Metro Rail Stops. Photo Courtesy of Metro.net

SANTA MONICA—Starting Sunday, June 26, Metro bus service will be altered in order to improve service quality for customers.

The Metro website, metro.net, states that the “proposed service changes to a selected number of bus lines will help optimize service levels to demand and will result in reducing wasteful and underutilized service.”

The five weekday bus lines to be removed are Lines 247, 335, 445, 634 and 902. Five weekend bus lines will also be taken away, namely Lines 485, 751, 757, 760 and 794. Some of the bus lines to be discontinued will be replaced by some sort of service, such as the new Line 180, which will replace Line 485 late night service. Bus service on Lines 35, 60, 94, 205, 207, 251, 450X and the Metro Silver Line will be increased.

“These changes will provide better quality over quantity, reduce duplication of services, provide better coordination with municipal and other transit operators, and better integrate rail and bus service,” according to the Metro press release.

These changes come as a result of discussions, over the last six months, about problems encountered with the current bus lines. Too many bus lines, suspended maintenance, and not following the scheduled times have led to these decisions.

Other changes to be expected according to the Metro website include:

·            Lines 2 and 302 Downtown L.A. – Pacific Palisades via Sunset Boulevard will now have a short line terminal in Echo Park at Sunset Boulevard and Alvarado Street. Trips in Downtown L.A. will continue unchanged, as well as unchanged owl service.

·            Line 4 Downtown L.A. – West L.A. – Santa Monica via Santa Monica Boulevard will offer services between Santa Monica and West L.A. “only after the last scheduled Line 704 trips to Santa Monica.” Customers traveling west of Sepulveda Boulevard may use Line 704 or Big Blue Bus Line 1. Owl service on this line is also unchanged.

·            Line 20 Downtown L.A. – Santa Monica via Wilshire Boulevard with service between Santa Monica and Westwood will operate “only after the last scheduled Big Blue Bus Line 2 trips to Santa Monica.” Customers traveling west of Westwood Boulevard before then can use Line 720 for select trips or Big Blue Bus Line 2. Owl service is also unchanged.  

·            Line 96 Downtown L.A. – Sherman Oaks via Riverside Drive, L.A. Zoo and Line 155 Universal City – Burbank Station via Riverside Drive – Alameda Avenue will include a shortened Line 96 at Burbank Station. Line 155 will replace that missing segment at Burbank Station and Sherman Oaks on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays.

·            Line 180 Hollywood – Glendale – Pasadena via Los Feliz Boulevard and Colorado Boulevard will now offer daily late night shuttle service on Lake Avenue between Colorado Boulevard and Altadena Drive and will connect to the Metro Gold Line Lake Station.

For a detailed list of bus lines to be changed visit metro.net.

-