Transit Service on Wild, Wild, Western Ave.

February 15, 2011 | Author: cph

The history of bus service on Western Avenue (which never had streetcars, except for a short section near Hollywood) began in 1923 when Los Angeles Motor Coach (a bus company jointly owned by the Pacific Electric and the Los Angeles Railway) implemented a local bus line (#84) on Western. Initially, #84 ran between Hollywood and Slauson; development south of that point was still rather sparse. About a year later, LAMC extended the bus service further south to Manchester Bl.

A different operator provided Service on Western south of Manchester. The West Side Transit Company, based in Long Beach, had operated a bus line between that city and Torrance from the early 1920s. In 1926, West Side Transt extended the route from Torrance, via Western, to Manchester Bl, enabling connections with LAMC #84.

West Side Transit’s owners initially planned to extend its route northward, via Western, into Hollywood. After the California Railroad Commission turned down West Side’s application, the company decided to sell the route to LAMC for $15,000. In 1931, LAMC acquired West Side Transit’s route along Western south of Manchester to Long Beach and extended it to Hollywood. This new route was designated #81, and operated “interurban service only” (e.g. no local passengers were carried between Hollywood and Manchester Bl.) LAMC provided service on #81, over varying routes, at least until late 1938.

Meanwhile, LAMC continued expanding #84 southward, as development increased in South Los Angeles. #84 reached 104th Street in 1939, 111th Street in 1947, and its current terminus, Imperial Highway, in 1949. (1949 was also the year that the Gardena Municipal Bus Lines started service on Western, south of Imperial Highway to Pacific Coast Highway.) In 1981, SCRTD renumbered #84 to #207, as part of the general renumbering of bus lines.

The most extensive change to #207 happened in mid-1995, when it was extended along 120th Street to the Imperial/Wilmington Blue Line Station. (This extension replaced part of Route #254.) Ridership along this segment was never spectacular, and #207 was cut back to 117th/Figueroa in 2004.

SCRTD added limited stop service (#357) along Western in 1988. Under MTA (“Metro”), this became Rapid Bus #757 in late 2005. The Rapid Bus is currently under threat of elimination because, according to officials, it “provided no substantial travel time savings when compared with Metro Local 207.”

As for service along Western south of PCH and into San Pedro: this segment was originally a branch of a local Greyhound line between Long Beach and Santa Monica. In 1960, V.M McDonald bought this portion of the route and operated it as “San Pedro Transit Lines.” SCRTD acquired SPTL in 1973, and designated it Route #145. This became #849 in 1976, and #205 (its current route number) in 1983. In 1990, SCRTD extended it to the Imperial/Wilmington Blue Line Station, replacing a portion of local Route #56 in the process.

Sources:

Jones, Lionel. Los Angeles Bus Line History Book (updated route histories as of 2004)

Southern California Association of Governments. Transit Development Program.
(contains histories of bus routes up to 1971)

Bail, Eli. “Long Beach.” Motor Coach Age, April-June 2004

(LACMTA) Service Council Public Hearing Notice (June 2011):

http://www.metro.net/about_us/service_sectors/images/2011_Public_Hearing_Notice.pdf

SCRTD/MTA bus route maps/schedules as appropriate.

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Bussing It To the Airport: The Life and Death(?) of Line #439

January 14, 2011 | Author: cph

Effective December 12, 2010, Metro cut back service on its Bus Route #439 from an all-day operation to a peak-hour-only, bi-directional commuter service.

But at one time #439 was the way to get to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), that is, if you didn’t want to spring for a taxi or shuttle van. #439 was also popular with people who worked at or near the airport, as well as people reverse-commuting to El Segundo, or from Culver City to LA. International travelers with long layovers at LAX occasionally hopped on #439 for a quick tour of Los Angeles.

Beginnings of an Airport Bus Route.

