South Gate : City Expands Van Program to Replace Taxi Service

The city has extended the hours of its daily passenger-van program, which provides low-cost transportation for residents, to replace late-night taxi service that was canceled.

Vans will now run from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sundays. Saturday hours remain the same, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Through the Phone-A-Ride van program, residents pay 75 cents for rides to the grocery store, doctor’s office, beauty parlor and other locations. Senior citizens pay a quarter.

A taxi service that provided inexpensive rides at night ended April 18 when the contractor, South Gate-based Trans-Cab Inc., canceled its contract in a dispute with the city. Last year, the van program served 43,830 residents, nearly 74% of whom were senior citizens, said Karen Bell, the city’s senior planner. Los Angeles-based Mayflower Contract Services Inc. provides five vans to shuttle riders around South Gate. The vans, when given 24-hour notice, also take passengers outside the city for medical appointments. The number for service is (213) 262-3497.