Bus Riders Up in Arms Over Service

While bus riders “down below” grapple with a transit strike, their counterparts in the Antelope Valley have taken over the driver’s seat to deal with what they say is poor commuter bus service.

More than 250 riders joined together and petitioned the Antelope Valley Transit Authority to hear their complaints and to make changes in services they say have steadily deteriorated for months.

In the wake of the outcry, the area manager of the private company that runs the operation has resigned, and city, county and transit officials are implementing a series of improvements, including more frequent cleaning of buses.

Officials also say they will form an advisory committee of bus riders.

“We came together and spoke our minds,” said Patricia Walker of Lancaster, one of those who rallied the riders on Route 785 from the desert to downtown Los Angeles. “We aren’t going to take it anymore.”

Walker and other riders say the buses are mechanically unreliable and overcrowded, strewn with trash and smell bad. Riders also complained about poor heating and air-conditioning, and say washrooms on the buses (similar to those used by cross-country carriers) are dirty.

Protesters are threatening a boycott if demands for improvements are not met by December.

“We’re saying, ‘You get somebody who can handle this or we are all going to walk,’ ” said Walker, a county clerical worker and single mom who commutes from Lancaster to downtown Los Angeles.

Transit officials said they had no clue about mounting dissatisfaction. The transit authority provides one of the longest-distance commuter services in the nation, with up to 80-mile trips each way to downtown Los Angeles, the west San Fernando Valley and Century City.

More than 500 riders use the 15 buses on the routes, which can take up to two hours one way.

“One of the biggest complaints was that they had called in many times and left complaints but never got resolution,” said William Budlong, executive director of the transit agency. “Frankly, that surprised us because we were unaware of these complaints.”

Until last week, complaints were heard by employees of Laidlaw Inc., a Canadian-based company that provides transportation services throughout North America. Laidlaw has about 120 employees at the desert facility, which is overseen by a staff of six people working for the transit agency, Budlong said.

An interim operations manager at Laidlaw declined to comment, deferring questions to Budlong.

Budlong said Laidlaw never informed the agency of the extent of customer complaints. The transit agency was formed in 1992 in a joint-powers agreement with Palmdale, Lancaster and Los Angeles County. Laidlaw runs the $6-million-a-year operation under a five-year contract awarded in 1997.

More than 75 riders turned out to air complaints at a special public meeting Sept. 16 in Palmdale. About halfway into the two-hour session, Budlong said agency staff would take over the complaint procedure.

“We were extremely disappointed to learn that they had been complaining for some time without getting resolution,” Budlong said. “We’re changing that process.”

Criticisms were partly fueled by fare increases Sept. 1, the first increase in five years. While various plans are available, monthly passes for commuters rose from $155 to $163 to downtown, from $170 to $178 to Century City, and from $135 to $142 to the West Valley. The daily round-trip cash fare is $8.50 and a 10-ride pass is $55. Riders said they object to the increases at a time they see services diminishing.

Many of the commuters rely on Metropolitan Transportation Authority buses to get to their jobs once they arrive downtown. With MTA workers on strike this past week, some of Antelope Valley drivers have extended their routes slightly to get riders closer to their offices.

“It’s been very busy these past few days,” said Shirley Easley, the Antelope Valley Transit Authority’s customer relations manager. “We’re trying to answer concerns as they come in. I feel very badly that people have been circumvented for so long.”

The transit authority is considering hiring a seventh staff member to deal with the volume of complaints, Budlong said. In addition, the agency has hired an outside consultant to review Laidlaw’s maintenance procedures and schedule.

Los Angeles County Supervisor Mike Antonovich also called for a review by the county Department of Public Works, said Rosa Fuquay, Antonovich’s transportation deputy. “We want immediate resolution. We expect [Laidlaw] to comply with the conditions of the contract,” she said.

The transit authority blames a portion of the troubles on rapid growth in the high desert, where the population of 350,000 is projected to double or triple within 20 years, according to the Southern California Assn. of Governments.

Bus ridership is increasing at an annual rate of 3% to 5%. To meet the demand, the agency last year ordered 15 new buses, expected to start arriving in January. With a fleet of 66 vehicles serving both commuters and local transit riders, the agency has outgrown its rented 2 1/2-acre facility, Budlong said.

Final planning is underway for a new 16-acre, $21-million complex with a capacity for 180 vehicles. That facility is not expected to be ready for two years. Meanwhile, mechanics and other maintenance workers say they are scrambling in cramped quarters to keep the buses operating.

Walker said she and other riders “really feel relieved” by the initial steps of the transit authority but remain skeptical. She said frequent breakdowns and delays in bus service leave her “just petrified of what is going to happen” to her 15-year-old son, who is left alone while she is gone daily from 5:15 a.m. until 7 p.m.

“It’s just a horrible feeling coming from Los Angeles to the Antelope Valley not knowing if we are going to get back from point B to point A.”

Gwen Roberts of Palmdale, who works in a downtown law office and helped write the petition signed by 254 disgruntled passengers, praised the unified front of the protest.

Transit authority members “knew that we were serious,” she said, explaining how members pooled their records to document 29 incidents of breakdowns and other troubles within a two-week period.

“We were tired of Band-Aid remedies,” Roberts said. “We needed some antibiotics poured into the wound to get things done. They were very surprised at the turnout.”

Despite heated criticism of his own operation, Budlong praised the efforts of protesters. “They absolutely had good leadership on this,” he said.