The history of Line #439 (and its local counterpart, Line #42) began in May 1940, when the Pacific Electric discontinued its Los Angeles-Redondo Beach interurban rail service due to low ridership and high costs. PE replaced the rail service with two bus routes: one operating from Los Angeles via Culver City (Venice and Culver Bl) to the beach cities; the other via Figueroa, Slauson and La Tijera. In 1943, when PE numbered all of its bus lines, the Culver Bl. and Slauson Bl, branches were designated #79V and #79W, respectively.

In 1946, PE added a new alternate route, #79E. This was a more-direct “limited” route operating primarily via Santa Barbara Bl. (now Martin Luther King Ave.), and Angeles Vista Bl to Slauson, then continuing via the route of #79W to the beach cities. Since the Los Angeles Transit Lines #5 streetcar already served Santa Barbara Bl., #79E carried no local passengers between Crenshaw and downtown Los Angeles. (This restriction would remain in place even after the merger of LATL into LAMTA in 1958. It was finally removed in December 1986.)

All branches of #79 were renumbered #51 in 1950.

LAX, which had opened in 1928, underwent its first major remodeling in the early 1960s. Line #51, now owned by the public agency LAMTA, was re-routed to serve the airline terminals in 1961. The 1960s also brought the loss of the Culver Bl. branch (it became line #13 and was shortened to run between Culver City and El Segundo in 1963) and the end of the Slauson branch in 1969. Now #51 had one branch only: the former “limited” route along Santa Barbara Bl.

Big Changes in 1976

As part of the Santa Monica Freeway Diamond Lane project, RTD started a new express line, #607, between LAX and Downtown Los Angeles in March 1976. The Diamond Lane, which reserved an existing freeway lane for buses and carpools only, proved highly unpopular with the majority of freeway users (i.e. those in single-passenger vehicles) and was discontinued in August. But RTD’s #607, along with several other bus routes created especially for the Diamond Lane, remained in service, slogging along in mixed traffic.

Also in June 1976, #51 was renumbered to #871. This local bus line now extended from Downtown Los Angeles, along Santa Barbara Bl, through the Angeles Vista area, along La Tijera, Sepulveda, LAX, El Segundo and through the Beach Cities, ending at Pacific Coast Highway and Palos Verdes Bl. Meanwhile, #607 was extended into Culver City’s Fox Hills Mall and south of LAX to El Segundo. It even had a four-year foray into Torrance (Del Amo Shopping Center) between late 1977 and late 1981 (after which, #607 continued to serve the beach cities as far south as Torrance Ave).

The 80s and beyond…

In 1983’s “Great Renumbering,” the RTD renumbered #607 to #439 and #871 to #42. At the December 1986 “shakeup” (the twice-yearly systemwide service change), #439, which up to now had operated weekdays only, was enhanced with night and weekend service. #439 also was extended along the route of #42 between LAX and Palos Verdes; #42 was cut back to serve Downtown-LAX only. RTD also lifted the restriction on #42 which prohibited it from handling local riders along what was now known as Martin Luther King Bl. between Crenshaw and Downtown.

In early 1988, RTD proposed (but did not follow through with) switching parts of #42 and #439. #42 would have taken #439’s longer route via Fox Hills Mall, while #439 would be routed via La Tijera for a somewhat faster trip to the airport.

Over the next several years, #439 continued to operate with small changes, the most notable being a reroute to serve the newly-opened Green Line Aviation light rail station in 1995.

About a decade later, ridership on the portion of #439 south of LAX had dropped to the point where the transit agency (now known as MTA) decided to cancel service to El Segundo and the Beach Cities. Instead, effective January 2006, Beach Cities Transit, a new bus service funded by the three Beach Cities and El Segundo, took over that portion of #439, and renumbered it #109.

Airport Bus Competition

Of course, there were always other ways to travel to LAX, ranging from private cars and taxis, to airport buses and shuttle vans (and for a few decades, even helicopters!). While these options cost more than a city bus fare, they were usually faster and provided direct service to the airline terminals (which RTD also did, at least until the mid-80’s. Then the city buses all stopped at an off-airport “City Bus Terminal” in LAX Parking Lot C, requiring passengers to take one of LAX’s parking lot shuttles to get to the airline terminals.)

