SR-1000-001-06 (8)
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tit /O!JO-OO!- 00
MonIca, ~allfornla, March 19,
78
Santa
1981
MAR 2 4 198\
TO:
Mayor and City Council
FRO~t.
C1.ty Staff
SUBJECT:
PUBLIC HEARING CO\CER~IKG MUNICIPAL BUS LI~ES SERVICE
Introduct1.on
At lts February 24, 1981 meetIng, the Santa MonIca CIty Councll approved a re-
commendatIon to hold a publlc hear1.ng concernlng bus serV1.ce operated by the
Santa MonIca MunIcIpal Bus LInes. The following report has been prepared to
provIde some bas1.c lnformatlon about the Department's present operatIons.
Background
The CIty'S TransportatIon Department operates an actIve fleet of 124 tranSIt
coaches. Formed In 1928 to prOVIde the cItlzens of the Santa ~lonIca Bay Area
W1.th low-cost, qualIty tranSIt serVIce, the MUnIC1.pal Bus LInes offers serVIce
on twelve regular tranSIt routes WhIch travel throughout the WestsIde The
Department's fIxed route serVIces focus on four key pOInts: downtown Santa
MonIca, UCLA-Westwood, Rancho Park and the Rlmpau TranSIt Center. CommunItIes
served Include Pac~f~c PalIsades, Brentwood, Chevlot HIlls, Rancho Park, Palms,
Westchester, Mar1.na del Rey and VenIce. The system's 12 routes lInk all these
areas as well as prOVIde dIrect serV1ce to LAX and downtown Los Angeles.
Weekday serVIce 1S provlded over a 20 hour perlod begInnIng at 4:40 a.m. and endlng
at 1'00 a.m.: However, almost half of the Oepartmentfs 57,000 dally revenue pas-
sengers rIde durlng the mornIng and afternoon peak perIods. To accommodate thlS
Increased demand, the MunICIpal Bus LInes operates tWIce the number of buses
durIng the peak as It does durIng the mld-day.
SInce FY 1973, the Munlclpal Bus Llnes has experIenced a 73% growth in r1.der-
sh~p. Today, more passengers r1.de the BIg Blue Buses of the ~unIc1.pal Bus LInes
than at any other tIme 1n 1tS 52 year history. To accommodate thIS Increased
78
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To: Mayor and CIty C~11
-2-
e
March 19, 1981
demand, the ~unIcIpal Bus Lines' fleet has grown from 102 to 124 buses: Its m1le-
age has grown by 25%: And, three new routes have been added to the BIg Blue Bus
system (L1nes 10, 11 and 14), whIle extenSIons and other major modIfIcatIons have
been made to four others (LInes 3, 5, 7 and 12)
InflatIon and skyrocketIng fuel prIces have played roles ~n IncreasIng patronage.
Many have found the BIg Blue Buses an economIC and senSIble way to beat the In-
flatIon squeeze. However, InflatIon and fuel costs have also Increased the cost
of prOVIdIng BIg Blue Bus serVIce. Although wages represent the major portIon
of the Oepartmentfs expense, the cost of fuel, spare parts, and Insurance and
claIms have been qUIte SIzeable.
Between July 1968 and ~ovember 1980, the Department's local fare remaIned at 2S~
even as costs steadIly rose. DurIng thIS time, dIscounts were Introducted for
senlor c~t12ens and the handIcapped. To defray the grOWIng costs, the Clty elected
to use avaIlable State and, later, Federal funds to assist 1n fundIng transit
operatIons. As a result, operating revenues generated by the translt system de-
clIned from coverIng 100% of expenses to Just 40%. In October 1980, the CIty
CounCIl approved a general fare Increase for all BIg Blue Bus patrons. WIth the
boost In Income, It 15 expected that operatIng revenues WIll cover 45% of costs
through FY 1982.
In retrospect, the 1970's probably represented the hIgh pOlDt of outSIde tranSIt
aSSIstance. At one tlme, the Department receIved operatIng funds from the
Federal Urban Mass Transportation AdmInIstratIon, the State and the County.
