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All Aboard: Metro To Cut Bus Service, Expand Rail
Photo by LA Wad via LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr
It's been five years since the federal consent decree alleging Metro "violated civil rights by favoring rail over buses" was lifted, and "ambitious" plans are underway to make the system more efficient, reports the LA Times.
Combined with last year's changes, the latest plans "mark the most significant overhaul of L.A.'s bus system in more than a decade and would slash overall bus service by 12% and increase the number of passengers on individual buses," reports the LA Times. Currently, 80% of the 1.4 million average weekday Metro riders are bus customers. In June, nine routes are set to be eliminated and 11 would see a reduction in service.
According to Metro Chief Executive Arthur Leahy, the bus system operates at about 42% capacity overall. If approved, Metro's peak fleet would drop to approximately 1,900 buses freeing up an estimated $23 million in operating costs, notes the LA Times. The increased capacity per bus would mean that a 40-seat vehicle would carry a maximum of 52 passengers, instead of the 48 it now carries.
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