OCTA Buses Are Free for 4 Days

Maybe there’s no such thing as a free lunch, but Orange County bus rides are another matter--at least for the next four days.

As part of an overhaul of county bus routes, the Orange County Transportation Authority is offering four free days of bus service beginning today.

The free service coincides with a change in county bus routes and is intended to smooth over bumps in the agency’s transition to a “point-to-point” service plan.

Instead of plying circuitous routes that cross and overlap, buses will run in straight lines on a grid-like pattern. The new system, which will affect 65,000 daily bus riders, will require more passengers to make transfers during their daily commutes.

However, officials say the system will reduce travel time for most passengers and will allow OCTA to expand its service.

The change has generated criticism from people who say it will unfairly impact riders who are elderly, disabled or who use evening buses. Officials say this is not the case, however, and have scrambled in recent weeks to notify the public of the route changes.

Transportation officials say the changes are needed because the demand for county bus service is expected to increase 50% over the next 15 years.

For information on the new routes, call OCTA at (714) 636-7433 in north Orange County or (800) 636-7433 in central or south Orange County.

Information on the new routes can also be found on OCTA’s Web site at https://www.octa.net. Newly published “bus books”--free magazines that contain route maps, times and other details--can be obtained on buses and in transit centers, city halls and libraries.