County fundIng, whlch dId much to faCIlitate the establIshment of the Mun~clpal
Bus LInes' new routes between 1974 and 1978, was wlthdrawn in 1978. PreSIdent
Reagan has promIsed to reduce the Federal operatIng SubSIdIes and to ellmlnate
them completely by FY 1984. ThIS means that, in the future, a much larger share
of the cost for maInta~nIng ex~stIng serv~ce and any InCreases in tranSIt serVIce
e
To. Mayor and CIty CouncIl
e
-3-
March 19, 1981
must be borne by transIt patrons
The fInancial situatIon certaInly shadows the three to fIve year forecasts for
1ncreases In trans1t serVice
However, the MunIcIpal Bus LInes phySical faCIlIty
represents a more ImmedIate lImitatIon
The faCIlIty was constructed to support
a fleet of about one hundred vehIcles and has been hard pressed to serve the
grOWIng number of buses. AddItIonally, tranSIt vehIcles have Increased many-fold
In compleXIty and decreased proportIonately In relIabIlIty. As a result, the
Department's f~ve hOIsts and one pIt cannot handle the load. In an attempt to
compensate, the Department has increased utIlIzation of its nIght and SWIng
sh1fts. StIll, many buses must be repaIred wherever yard space can be found.
Problems WIth the new Grumman buses have heen well-publICIzed. These buses re-
present 40% of the Big Blue Bus fleet. To remove them from service, as others
have done, would have left an est1mated 20,000 passengers per day WIthout serVlce.
However, malntaInlng serVIce as near normal as pOSSIble under the Circumstances
has caused problems for some Blue Bus passengers and placed a strain on employees,
as well as further overburdenIng the repair faCIlItIes. On some occaSIons, It
has been necessary to cancel rush hour serVIce due to lack of eqUIpment and, at
other tImes, to send out the new Closed-WIndow buses wlthollt the aIr-condItIonIng
workIng or WIth other non-safety related problems unrepaIred. In addItIon, older
buses, WhICh had been Intended only for occaSIonal tripper runs, have been pressed
into regular serVIce. As a result, road faIlures have Increased and schedule
relIabilIty has suffered. It should be noted however that Grumman personnel have
also Invested many man-hours In modIfYIng and repaIrIng problems wlth the Grumman
buses so that serVice to the publiC could be maIntained
In View of defICIenCIes In fInanCIng and eqUIpment, the Department has attempted
to make as many adjustments as pOSSIble by JugglIng Its eXIstIng resources. WIth
the costs of tranSIt serVlce approachIng $100 for each mInute added to a schedule
To:
Mayor and CIty ctlle11
-4-
e
March 19, 1981
for a one year perIod, the Department contInuously and closely reVIews ways
to streamlIne serVIce.
An Important part of offerIng qualIty serVIce IS Input from the rIdIng publIC.
Passenger complaints are InvestIgated thoroughly, and feaSible and cost-effec-
tIve resolutIons pursued. SuggestIons are analyzed by dispatchIng road super-
VIsors to corroborate or gather InformatIon, then uSIng thIS as a baSIS for
takIng actIon
WIthin eqUIpment lImItatIons, schedules and serVIce modIfIcatIons
are revIewed In connectIon WIth the trl-annual drIver re-assIgnments conducted
in February, June and September. ThIS publIC hearIng wIll serve as a part of
that plannIng process.
RecommendatIon
CIty staff recommends that the CIty CounCIl hold the publIC hearIng and refer
any speCIfIC complalnts or problems to the Transportatlon Department staff, who
wlll then gather the necessary detal1s and InItldte whatever actIon may be
necessary to prevent a future recurrence.
It IS further recommended that any serVIce Improvement requests WhICh the CounCIl
feels deserve further lnvestlgatlon be referred to staff for analYSIS, and that
a report on these suggestIons be returned to CounCIl.
Prepared by.
J. F. Hutchlson
R. L. Ayer
JFH/RLA/dg
DATE:
TO:
FROM:
SUBJECT:
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CITY OF SANTA MONICA
INTER-DEPARTMENT MEMO
January 2. 1981
Kent McClain, City Manager
J. F. Hutchison, Director of TransportatIon
RESPONSE TO MR. G. GOLDSTEIN'S CO~~E:~S
Attached is the Transportation DepaTt~entts response to
~Ir. Gerry Goldsteln's comments, concerning bus service.
to the City Council at its meetlng of November 12, 1980
(Agenda Item 12-A).
If you concur with our response, I would appreciate your
fOrliarding copies to the City Council and to ~Ir. Gold-
stein. Mr. Goldsteins' address is -
2309 Beach Avenue
Venlce. California 90291
//?crd::L~~
~//~~ Fo HUTCHISO~
~ DIrector of Transportation
JfH/dag
Attachments:
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CITY OF SANTA MONICA
INTER-DEPARTMENT MEMO
DATE'
December 31, 1980
TO:
Kent HcClain, City Nanager
FROM.
