Mission Viejo Bus Route May Be Cut

A 30 percent decline in bus ridership in Orange County since 2008 has prompted the Orange County Transportation Authority to consider a plan to curtail some routes and “reallocate resources” to other, busier routes, an agency spokesman said Wednesday.

In 2008, the transit agency counted 69 million passenger “boardings.” The number was down to 48 million last year, OCTA spokesman Joel Zlotnik said.

After the Great Recession, revenue for the agency dropped, prompting OCTA to adopt widespread service cuts. That created a cycle in which ridership continued to decline even when the agency was able to restore some service, Zlotnik said.

The agency is also seeing that many of its customers are now working part-time instead of full-time jobs, which has had an impact on ridership trends, he said.

This time around, instead of adopting broad, widespread cuts, OCTA officials are looking at targeted adjustments, Zlotnik said.

“The plan is to really take a comprehensive look at how we deliver bus service and where we can most effectively deliver service to increase ridership and give riders what they’ve asked for, which is more frequent service, service that gets them where they want to go more quickly, and we have a study underway on our fare structure, as well,” Zlotnik said.

“Ninety-two percent of our riders will see improved service or no change,” Zlotnik said. “We understand that for some people, this will be difficult and may disrupt their bus service. But we have to look at the overall health of our transit system because if we continue on this path we’re on now, it will mean cuts for everybody.”

On Monday, the OCTA board will consider a draft proposal, which will then trigger four community meetings at various locations throughout the county, Zlotnik said.

The board expects to consider final approval of a plan, based on public feedback, in February, with changes to bus routes happening next June and October, Zlotnik said.

The proposed changes would affect three routes in Mission Viejo, according to city spokeswoman Kelly Tokarski, who said one route would be cut, another would be shortened and service would be reduced on the other.

Bus route 82 would stop south of Rancho Santa Margarita. That stretch serves Saddleback College, the city’s commercial sector and the train station, Tokarski said. Route 85 would stop short south of Alicia Parkway in Laguna Niguel and would no longer go to Dana Point and the beach, she said.

Route 87 would be eliminated altogether, Tokarski said.

City News Service