MTA Delays Decision on Bus Routes

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority has delayed action for a month--and possibly longer--on controversial plans to eliminate, reroute or streamline nearly three dozen bus lines in Los Angeles County.

The transit agency’s board of directors was scheduled to consider the changes at its monthly meeting Thursday, but an MTA spokesman said staff members needed more time to develop a final recommendation and to work out plans with municipal operators for replacement service. A decision on the changes may not be reached until late January.

More than 100 members of the Bus Riders Union walked out of a public hearing at MTA headquarters Nov. 18 when none of the MTA’s board members initially showed up to hear their concerns. A lone member of the 13-member board arrived later during the hearing. Two earlier hearings were held during the 32-day transit strike that brought MTA bus and rail service to a standstill.

Most of those testifying at the most recent hearing complained bitterly about the planned elimination and cutback of service, particularly MTA express buses from the eastern San Gabriel Valley to downtown Los Angeles. Others said the changes in service in Los Angeles and the San Fernando Valley would mean multiple transfers and longer commutes to work or school.

MTA officials said restructuring bus routes is necessary to eliminate overlapping service in areas served by other municipal bus operators. A complete list of the proposed changes can be found on the MTA Web site--https://www.mta.net.