J. F. Hutchison, Director of Transportation
SUBJECT.
RESPO).;SE TO HR. GOLDSTEIN IS SUGGESTlO:\S AND CmIPL..\I~.TS
REG.~ING BIG BLUE BUS SERVICE
On ?;ovember 12, 1980, ~1r. Gerry Goldstein addressed the Santa }'lonica C~ ty Council
conceTPlng Transportation Department bus service. The City council directed staff
to ~nvest~gate Mr. Goldstelnts complaints and return a copy of the ~nvestigation
to the Clty Council for its inforBation. Counc~l also directed that a copy be sent
to Nr. Goldstein. In order to add clarity, "e have taken each suggestion or com-
plalnt singly and then have provided the results of our investigation.
1. Hr. GOldstein conplained that buses are operated \-lith "~ot in Service" on the
heads~gn. Specifically, he felt that the last two Line ~1 trips to Venice each
evenlng should be operated in service from the Venice Post Office terminal to OUT
facility in Santa Monica, because he believes that people should not have to walt
for the SCRTD Line #75 service provided at that ti~e of nig~t.
The Transportation Department operates trips out of service for various reasons;
for exa~ple, _hen operating bu,e, to and from our vaT'OUS Toutes, when deadhead,ng
buses bet-een a"igowent, ,nvolving more than one route, wh5n replac.ng a d,sabled
bu, on the street OT hhen road testing buses after repair. A check of our L,no #1
serVlce sho',.;s that ten buses operate out of service to our garage froi'1 the Venice
Pos"t OffIce te.rJ'linal. To G?erate these trlpS ::-'} sCTvic(' \-C':-l~ ('0,,1 ?pp,-o)..im~.tely
t~n thousan~ dt1llars an:1~allr, as it would add an avel'ag;e 0: fl ve mlnutes runnlng
tlf'"c to ea~h tTlp. '.1:;1 tlpllCG by the nurbe-: of out of sen :ce trips operated, the
total s~m ~ould be quite substantial.
\';hen l>1r." Goldsteln addressed the City Council he argued tha: at least the last t\1O
tr,ps of the evening should return in ,erv.ce To do this hould cost approx,mately
Sl,OOO per year per trlp to add flve rqinutes schedule time, allowing the buses to
hark on the regular route to Fourth Street and Santa ~loniea BOUlevard. \fe calculate
that any additlona1 trip would require farebox contributions from three new full
fare passengers per night in order to pay 40% of the operatIng costs.
In his conversation H,th Nr. Ayer, "r. Goldstein also forh07ded another argument for
the late night serv,ce, to perM't transfer to SeRTD's Line '83 hilsh.re Boulevard
bus in downto'.n Santa 'lon,ea. 1(0 see little likel1heod of sufficient patronage for
th,s late night service, but if aoy could be generated, it certainly would be assisted
b> a transfer connectIon of this sort to broaden the dIstribution area.
A check of the schedule for SCRTD Line ~7S WhlCh operates along the saBe route as
t, ne n be t"een Vemee and the transfer pOl'.t ,,.; th Li ne '8:; in dOHn t Oh'n Sant a Noni ca,
sho~s that Llne #75 buses are scheduled to pass the Venice Post OffIce at midnight
Hr. Kent McClain
December 31) 1980
e
and 1:00 a.m. The Line #83 schedule reveals that buses leave to downtown Los
Angeles from Santa Monica at 11:56 p.m.) 12:26 a.m. and 12:56 a.m. Our last
Line #1 bus) which currently operates in service from the Venice Post Office
at 11:32 p.m. meets the Line #83 bus due out of Santa Monica at 11:56 p.m. The
SCRTD Line #75 bus departing the Venice Post Office a little past midn~ght makes
a better transfer meet with the Line #83 12:26 a.m. trip than any trip we might
have operating out of service. However) the Line #83 12:56 a.m. departure has
no connecting service from Venice.
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Effective February I, 198D) we will schedule our 12:26 a.m. Line #1 arrival at the
Venlce Post Offlce) which currently operates out of service to the garage) to re-
turn J.n service to Fourth Street and Santa tlonlca Boulevard for a go-day trial
period. This bus would a11m..; transfer to SCRTD's last bus from Santa Nonica at
12:56 am. If In the 90 days it does not build up and sustain an average of three
revenue passengers per trip) the service will be discontinued. The cost of this
90 day experiment) excluding any promot1ona1 or schedule reprinting costs. is
calculated to be approximately $250.
