Letters to the Editor: Do any Metro board members ride their filthy, unreliable system?

To the editor: Not only is safety a problem on Metro trains and buses, but the lack of cleanliness is also disturbing. A recent experience left me so disgusted with the filthy conditions on the Red/Purple lines that I complained to Metro and several board members. (“Even with soaring gas prices, safety concerns make L.A. mass transit a hard sell,” March 11)

I have been a champion of public transportation in Los Angeles since moving here from the San Francisco Bay Area almost six years ago. Now the trains are full of urine, human excrement, garbage and marijuana smoke. The friendly police officers are nowhere in sight, and there are no Metro staff save the suffering train operator.

There is no way I will ride Metro to work when I start going into the office next month. I’d be surprised if there is a Metro board member who rides.

Linda Wobbe, Los Angeles

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To the editor: The main problem with public transit is not so much crime or filthy buses, but inefficiency. Metro might have modern technology for tracking buses, but it does not work for riders.

As a rider, I can tell you that we can make good use of our time even if buses are late — if tracking were dependable.

Francisco Zelaya, Downey