The Metropolitan Transit Authority (Metro) has proposed making major changes to nine lines that serve the African American community, and the transportation agency is placing the blame for the cuts the economic doldrums the nation has been in for the last few years.
Three of the lines proposed for elimination are the Metro Rapid routes, a number of which have only been operating a short time. These include the 711 which runs from Inglewood to Bell Gardens along Florence Avenue. The service this line provides will be picked up by enhancements on the local Line 111 as well as with the addition of a new Line 311, which will only offer limited stops.
Line 715, which travels from LAX to Downey primarily along Manchester Avenue will be discontinued and enhancements will be made to the local 115 service.
The 753, which runs from the Imperial/ Wilmington Blue Line station to downtown Los Angeles, will be eliminated and enhancements to Line 53 are proposed to handle additional loads.
Other proposals include: Eliminating extra short lines on morning and afternoon peak trips on Line 202; discontinuing service all together on line 214; and retaining peak service only on Line 439 while eliminating the service on this line south of the Fox Hills Mall; discontinuing the counter clockwise routes on line 607; eliminating Line 608 all together; discontinuing Line 626 and extending select 625 trips to the Superior Court house at LAX.
These proposed cuts are slated to go into effect in December unless advocates from the Bus Riders Union (BRU) can win a reprieve or push for changes.
According to BRU lead organizer Esperanza Matinzer, the changes will take place just after the sunset of the federal oversight that Metro has been under. It’s a big blow to bus riders and potentially to the mechanics and (bus) operators whose jobs are on the line. I’ve heard that . . . possibly 200 full-time-equivalent employees could lose their jobs; they’re in negotiations about that.”
During its explanation of the need for the reductions, Metro said it was reducing unproductive service; reducing duplication and right sizing Metro Rapid corridors.
But BRU is questioning Metro claims that the lines are unproductiveness in the case of the rapid lines.
“These rapid lines are supposed to run from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m., and they are supposed to have 10-15 minute headway (time between busses) during peak hours and about 20-minute headway during off-peak hours,” said Matinzer. She asserts that this never happened on many of the lines. “There were never enough resources from the beginning to allow (the lines to) be successful.
“On the 711 (for example) of course they’re (riders) going to jump on the local bus, because they rarely see the Rapid Bus. If you’ve got to go somewhere, that’s what you’re gong to do.”
The BRU activist said the organization has written letters to congressional members regarding some of the service cuts, and are in conversations with a number of the local officials sitting on the Metro board.