In his telephone conversation with Mr. Ayer, Mr. Goldstein mentioned that he trans-
fers from our Line #1 to our Line #8 bus which arrives at Main Street and Ocean
Park Boulevard at 7:25 p.m. His transfer would be made more convenient if our
Line #1 bus, which is scheduled to arrive at the Venice Post Off~ce at 7:06 p.mO)
were returned in service to downtown Santa Monica. Again, the cost of the change)
which would add five minutes schedule time to the run. would be approximately
$1)000 a year.
We have received no requests for either of the above service adjustments from Qur
other patrons. We do believe that if any of Nr. Go1dstc~n's suggestions hac; a
chance for success, it would be the later bus leaving the Venice Post Office. If
th~s is successful(i.e. carries three to four revenue passengers for the trip) then
we would propose reconsideration of 1.lr. GoldsteJ.u's other suggestions for out of
service buses.
2. Mr. Goldstein questioned why buses shuuld not travel straight on one <;t.rc('t)
instead of. as he put ~t, "meandering". Bus lines have been esta~lished and mod~-
fled through the years to conform to the places people want to go. All Big Blue
Bus lines entcTlng downtown Santa Mon1ca pass the intersection of Fourth Street and
Santa Monica Boulevard. TnJ.s permits easy a~cess to the downtown area and facili-'
tates transfers between Big Blue Buses.
Mr. Goldsteln wondered why the downtown area should be so well served. Big Blue Bus
lines focuS on the shopping and employment hubs of the West Side and in a very real
sense OUT patrons themselves prov1de the answer to Hr. Goldstein'S question. Blue
Bus crosstown lJ.nes on 14th Street and 20th Street, as well as on Centinela Avenue,
are far lesS patronized than the routes which enter the downto~n areas. TIl~ cross-
town lines also J.ssue and receive a much greater percentage of transfers than the
lines that Mr. Goldstein feels meander. The heavy patronage on our Big Blue Buses,
which operate on a g1eater frequency than most other similarly sized systems in the
country, bears mute witness to the superJ.ority of routes serving focal points)
rather than on a grid system which forces patrons to transfer to satisfy their travel
desires.
Nr. Goldstein pointed out that th1.5 meandC'rlng leaves the yard on of Lincoln F>oulc-
vard between P1CO Boulevard and Wl1snire Boulevard without service. This exanple
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!II
NT_ Kent McCla1.n e -3- e Decewber 31, 1980
serves to prove the point. The portion of LIncoln Boulevard north of Pico was
served by Blue Bus LIne #7 until this past Septe~ber. On/off checks conducted
by the Department indicated practically no patronage on this portion of the
line.
then Broadway was transformed into a one-way street~ we were forced to change
the routing of Line #7. Our analysis led to the present route which eliminated
1.4 miles of line, permitted us to increase daytime service from 12 to 10 minutes
and avoIded the extremely congested portion of Lincoln near the Santa Monica
Freeway onramp_ We believe it noteworthy that we received no complaints as a
result of this major change.
3. Mr. Goldsteln suggests that a do"~town shuttle service be provided, possibly
using Crew Transit buses deadheading out of service. We have no control OVer the
private Crew Transit operation. As we have pointed out previously, shuttle ser-
v~ce presently existing In the Los Angeles area is heavily subsidized and is prone
to fail. . The rapid demIse of the Hollywood Boulevard shuttle, which was subsi-
dized by Clty of Los Angeles parking meter revenue, is only the latest example of
this. Addltionally, the l1kelihood of our obtaining Federal or State funds for
such a project are re~ote. We understand that the Beverly Hills shuttle service
is pald for through the Clty general fund.
4. ~lr. GoldsteIn wondered how we could offer service to the Rose Parade and Rose
Bowl game on New Year's Day, but not operate serVlce to Rustic Canyon Park. Our
Rose Parade and Rose Bowl game transportation costs between $8.50 and $12.00, which
makes the program self-supporting. If lve felt he could enjoy a similar return
fro~ Rustic Canyon service, we would certalnly be hilling to try it.
The lack of demand for transportation to Rustic Canyon Park is evidenced by the fact
that i'>lr., Goldstein dld not receive c01'lplete i'1formation when he contacted us. h'e
make it a policy to volunteer SCRTD Information, if we are aware of it. We do not
know what happened In Mr. Goldsteln's case, as He do not know K~en he called or to
whom he spoke We ha'.e questioned our cler~s a'1d find that they have received no
call s fo:" Rustic C<>.nycn PaTk lio'{H~Ve1: 1. t is 21 so trUQ that sen-ra} hC'G not even
heard of the park.
