This article in Tuesday's Orange County Register did a very good job at dispelling the myth that the bus is just for the "undocumented" and shows how hard OCTA's 25% cut in transit service impacts students. (read below)

I myself have had a lot harder time getting around Orange County since buses are more crowded. Line 57's less frequent scheduling has caused buses to show up late (it takes additional time for more riders to alight), along with some crazy bus bunching issues. I've had to abandon using my full-sized bicycle since the racks are almost always full. Now, I wouldn't have a problem with less service if Orange County weren't also studying a $3.8-billion tunnel to lengthen the 57 freeway under the Santa Ana River. Oh, and the 91 freeway expansion. And the proposal to double-decker the 55 freeway through Newport Blvd. And the freeway expansion along the 405-22 junction. The imbalance in transportation makes me pissed beyond belief.

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

For some, cuts to bus service are a hardship

Decreased services means missed classes, two-hour rides turned into three-hour rides.

SANTA ANA – At the intersection of Bristol Avenue and 17th Street, it's not difficult to spot that urban creature that could be known as the "bus stop crane" -- those people perched precariously at the edge of major boulevards, leaning into traffic, scouring the horizon for signs of the next bus.

They're bound to be more common as the Orange County Transportation Authority continues to make buses scarcer by cutting service to deal with multi-million dollar drops in revenue.

That's not good news for Amber Sanders, an 18-year-old communications student at Cal State Fullerton. OCTA cuts that took effect earlier this month means her already-long commute from San Pedro to Fullerton drags out even more.

For the last three weeks, "I've had to take a three-hour bus trip instead of a two-hour bus trip," she said. And that's just one way.

Many of OCTA service-hour cuts mean buses run less frequently. That eliminated the express route Sanders used to take to Fullerton. Instead, she picks up one bus in downtown Long Beach, rides it to Santa Ana, then transfers again for another hour-long ride to Fullerton. She's already upset about the longer commute, which may get more complicated, because OCTA has plans to shorten 60's route.

"I'll have to take four buses versus three," she said, clutching schoolwork as she waited for the 57 bus. It's time she uses to do her homework, but time she'd rather not spend on the road.

Orange County's buses routinely carried 6 million riders a month last year. Earlier this week, OCTA's governing board approved cutting service to levels not seen for a decade, meaning one-third fewer bus runs county-wide and hundreds of transit-related layoffs.

"There will be people waiting on sidewalks for buses," OCTA board member and Orange Mayor Carolyn Cavecche said before voting in favor of the cuts. "We realize that."

That means more mothers sitting at bus stops, jugging bags of groceries and babies wrapped up in blankets; more crowds huddling under green bus shelters when inclement weather arrives.

OCTA officials said they made the cuts because of a drastic drop in sales tax and state transportation funding. The agency chose to make its biggest cuts over a year's time to save agency reserves in a tough economy that may not improve soon. They also said they hope to ramp up service again if the economy improves.

Avid rider James Martin of Santa Ana said he depends on the bus service, taking it wherever he goes.

"I ride it every day," the Orange County native said, noting that 45 years ago, there was no network of buses. He said the service—he's "approaching 70"—is vital for seniors like him, whom, he said, shouldn't be driving: "We really appreciate it."

Maria Granados of Tustin has already had to adjust to less-frequent bus service. The 18-year-old Santa Ana College economics student was late for her classes earlier this month when the bus schedule changed.

"It caught me by surprise, and I was late for school," she said. "Now I have to wake up earlier. Before, the buses used to come more often. Now it takes longer."

Laura Torres, 19, thinks the already-crowded 57 line she takes from Santa Ana back to her home in Anaheim may have to carry even more passengers.

Tweaked schedules means she already has had to change her routine to arrive on time to her college classes. More cuts, she said, "would mean I'd have to start getting up earlier or next semester, taking later classes."

Contact the writer: 714-704-3796 or mmello@ocregister.com