MTA’s Neglect of Buses

Re “State Must Rein In MTA, Official Says,” June 23: I ride the bus to work, so for me it’s no surprise that the Metropolitan Transportation Authority has been neglecting the bus service in favor of its rail projects. I have to take three buses, and it takes me two hours to get from the Highland Park area to the University Park neighborhood. Even during the rush hour I typically have to wait 20-30 minutes to transfer between buses. On top of this, the buses and bus stops are filthy and graffitied, most of the drivers are surly, and half the time the wheelchair lifts don’t work.

I’m usually the only white-collar worker on the bus. The rest of the passengers are low-income elderly, high school students and the working poor. Guess why the bus service is a mess.

SAMUEL MARK

Los Angeles

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* Re “MTA: Saga of Bad Deals,” editorial, June 22: Strange, we “riders rocking in the aisles of standing-room-only buses” have known this for years.

CHRISTOPHER MILO

Los Feliz

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* The MTA’s staggering debt is clearly the result of shocking, infantile reasoning. You certainly don’t need an MBA from Harvard to get into that kind of financial disaster. It reminds me of signing up for a gigantic credit card. “I’m not interested in what it all costs. Just tell me what the payments will be for the next 50 years.”

ALLEN G. HOWLETT

Fullerton

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* If the MTA buys more buses like the new ones on the road now, sitting will be the bus riders’ new misery. These seats are too small, have no indentations for butts and too little support for legs. Even for small persons they’re inadequate. Ample persons unintentionally force seat companions into the windows or into the aisles. At stops, bodies slide forward, putting more pressure on legs.

Absent an enforced court order making MTA management and board members ride the lines with the worst conditions, they will continue to ignore bus riders’ legitimate complaints and concerns. For so many reasons beyond overcrowded buses, a fare strike (June 18) is justifiable.

DAMIANA CHAVEZ

Los Angeles

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* It is a good thing that Broadway shall be resurfaced (June 15). While city officials are at it, maybe they should also rebuild the trolley-car line that ran down Broadway. Standard-gauge trolleys that will be serving Pasadena and Union Station in a few years can reach Broadway by way of Cesar Chavez Avenue. The overly wide sidewalks can be cut back a few feet to accommodate tracks. The buses currently running down Broadway can be rerouted, replacing them with Dash lines A and D for local north- and southbound service, while the Blue Line cars run as express trains, with limited stops.

Los Angeles made a big mistake when it junked its local trolley car service in the 1950s and ‘60s, and this would be a golden opportunity to repair some of the damage.

CHARLES J. FORSHER

West Hollywood