Ke d1spatched staff to look at the park and route leading to it to determine if it
flight be a candidate for a future Big Blue Bus serVLce. Their report indicates that.
the fac~lities and grounds would have little attraction for our patrons, as they do
not cb-Jiip.are ldth those offered by the City 1n lts Ohn park system. In additIon, the
narro'.mess and grades of the streets leading to the park offer substantial dra\'/backs
to operating such service.
s. Mr. Goldstein next related a problem he had with one of our bus drivers. We
searched through our records and found that ~~l' Goldstein fUed the cOIT'plaint on
July 26, 1977. Apparently, someone was smokIng on our 11:50 p.m. trip to Venice. As
a result ~fr. Goldstein decided to open a numb~r of wIndows in the bus and an alter-
catlon with the operator ensued. The driver threatened to pass ~1r. Goldstein in the
future.
In response to Mr. Goldstein's complal.nt, t.;e
driver lnvolved and dispatched a motor coach
stcln did not appear for the next two weeks.
one of our drivers that Nr. Goldstein pulled
discussed the matter in detail with the
supervisor to ride the bus. Mr. Gold-
1-l0\~('vC"r J l~e did rC"("C"i"c Y(>ports froon
a bench in front of one of our buses and
t-Ir. Kent HcClain
e
-4-
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December 31, 1980
from another, that he threw a rock at a bus. ~e receIved no further complaint
from ~Ir. Goldstein, a fact that flir. Ayer conflrr.:ed lnth him by phone. The original
driver involved is no longer employed by the City.
6. h'e cannot comment on Mr. Goldstein J s sugges tion that the Santa Monica Place
parking lot be turned into a park/ride lot, although we doubt that it would be fea-
sible. We do agree with tir. Goldsteinls contention that we changed LIne "7 due to
the transformation of Broadlolay to a one way street. We wish to point out that l'-lr.
Goldstein approved of this change, which we undertook only after some study_
7. ~lr. Goldstein also suggested In his presentation that a bus be operated on
Rose Avenue between Main Street and Lincoln Boulevard. About five years ago, we
received a similar requ~t with a petition appended signed by most of the residents
one block each side of Rose requesting serVIce for shopping trips. We established a
shoppers special operating between PacifIC Avenue and Lincoln Boulevard. The results
were dismal, as our service netted only one passenger per trip and that one boarded
at PacifIC, rather than on Rose Avenue. A check of our files since then shows that
no additional requests have been received.
We have taken additional time and effort to explore Mr. Goldstein's complaints and
suggestions in detail. As with all of our Big Blue Bus patrons, we believe Mr.
Goldstein's suggestIons deserve a thorough investigation and follow-up. In our tele-
phone conversation with him. we urged him to call us in the future if he has any pro-
blems with OT suggestions concerning Big Blue Bus service.
~?7:~L
V ~: _ F. HUTCHISO~
. DIrector of TransportatIon
JFH/RLA,Jdag
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PROOF OF PUBLICA rlON
(20155 C C P )
STATE OF CALIFORNIA,
County of Los Angeles,
I am a cItizen of the United States and a
resident of the County aforesa Id, I am over
the age of eighteen yenrs. and not a party to
or Interested In the above-entitled matter I
am the prinCipal clerk of the printer of the
E~ING OUTLOOK
a newspaper of general cIrculation, pnnted
and puhllshed, ~a~.ly. e~~e.~~..~~~~r,..,
SAtITA MONICA
In the City of...... ... ..... ....,
County of Los Angeles, and which
newspaper has been adludged a newspaper
of general CIrculation by the Supenor Court
of the County of Los Angeles, State of
California, under fhe date of.-!!A.lf. ~~ 19. ~;,
Case Number ..?~~~;1:~....., that the notice,
of whIch the annexed IS a pnnted copy (set
In type not smaller than nonpareil), has
been published In each regular and entire
Issue of said newspaper and not tn any
supplement thereof on the follOWing dates,
to-Wit
Mar l'
all In the year 1981
I certIfy (or declare) under penalty of
perlury that the foregomg IS true and
correct
Dated at
SANTA MONICA
,r--......
c~~o~nl~,thIS.. ~ 1981
. ~':. ~ ~Ww-~.1t.. ~~...,J'~v.Y~J
- : Slgh'afure
Fr~e copln III' : blank fGrm may be secured from
CALIFORNIA NEWSPAPER SERVICE
BUREAU, INC.
