with the MTA. I’m very pessimistic about conditions improving.

As soon as I can, I’ll drive again. Multiply my MTA misfortunes by thousands of riders and you will see why anyone who can will use any means other than the bus. This is Los Angeles’ great failure.

JOHN BRICKLEY

Los Angeles