Although mostly operated by private companies, RTD dabbled in the airport shuttle business from 1976 (when a private operator, AirporTransit went out of business) to 1979 (when RTD went on strike and another private company took over the airport service).

The 1994 Northridge Earthquake brought another competitor to #439, at least temporarily. MTA, using FEMA funds, operated a line #646 between Downtown and LAX via the Harbor (I-110) and Century (I-105) Freeways. Although the buses made good time via the freeways’ carpool lanes, #646 was poorly marketed, and was canceled when the FEMA money ran out.

Much better publicized was the Metro Green Line, which opened in 1995. Passengers from Downtown could access LAX by using the Red, Blue and Green Lines, then taking a LAX shuttle bus to the airline terminals. The high number of transfers discourages most people, but quite a few (mostly budget or foreign) travelers, use this option.

But it was LAX’s Flyaway shuttle service, which had operated from Van Nuys since 1975, that may have put a nail in #439’s coffin, so to speak. In January 2006, Flyaway opened a new route between Los Angeles Union Station and LAX. The Flyaway featured large over-the-road coaches with plenty of space for luggage, and operated nonstop via the I-110 and I-105 carpool lanes to LAX, stopping at each terminal. Fares were not that much higher than MTA’s, given the level and quality of service provided.

With most of its airport ridership moved over to either Flyway or the Metro Rail system, Line #439 soldiered on as primarily a commuter service for people living in Culver City.

Epilogue

But the story may not be over for #439 yet. In February 2011, Metro will hold several meetings regarding proposed changes to its bus routes. Upon completion of a portion of the Expo Line between Downtown LA and Culver City, Metro may eliminate #439 entirely, replacing the La Cienega portion with a southward extension of #217 (Fairfax Ave). #42 would not be unscathed either; Metro proposes to cut it back to the Western Ave. Expo Line station.

Sources:

Jones, Lionel. Los Angeles Bus Line History Book (updated route histories as of 2004)

Southern California Association of Governments. Transit Development Program.
(contains histories of bus routes up to 1971)

Tranquada, James. “With RTD Strike, New Bus Firm Is In Driver’s Seat.” Los Angeles Times, August 27, 1979.

Western Transit, January 1987.

“Notice of Public Hearing On Proposed Fare and Service Changes and Employer and Business Subsidies for RTD Bus Service.” SCRTD, February? 1988

(LACMTA) Update on Emergency Actions Associated With The Northridge Earthquake, April 28, 1994. http://boardarchives.metro.net/Items/1994/05_May/items_h_0410.pdf

“RB Buses to take over LAX Trips.” Daily Breeze, November 3, 2005

“FlyAway Service To LAX Will Be Added at Union Station” Los Angeles Times, January 24, 2006

(LACMTA) Service Council Public Hearing Notice (June 2011):

http://www.metro.net/about_us/service_sectors/images/2011_Public_Hearing_Notice.pdf

SCRTD/MTA bus route maps/schedules as appropriate.

Posted in Transit History | 3 Comments

RTD’s (and Metro’s) Summer Fun Bus: Line #460

October 23, 2010 | Author: cph

Another bus route with a long and interesting history is Metro’s #460, running between Los Angeles and Disneyland (Anaheim). Despite all of the route changes, and competition from Metrolink trains and OCTA commuter buses, #460 remains an important link between Los Angeles and Orange Counties.

#460’s Early History

Line #460 can trace its history to the some of the earliest bus lines in Southern California. In 1916, O.R. Fuller’s White Bus Line (later renamed Motor Transit) also connected LA and Orange County through Montebello and Whittier. Passengers could also use the Valley Stage Line, which ran from LA to Anaheim via Norwalk and Buena Park. Since both the White and Valley bus lines terminated in Anaheim, passengers had to transfer to buses operated by the Crown Stage Company to continue to Santa Ana.

Santa Ana Bus War

In 1920, Crown bought the Valley Stage Line, and combined it with its Anaheim-Santa Ana service. About the same time, Motor Transit acquired the ARG Bus Company, which operated a route between Los Angeles and San Diego, stopping in Santa Ana.