Legal Advertlsmg Clearing House
South Spring St , Los Angeles, Calif 90012
Telephone: 62S-HH
Please request GENE RAL PrGof 01 Publlcallon
,/'-!. t,.' _ ~) _ ~ /" Wh.~n ordenng 'hIS lorm
__Il
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ThIS space IS for the County Clerk's FlJlng Stamp
Proof of Publication of
. . p . .... _____ ~ _ . _ ~ ~ A . A _ _ ~ _ . _ _ _ . .. . . . .... .... 4 . ...... ...... ... ...... ..
NOTICE OF PUBUC BEARING
BUS LINE SERVICE
The Santa Monica City Council will hold a pubHc
,hearlnJ to hear comments and sUIgestlons rega~d-
: lIw: IeMcea provided by the Santa MOnica
M.unlcipal Bus Unea The hearing wUl be held on
Tueldar..March 24,1981, at 7 30 p~ in the Council
Cbamber, US85 Main Street, Santa Monica .
If you wish to submit comments in writing.
addrell them to Santa Monica Bus Lines, 1620 Six(h
Street Santa Monica. CaUfonUa 90401
I ANN M SHORE.
City Clerk,
City of Santa Monica
Pub March 13-1981
y
5'#{&aI-~F
.
DATE:
March 3, 1981
TO: Mary Lennon, Santa Monica Evening Outlook
FROM: City Clerk (393-9975, Ext. 211), Santa Monl.ca City Hall
SUBJECT: REQUEST TO PUBLISH LEGAL NOTICE
Please publish the attached
Notice re BUS LINE SERVICE
on
Friday, March 13, ;t9~~_
and return
proofs ~f publication ~o the CIty Clerk's Offlce.
three
Thanks for your assistance.
ChrlS llllre~k.ln, City Clerk's SecretaFY
/
cc: Transportation Department
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NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING
BUS LINE SERVICE
The Santa Monica City Council will hold a public hearing tc.
heElr cOIl"W-lents and suggestions regarding services provided by
the Santa Monica !1Unicip~1 Bus Lines. ThEl hearing '\rlill be
held on Tuesday, March 24, 1981, at 7:30 P.M. in the counc~l
cha~er, 1685 Ma~n Street, Santa Monica.
If you wishtto submit conunents in writing, address them to San1_a
4
Monica Bus Lines, 1620 Sixth Street, Santa Monica, Cal~forn1a 90401.
AL'JN M. SHORE
CITY CLERK
CITY OF SANTA MONICA
PUBLISH~ March 13, 1981
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~ANTAJ;rO NI CA
CALIFORNIA
301
OFFICE OF THE CITY MANAGER 393-9975, extxm<l
1685 Mam Street, Santa Momca, Cahiorma 90401
t'1arch 3, 1981
....
Mrs. Hannah C. Jaffe
824 Lincoln Boulevard
Apartment #2
Santa Monica, California 90403
Dear Mrs. Jaffe:
For your information, the City Council at its regular meeting of
February 24th, 1981, set a public hearing regarding bus service
for March 24th, 1981. The meeting will begin at 7:30 p.m. in City
Council Chambers, City Hall, 1685 Main Street, Santa Monica.
If you have any questions regarding this matter, please feel free
to contact my office.
S; nce,re ly yours, (f-,
I' / ;' ~~ _ -' (\ f~
LXii. vt...~ ,t(,;. t, \A, ~~---=-
CHARLES KENT McCLAIN
Ci ty ~1anager
CKM: dvm
cc:~ty Clerk
Mayor Pro Tem Vannatta Goldway
(1) :E
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fld d tTiON 10
11;
March 17, 1981
MAR 2 4 198t
City Clerk:
MAR JO 4 39 PM 'a;
on MarcgAH4j ,1, ~m ,sendJng,
conditions on tlle- bu~Ii;JF
at the request
As I am unable to attend the meeting
of Cheryl Rhoden, a letter outlining
I can on 1 y speak for the #5 bus, as that is my means of t ransportat ion b<Kk and
forth to \tJork.
I first started riding the bus in September of 1980. At that ti~e I was
catching a 7.15 (leaving the Pica Terminal) bus which should have been at the
VA at 7'45 or so. The bus was so crowded with school kids (who refused to
take a special bus for them, because it got them to school too late~) that at
times I had to stand all the way to Texas avenue before I could get a seat.
