Day 3 as OCTA Plays It Straight

Orange County transit officials realigned bus routes into neat, straight lines, but thousands of commuters found themselves confused Monday and delayed in getting to jobs, school, doctor’s appointments and other places.

Monday was the first high-volume day for the new bus routes, which took effect Sunday and which the Orange County Transportation Authority said should result in shorter commutes for 60% of the system’s riders.

That may be so, but only after commuters like Moe Haneef become acquainted with the new schedules and routes.

Haneef, who helps coach track at Laguna Hills High School, also attends Cal State Fullerton, where he is taking classes he hopes will lead to accreditation as a science teacher.

Haneef’s trip to the university normally would take an hour and one bus transfer. With the new routes, Haneef said Monday’s ride took two hours and three transfers.

“I rode four buses, and I missed my morning class,” he said. “It’s ridiculous. I’m going to have to start using my car. The old system worked a lot better for me.”

OCTA spokesman George Urch said such confusion had been anticipated, and that transit-agency staffers were sent to the 22 busiest stops to help riders navigate the new routes.

Still, said Urch, “No matter how well you plan, there’s still going to be questions from our riders.”

Riders were not the only ones confused Monday. Some bus drivers also were unfamiliar with their new routes. One driver, whose route covers a large swath of north Orange County, said some of his colleagues took wrong turns as they tried to follow new and unfamiliar courses.

“On Friday, I could tell you how to get to Irvine, where routes took many twists and turns,” the driver said. “Today, I couldn’t tell you how to get to Santa Ana.”

In order to help commuters adjust to the new routes and schedules, transit officials offered free service Sunday through Wednesday, placing bags over fare boxes.

But despite promises of shorter commutes for most riders, on Monday it was hard to find anybody crowing about a short and pleasant bus ride.

Elsie Wallington was leaning on a cane at the bus stop outside her apartment on South Ross Street in Santa Ana about 11:30 a.m. Monday, waiting for a ride to her doctor’s office in Orange.

The 87-year-old woman said the new route will take longer and mean an extra bus ride.

“It’s not going to save me any time when I go to my doctor’s office,” Wallington said. “I used to take the 69, which would drop me off right in front of the doctor. Now, I’ve got to take the 64, transfer to the 59 and walk a bit to the doctor.”

But Wallington figures she’s got it easy.

“I’m lucky, because some people have to take three or four buses to wherever they’re going,” she said, adding that whoever planned the “confusing routes obviously never rides the bus.”

Urch admitted that “a lot of people are definitely confused as the new system kicks in.” That’s why OCTA arranged for the so-called “transit ambassadors” to help riders with the new routes.

But information given Monday to some commuters at the Santa Ana Regional Transportation Center often seemed garbled and confusing instead of helpful.

Enrique Rodriguez and Roberto Nava had gotten a ride to Santa Ana, where they applied for jobs and were hoping to ride the bus back to Stanton. The two men needed to get to Beach Boulevard and Chapman Avenue.

The OCTA ambassador who was helping riders get on the right bus suggested they take the 51, transfer to the 60 and transfer again to the 29.

But a driver who was using her best Spanish to assist other riders with questions suggested that Rodriguez and Nava, instead, take the 64 westbound, get off at Beach Boulevard and transfer to the 29.

Urch said the driver’s suggestion was the better of the two.

“We’re all getting used to the new system,” he said. “But we’re confident that once everyone is acquainted with it, the buses and riders will all enjoy a smooth and shorter ride.”

The reconfigured bus system has 12 new routes, bringing the total to 84. The new north-south and east-west commuting patterns will make it easier to add new routes in the future, Urch said.

OCTA is the 20th largest bus system in the United States, with 180,000 boardings each day. Urch said transit officials are planning for a 41% increase in service demand in the future.

At Monday’s OCTA meeting, officials acknowledged there were problems the first two days of the new service, particularly along Route 57, or Bristol Street in Santa Ana, where overcrowding forced passengers to stand inside buses or be left at the bus stop. To help deal with such problems, officials called six extra buses into service. It was uncertain whether the extra buses will be needed permanently.

“Frankly, we can’t tell if this crowding is because we’re doing the free thing or if it’s the usual Sunday ridership,” Urch said. “We’re trying not to overreact. If it turns out down the road that we have more people than we planned for, we’ll make adjustments.”

Longtime critics of the restructuring move said there were no more riders than usual now that the new system has begun.

Sunday, noted one longtime critic of the restructuring, has always been busy.

“You not only have the people who are out and about for the weekend, but you have a lot of people who are riding the bus who work low-income service jobs,” said Jane Reifer of the Orange County Citizens Bus Restructuring Task Force. “They have to work on Sundays.”

Reifer said bus riders were finding it impossible to locate route maps or news of errors in printed guides.

“Nobody can get the information they need,” she said.

OCTA officials, however, remained optimistic.