MTA to Pay for Bus Service Review

The MTA board voted Wednesday to pay for a $140,000 top-to-bottom review of costs associated with the Valley’s bus service, advancing efforts to launch a Valley transit zone.

The proposed zone would be independent from the regional Metropolitan Transportation Authority, and supporters say it could operate better bus service for less money.

But the MTA last year cast doubt on the plan, with cost estimates showing the zone would save far less money than backers--including many Valley politicians and business leaders--had hoped. Los Angeles transit officials disputed the MTA’s estimates, a debate the new study aims to resolve.

“I think there are savings to be had,” said Jaime de la Vega, assistant deputy mayor. His boss, Mayor Richard Riordan, proposed that the MTA foot the bill for the study, a motion the board unanimously approved.

The city of Los Angeles, one of 10 jurisdictions involved in the proposed zone, had already earmarked $63,000 for the study and asked the other cities to split the difference. But Riordan, an MTA board member, believed the cost was prohibitive for the smaller cities, de la Vega said.

“We’re just trying to get this thing jump-started,” he said.

County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky, another MTA board member, hailed the board for “getting the ball rolling.”

The municipalities behind the zone--Los Angeles, Burbank, Glendale, San Fernando, La Canada-Flintridge, Calabasas, Agoura Hills, Westlake Village, Hidden Hills and Los Angeles County--will next hire a consultant to review the MTA’s data.

If the numbers prove a Valley zone would save money, the cities could apply to the MTA to spin off the Valley’s buses into a separate system.