This, from La Cienega Blvd. is no fun, I can assure you. ThIS was a stupid
~ove on the part of the bus company. Why have a special bus for the kids if
it does'nt get them to school on time? I finally got wise and started getting
up even earlier in order to get a bus that gets me to work early, but at least
I have a halfway chance of getting a seat. Coming back Intr.~ evening, the
4'45 bus leaving the VA was late every day, approximately 10 to 15 minutes.
When you have already waited 20 minutes, and are tired from working all day,
it is not the most pleasant experience. This has been remedied, apparently,
although the bus COMpany denied the bus was ever late' Now, it see~s to be
the 3:45 bus that has this same trouble. Complaints see~ to fall on deaf ears,
because nothing ever is remedied, or if it iSt it happens months later.
We rode all winter, through the coldest months, on a bus (a new Grummann) that
had absolutely no heat. This contributed greatly to the recurrences of flu
among some of the passengers. Even the drIver complainedt but to no avail.
This went on for months until the bus was finally taken off, instead of being
repaired. Speaking of the new buses, they are like sOMeonels idea of a sick
joke. If you are under 5'6 it is virtually inpossible to reach those stupid
yellow bars when you want to get off. You either fall in someones lap or
practically decapitate them trying to reach the bar. There is also a very
inadequate overhead bar that cannot be grasped In a normal manner. You can
only cup your hands under it on one side. I have seen ~any people lose their
grip, and stumble and fall from this.
I have asked why there could not be another bus between the rush hours of
7:00 a.M. and 8:00 a.m., but have been told it is not feasible. It would cost
too ~uch. Since that time, there has been a~ increase In fare, with no change
in service. I have heard that this line is in existence only as a favor to the
hospital. If that is true, then the many sick and needy veterans who ride this
line deserve much better treatment. As a final insult to those who fought to
protect all of us and make this a better country, they ( and us civiliens also)
are forced to put up with the final insult---filthy buses infested with hordes
of roachs~ Yes, those roachs are quite visible, and have crawled over our
bodIes while riding the buses. They have been found in peoples clothing, purses,
lunches, etc., and have been inadvertently taken home with theml There have
been many times when a crowded bus has empty seats, because the riders would
rather stand then have these rl3sty vermin crawl ing on them. I knovJ, because I
have also stood to avoid them. I have reported this to the health department, as
the company laughs it off when complaints are made. What it all boils down to,
18
MAR 2 4 1981
e
-2-
e
is that the company is not making much, if any effort, to keep the buses running
smoothly or trying to improve service.
Drivers have complained about the buses breaking down because maintenance crews
do not keep up the proper repairs. It is very common for buses to break down
on this 1 ine. We at the VA hospital could not begin to tell you the number
of times we have been late because of this. I could go on forever vJith
complaints, but] think you get the basic picture. Santa Monica Bus Lines
just simply does not care about its patrons~ As a result, a lot of people
have taken to driving their own cars, thus adding to the already congested
streets.
They want us to do our part about keeping the air clean, and leaving our cars at
home. What are they doing to encourage this or Make it pleasant to ride the
buses?
I hope this viiI I shed some light on the situation. I could say more, but I
think we are all tired of complaining about the service.
Thank you for your time and patience. I hope a remedy is forthcoming soon.
(incer7'
~;c~c c: /:.',
---
&'
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..zj t.Y~/";i,Cc~_
Luci lIe Sherri 11
c/o VA Wadsworth Medical Center
Sawtelle and Wilshire
Los Angeles, CA 90073
478-3711, x 3383
e
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SIXTEE'\I EIGHTY FIVE MAIN ST"{EET
Ch,,", I n Rhode.,
COlJflCtl \1ember
SANTA MONiCA CALIFORNIA 90401
March 4,1981
Ms. Lucllle Sherrill
VA Medical Center
r~edi ca 1 Servi ces, Room 3209
Wilshlre and Sawtelle
Los Angeles~ CA 90073
Dear Ms. Sherrill'
I rec€lved a copy of your letter of February 6 concernlng conditlons
on the Santa Monlca buses.
This letter is to advise you that the City Council will be holding
a publlC hearlng concernlng the buses on March 24 during the regular
C1ty Council meeti~g at 7:30 p.m. 1n the Council Chambers. Please
plan to attend. You may speak concerning this problem or send a
letter to the C1ty Clerk stating your opinion of the bus serVlce.
