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July 28, 2008
LAX FlyAway Bus Bulks Up AM Service From Union Station
Getting to LAX is not usually a pleasant experience, between the traffic, the crowds, and the anticipated ordeal that is checking in and being screened. Add to that the fact that getting to the city's major airport by public transit is more challenging than perhaps it should be, and it's no wonder that despite fewer flights taking off, more people are turning to affordable ways to get themselves to LAX.
Now the popular and convenient FlyAway bus, which provides an economical and comfortable way to get to the airport from three hubs in town (Union Station, Van Nuys, and Westwood) has responded to "growing passenger demand" and has added additional early morning service from the Union Station departure point, reports the Daily News. The schedule will be as follows:
Buses will depart from Union Station's Patsaouras Transit Plaza Bus Stop 9 weekdays at 5 a.m., 5:30 a.m., 5:50 a.m., 6:30 a.m., 6:45 a.m., 7:10 a.m., 7:30 a.m., 7:50 a.m., 8:10 a.m., 8:30 a.m., 8:50 a.m., 9:10 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. [...]From 10 a.m. until 1 a.m. weekdays, buses leave every 30 minutes, on the hour and half-hour, and every hour between 1 a.m. and 5 a.m.Of course, the problem that remains is one that Metro seems to staunchly refuse to be a part of its solution: Viable public transit linking directly to LAX.
Not too long ago they confirmed their opposition to extending the Green Line to go 2 miles further to the airport. The fate of the Green Line extension is now on hold, however, as Senate Bill 1722 was put on the back burner thanks to its hefty price tag, and is essentially a casualty of the California state budget crisis. According to an article re-published on Senator Jenny Oropeza's site, "All bills that are deemed to cost at least $50,000 are held over for later consideration, sometimes until the state budget is passed," and "Senate Bill 1722 became a casualty of the ongoing budget crisis in Sacramento on May 31st after the Senate Appropriations Committee chose not to recommend it for passage." Looks like the FlyAway is the way to go.
Photo by whalesalad via Flickr
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props for lax for the flyaway bus. i take it out of westwood everytime i need to head to the airport.
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Flyaway is a great way to get to LAX. $4 is a lot cheaper than a taxi or a shuttle.
$1.25 on the Green Line would be cheaper and better still. I'm baffled that Metro didn't plan the GL that way in the first place.
What were they thinking?
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Doesn't the LAX FlyAway bus count as "viable public transportation linking directly to LAX"? I mean... it's public transportation...it runs 24 hours from 3 different locations...and it's only $4... right?
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but paul, it's a non-stop trip that pre-supposes you can get yourself to one of the three locations; if you are car-less and live in South Gate, for example, or Watts, or Koreatown, etc., is it really the best and only way to get yourself to Union Station (north and east of your final destination) by Metro to get the FlyAway (at $4 a trip, yes), or would it be more viable to extend the Green Line 2 miles to connect the existing Metro infrastructure to get people from their own point of origin within the service grid and not have to go out of their way to Union Station (or Westwood or Van Nuys)?
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the flyaway is more of shuttle than a busline. it is a direct ride from westwood/union station/SFV to terminal curbside that runs every 30min from 5am-1am.
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LOVE the flyaway to LAX. I take it all the time and it is by far the most economical and fastest way to LAX from downtown.
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The FlyAway from Van Nuys to LAX works great.
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Why does everyone get so worked up about the Green Line "not going to LAX"?
Even if it did go to LAX's "front door", it's still not going to loop all the way around World Way stopping at each and every terminal.
Which means you'd still have to board some sort of bus, shuttle, tram, people mover - something - to go the final distance between the light-rail station and your particular terminal.
Just like you do now.
There's already a dedicated shuttle from the Green Line Aviation Station to the terminals. And there are plans for a "People Mover."
The only thing that building the proposed Green Line spur to LAX would have accomplished would be shortening the shuttle ride by the two or three minutes it takes it to go up Aviation to the LAX entrance.
It would still mean taking the Green Line to the the shuttle/people mover to the terminals.
Is making the shuttle ride a couple of minutes shorter really such a huge deal?
Is the current arrangement somehow less "viable" for having a shuttle trip two minutes longer than it might otherwise be?
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because the red line to the blue line to the green line is much more convenient than the flyaway!
But hey! at least they don't run 24 hours a day. joy!