Motor Transit and Crown battled each other in California Railroad Commission hearings, and then in the courts, as to which company had the right to carry people between Los Angeles and Santa Ana. In 1921, the Commission upheld the right of Crown to offer the service; the rights that Motor Transit purchased from ARG did not include local service between the two cities. The Commission’s decision was affirmed in the California Supreme Court

During 1926, the bus operators, with encouragement from the Railroad Commission, divided the traffic among themselves. Motor Transit became a suburban bus operator, while long-distance routes (such as to San Diego) were handled by other companies.

Pacific Electric Takes Over

By 1933, the Motor Transit system had been bought by Pacific Electric. PE used the bus system to supplement, and eventually replace, several of its rail routes. When PE numbered its routes in the 1940s, the routes between LA and Santa Ana were designated #58. Alternate routes were lettered–#58D through Downey, and #58S via Telegraph Road. (There was a #58W, the old Motor Transit route via Whittier. #58W became #72 in 1966.) a #58F “Freeway Flyer” route began using the Santa Ana Freeway (I-5) as that facility was completed.

Under Metropolitan Coach Lines (1953-1958), buses started serving Disneyland when the amusement park opened in mid-1955. Several months later, an alternate route between Buena Park and Disneyland via Beach Bl. and Katella Ave. opened.

The #58S (Telegraph Road) became #801; this line ended in Norwalk and no longer served Orange County.

RTD’s “Great Renumbering” of the early 1980s renumbered #801 to #462, and #802 to#460,  their current route numbers.

Summer Fun Bus

Throughout the 1970s and 80s, RTD promoted the bus route to tourists as its “Summer Fun Bus” (not to be confused with Funbus, a privately operated shuttle in the Anaheim area) During the 1970s and 80s. #460 not only served Disneyland and Knotts Berry Farm, but other tourist attractions such as Movieland Wax Museum, and the Japanese Village and Deer Park. In the busy summer months, RTD operated additional trips, including nonstops from Downtown LA to Knotts and/or Disneyland.

Hello OCTD, Goodbye, RTD

Meanwhile, the Orange County Transit District (OCTD), founded in 1972, was building its own countywide bus system. By the late 1970s, most major streets in Orange County had reasonably frequent OCTD bus service. As OCTD service expanded,  RTD service along the same streets was reduced and/or eliminated.

In late 1985, the Anaheim-Santa Ana portion of the route, which the private bus companies of the 1920s had squabbled over, was amicably turned over by RTD to OCTD. #460 was cut back to Disneyland; service from that point to Santa Ana was operated by OCTD #51.

Years went by, and the bus company formerly known as RTD became today’s MTA, or “Metro” in 1993. Upon the Metro Green Line’s start of service in 1995, Metro rerouted the #460 to serve the light rail system’s station in Norwalk (I-105/I-605).

But in June 2003, #460 underwent its most radical change to date. Faced with increasing traffic congestion on I-5 (Santa Ana Freeway), MTA moved #460 onto the HOV lanes on the I-105 and I-110. Since the buses were less likely to be caught in traffic, #460 became (somewhat) more punctual, but service through Downey was lost.

One interesting side note: the new routing also meant changes in Downtown LA. #460’s coming off the I-110 use the 5th and 6th street couplet to the Maple Ave bus parking lot. This is only about a block from 5th and Los Angeles Streets, where the old Motor Transit Terminal used to stand. (The building is still in place, but has been used for non-transportation purposes for many decades.)

Notes:

Bail, Eli. From Railway to Freeway (Motor Transit history)

“Crown Co. Is Winner in Bus War.” Santa Ana Register, June 9, 1921

Motor Transit Co. vs. Railroad Commission, 64 Cal Dec 278

Western Transit (newsletter of the Western Transit Society)

Southern California Association of Governments. Transit Development Program.
(contains histories of bus routes up to 1971)

Jones, Lionel. Los Angeles Bus Line History Book (updated route histories as of 2004)

Posted in Local History, Transit History | 6 Comments