Yours truly,
-\/
J
I
~
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CHERYL D. -RHODEN'
COUNCIL "1HIBER
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MAR 2 4 t98-t
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19
22 March 1981
Santa Monica City Council
c/o Santa Monica Municipal Bus Lines
1620 Sixth Street
Santa Monica, CA 90401
MAR 2 4 1981
Re: Hearing on SMMBL Servlce, March 24, 1981
This 1S to comment on miscellaneous aspects of SMMBL serV1ce. Generally, we have a
well-run system, and so these are not suggestions for major changes.
1. On Montana Avenue, Wilshire Boulevard, and Santa Monica Boulevard (and to some
extent on other east-west streets) bus stops are every other block, at even-numbered
streets. I suggest consideration be given to changing this to every third block, at
the same streets where traffic signals are located. While the maximum inconvenience
to passengers would be an additional walk for some of a single 300-foot block, average
speeds would be increased by elLminating stops at non-signaled intersections, wear on
brakes would be decreased with fewer stops, fuel consumption would be decreased through
fewer starts, and safety would be promoted by removing an incentive for passengers to
cross these busy streets at dangerous, non-signaled intersections. A good example of
the problem would be 16th, 17th and 18th Streets; the stops are at 16th and 18th and the
signal at 17th; buses often will have to stop three blocks in a row in this area. The
policy I propose is already in effect on Wilshire between Lincoln and 14th. with the
only intermediate stop at 11th; I do not observe any particular hardship to the neighbor-
hood.
2. Considerable congestion results when passengers exit the front door when others
are waiting to board. It is probably impossible to eliminate this problem (as transit
systems tried in the past with firm "exit rear" policies), since seniors and the handi-
capped will always tend to sit in the front, but use of the rear door could be encour-
aged in two ways: first. follow the lead of the SCRTD, which is currently waging an ad
campaign with eye-catching carcards urglng use of the rear door as a faster way to exit;
and second, make sure that air-assisted rear doors on coaches so equipped are working
properly. I note particularly that the 4700-class Grumman coaches have rear doors wh1ch
are very difficult (and for some seniors probably impossible) to open when the assist is
not functioning.
3. The extension of Line 10 service to Saturdays is highly commendable; I have ridden
this service and found patronage Wh1Ch seemed comparable to Monday through Friday m1dday
levels. I am concerned, however. about the adequacy of promoLion of th1s service. All I
have seen 1S the d1str1bution of revised t1metables. I would urge that carcards be placed
in all SMMBL buses advertising this service; the carcard designed a few years ago for the
Culver City Municipal Bus Lines announcing the extension of their Number 3 Crosstown line
to the Los Angeles Airport is a good example of how the passengerts attention can be se-
cured for an "institutional" message.
4. The last Line 10 trips weekdays arrive at the Los Angeles terminal at 5:35 and 6:15
P. M., while the last trips depart there at 5:40,5:50. 6:25 and 6:55. If the coach which
makes the trip departing at 6:55 is deadheaded downtown, could consideration be given to
running this in service as a trip following the present last L. A.-bound trip by half an
hour, thus expand1ng hours during which service is offered at little increase in coach-
miles?
5. The Bus Linest communication of official messages to their passengers via carcards
on the buses (including the announcements of this hearing) have suffered from two problems:
not enough cards per bus, and lack of conspicuous design of the cards. 1 suggest at least
eight cards per bus. four on each side. The average 40-foot bus will have some 35 feet of
interior space, so they would still be nearly ten feet apart. From my observation, the j7~
MAR 2 4 1981
.
.
\
.
.
average passenger only reads car cards after settling down in the bus; therefore~ it is
necessary that they be distributed throughout the bus. Design might be improved by
having it done as a project by art or design students at Samohi or Santa Monica College.
6. The timetables are generally satisfactory. but the route maps they conta~n would
be improved by indicating on them transfer points to other SMMBL. SCRTD. and Culver City
lines. The Line 1 timetable would be more useful if more timepoints were included.
7. The route map is excellent. 1 would suggest that the next edition include an
inset for the area around the Los Angeles Airport. showing the end of Line 3. as well
as inclusion of the Santa Monica Heritage Square Museum under Points of Interest. served
by Lines 1. 8~ and 10. and to a lesser degree by Line 2.
I hope some of these suggestions will be deemed worth adopting.
V~~truly yours.
jj-~~~~----
Dav~d G. Cameron
P. O. Box 611
Santa Monica~ CA 90406
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