LADOT Outlines Massive Cuts, Fare Hikes, for DASH

This route won't be alone in seeing a cut...but at least it survives. Photo: rjmconnel/Flickr

For much of the last year, Los Angeles' transit riders were spared much of the suffering caused by the Governor and legislature's decisions to eliminate transit funding in the name of partially closing the yawning chasm which is the state's budget deficit.  However, those days are long gone.  Already we've seen a large service cut plan passed by the Metrolink Board of Directors.  Today we see the outline of a coming massive service cut for LADOT's DASH, Commuter Express, Charter Bus, and City Ride bus services.

In a letter to Neighborhood Council's, LADOT General Manager reminds the communities of the $350 million structural deficit over the next decade for the transit lines, $23 million of which comes in the next year.  You can read the brochure included in the letter to the Councils here, or read on after the jump for a breakdown of the cuts and hikes by service. Prepare yourself, the word "draconian" came to mind while digesting the changes, although it's not like they have a lot of choice while our jet-setting state leaders terminate transit funding.  Oh, and good luck finding news of the cuts on the LADOT main site or transit services site.  (Update: You can now find them here: http://ladotlbl.tmdinc.net/recommend.htm)

To register your outrage or try to save your line of choice, you have three options.

1. Internet –Go to http://ladotlbl.tmdinc.net

2. Telephone & Leave Message – Call (213) 455-0880

3. Mail – Send your comments to
LADOT, 201 North Los Angeles St.,
Space 18B, Los Angeles, CA 90012

Public hearings have not been scheduled, but will probably be held next month.  A final review of the of the plan will come before the City Council this Spring and the changes will go into place in July.

Hikes and Cuts by Service.

Charter Bus Program will be completely eliminated.

DASH

Routes to be eliminated:

Central City
East Downtown Route C
Downtown Route DD
Fairfax Hollywood/West Hollywood
Hyde Park Shuttle
Van Nuys/Studio City Warner Center (North & South)

Routes with Service Changes:

Downtown Route D: Reduce frequency to every 15 minutes after 6:00 PM
El Sereno/City Terrace: Reduce frequency to every 30 minutes from 8:00 PM – 10:00 PM
Highland Park/Eagle Rock: Eliminate service along Yosemite Dr. and Colorado Blvd. east of Townsend Ave.
Lincoln Heights/Chinatown: Change routing as follows: Serve current routing from College St. and Centennial St. in Chinatown to Broadway and Lincoln Park Ave. in Lincoln Heights (both directions). Eliminate all other portions of route including Cesar Chavez Ave., Main St. and Griffin Ave.
Northridge: Eliminate AM and PM Commuter Service and reduce frequency to every 15 minutes
Wilmington: Eliminate service after 7:00 PM

Fare increases: Current/Fare on July, 2010/Fare on July 2011

One-Way Tickets .25, .35, .50
Senior/Disabled .10, .15, .2
Monthly $9, $13, $18
Trip Ticket Booklet $15, $21, $30

Commuter Express

Routes to be eliminated:

413 – Van Nuys/Burbank/North Hollywood/Los Angeles
430 – Brentwood/Pacific Palisades/Los Angeles
575 – Simi Valley/Warner Center

Routes to see reductions:

142 – San Pedro/Long Beach: Eliminate service to Customs House; reduce frequency to every 30 minutes; end service at 9:00 PM
419 – Chatsworth/Northridge/Granada Hills/Mission Hills: Remove service west of Chatsworth Metrolink Station
422 – Central LA/Hollywood/San Fernando Valley/Thousand Oaks & 423 – Newbury Park/Thousand Oaks/Woodland Hills/Encino/Downtown LA: Eliminate service to/from Ventura County; end service at Westlake Village

Fare Hikes:

There's a big table in the letter to the Neighborhood Councils, but depending what type of ticket you buy you can expect to see hikes of 30%-60% in the next two years.

City Ride

Bus Pass Subsidy
Cityride participants will no longer be able to use Cityride fare value (formerly scrip) to buy Metro Monthly Passes, but can still purchase the substantially discounted Metro Passes for $14/month.

Reductions
Reduce the annual fare value (formerly scrip) allotment to $168/year ($42 per quarter)
Reduce Dial-A-Ride maximum trip length to 10 miles

Hikes:

Quarterly fees will go from $9 to $21.
Dial-a-Ride cost will go to $3 a trip
Increase one-time emergency trips to $12 for $24 of fare value