On the 57 Bus, a Feeling That OCTA Is Misdirected

The sun is still sleeping as nannies, maids and hotel workers wait for the first Route 57 bus in downtown Santa Ana. The time is 4:57 a.m.

These Spanish-speaking immigrants are already commuting to jobs that begin at 7 or 8 in the morning on south Orange County’s tony coastline.

The longest leg of the trip, to Newport Beach and beyond, is on the 57 bus, which traverses 16.6 miles of Orange County from northeast to southwest, from working class to upper class, from roofs of aging gray shingle to those of new Spanish tile.

The 57 bus has become a second home for a tight-knit immigrant community of thousands of riders. They spend about four hours a day traveling on it, transferring to it or waiting for it. Now, a plan to end 57 bus service to Newport Center has them facing even longer commutes--an extra 22 minutes each way by one estimate--and in some cases, a third bus connection.

Transit planners say the change will straighten circuitous routes and make the system more efficient. The modifications will result in even less time with families for the riders on the 57, many of whom already work 10- to 12-hour days. Some worry that the commute time could threaten their jobs, or at best force them to pay higher bus fares.

To them, something less tangible is also at stake. Without the Newport Center as a transit hub, they will be robbed of the few short moments of camaraderie that break up long, numbing days of caring for other people’s children, tending to lawns and cleaning homes.

Every morning when they arrive in Newport Beach, halfway to their destination, 30 or so nannies and maids form a human circle just blocks from Fashion Island, one of California’s poshest shopping centers. Waiting for connecting buses or rides from their employers for as long as an hour, they thrive on gossip, tacos and sales pitches from one maid who doubles as an Avon lady. Some arrive early just to see their fellow commuters who have become friends, or even pseudo family they call comadres.

One of them, Noemi Gutierrez, has collected 900 signatures on a petition opposing the planners’ route change.

“It’s like they didn’t take us into account,” she says. “We work very hard all day. Who wants to take three buses? It’s not like we are sitting down all day at work.”

Under the new plan to take effect in September, routes would run either east and west or north and south rather than traveling in all four directions as the 57 and other buses do. Few buses would stop in the existing terminals such as the Newport Beach facility.

The plan shocked riders, drivers and public transportation advocates. Critics say eliminating service on Route 57 exemplifies how the Orange County Transportation Authority fails to understand the plight of its riders.

Jane Reifer of Auto Free Orange County, a group that promotes use of public transportation, said OCTA’s plans are misguided because they don’t efficiently connect riders with major shopping and work centers.

OCTA officials disagree, saying that so-called “straight lining” will ultimately make bus service more effective for riders and were formulated only after significant input from the public.

Straightening the bus lines will ultimately allow OCTA to serve a greater portion of the county, officials said, and to deal with an expected jump in the number of commuters needing transit services.

“We are building to meet greater demand. Our population is going up dramatically. We need a structure that handles the demand,” spokesman Dave Simpson said. “Change is something that a lot of people don’t like. They will see the benefits of it.”

Officials said that some routes and timetables have not yet been established. But using available information, The Times estimated that Route 57 riders would require 92 minutes to take a pair of buses from Santa Ana to the Newport Center Bus Terminal, compared to the present 70-minute trip that requires only one bus.

For those who take the 57 round-rip, that’s more than 40 extra minutes a day away from their families just getting to and from work. With many riders already putting in 10-hour days on the job, some fear it’s more than their schedules can tolerate.

“Why would anyone want to cut the service? The buses are packed. We are coming to work,” said Vilma Batres, 34, a native of El Salvador who leaves her home at 5:30 a.m. each day and returns at 8 p.m.

Batres and others on the route said they can earn $60 a day in South County--far more than similar jobs in Santa Ana, Anaheim and other nearby cities pay.

“We really have to work hard to get to these jobs. Without the 57, things will be even harder,” said Maria Cervantes, 38, who works as a nanny.

Cervantes’ employer, Newport Coast resident Allison Greenberg, shares the concern. “If she can’t get here, how can she work here? It could really affect us all,” said the mother of two toddlers.

For many of the women, the 57 bus is more than a ride to work--it’s a support system they’ve relied on for a decade.

The women eat breakfast together and share their daily travails. The talk ranges from baptisms, communions and weddings to complaints about their bosses. Alternatively they coo about the children they care for and share photos of their own families.

On one recent morning, Batres chats with Blanca Flores Salguero, 55, who is headed to the 65 bus to clean a house in Newport Coast. Flores walks 30 minutes from the stop to the home, despite a limp stemming from a childhood injury and aggravated by arthritis.

Then Batres greets Graciela Flores, 55, who will wait 30 to 45 minutes at the terminal for a ride from her boss to Corona del Mar.

And then off the next bus comes Cervantes, who will take another bus to a Newport Beach home, where she and another nanny take care of two children. Some days, her boss picks her up at the terminal. Cervantes carries a white plastic supermarket bag with lunch for her and the other nanny: two instant noodle soups in plastic cups and a lime to season them.

The group is intently focused on Marbelia Aguilar, the Avon lady of the terminal. On this day, she’s hocking the “Be Radiant” shades of spring and everyone wants to see her catalogs offering “brown linen,” and “frozen rose” lipstick shades.

Wearing mostly sweat pants and sneakers, the women flip catalog pages as they debate which colors best suit each one. They also talk about whether they prefer Mexican tamales to those using Guatemalan or Salvadoran recipes.

Lucy Cornejo, who works in the food truck at the terminal selling Salvadoran pupusas and Mexican tamales, joins in.

But these days, the conversation quickly turns back to the fate of Route 57.

Cornejo’s co-worker, Matthew Hartman, explains: “I feel sorry for these people. They are getting screwed.”

Riders Petition to Save Their Route

The women recently presented their petition to the OCTA in one last push to save Route 57. OCTA’s Simpson said the agency will take the complaints under consideration as officials finalize their plans.

While the current Route 57 isn’t likely to be retained, Simpson said the OCTA is studying how to get these commuters from Santa Ana to Newport Center and points south as quickly as possible. But officials could not estimate how long such a trip would take.

A meeting on the bus route changes is scheduled for April 10. One issue that might come up is how the rerouting will affect fares.

Although riders can buy a $37 monthly pass and take as many buses as they want, many cannot afford to spend that much at once and instead pay their fare each day. And the prospect of taking more buses to get to destinations could boost the daily fare from $2 to $2.50.

The women fear that they are such anonymous characters in the community that no one can really understand how a 50-cent fare hike affects them. But for now, all they can do is go about their work and hope their petition brings results.

On a recent morning at the bus terminal, Maria Cervantes looked through the latest Avon catalog, spotting silver shoes she’d like.

But before she could order then. she noticed the chunky black sports utility vehicle with two car seats in the back. The babies inside are crying.

“It’s my patrona [employer],” she said. “See you all tomorrow.”