Extended Hours to Leave Fewer O.C. Bus Riders Out in the Dark : Transit: Later runs are aimed at night students and workers but stop short of 24-hour service.

Late-night Orange County bus riders, often stranded by no service or left waiting for hours for the next ride, will see more buses on the roads starting Sunday, when service on 26 routes is expanded.

The additional bus trips, many departing after 10 p.m., should be a boon to workers and students who rely on public transportation late at night.

Slow or no service in the evenings has long been one of the biggest complaints of transit-dependent residents in Orange County.

“Now people who do take an evening class at a college or have a job that ends later will have more options,” said John Standiford, spokesman for the Orange County Transportation Authority.

But even under the new schedules, bus service won’t go 24 hours a day. The last bus will finish its regular run shortly after midnight.

The OCTA, with more than 53 million annual boardings, is one of the fastest-growing transit systems in the nation. Expansions this year are part of a plan to increase bus trips in the county by 49% over the next 15 years to keep pace with anticipated demand.

The added evening service should make a significant difference for night bus travelers, many of whom were out of luck as early as 6:30 p.m. under the old schedules.

For example, the last northbound Route 25 bus serving Golden West College in Huntington Beach leaves the campus at 6:18 p.m. Next week, buses on the route will make additional pickups at the campus at 6:48 p.m., 7:48 p.m., 9:10 p.m. and 10:11 p.m.

The added bus trips--about 100 each day--are concentrated on busy routes serving universities, such as UC Irvine and Cal State Fullerton, and employment centers, including the Block at Orange and the Buena Park Mall.

The extra hours total about 40,000 a year and represent the second substantial increase in service for county bus lines this year. In June, 20,000 weekend hours were added, increasing bus service in Orange County by about 2% this year. The latest expansion improves overall service by about 6%.

By June, the agency expects to have 61 new buses that run on natural gas. An additional 131 are on order, to be delivered by June 2001. The buses are being purchased largely through federal funds, while bus operations are funded through fares and state transit dollars. Fares are anticipated to grow by $1.5 million annually with price hikes due in January. The fare increase is the first in the county in seven years.

Besides the increased evening service, other changes are being made to the county bus schedules.

Route 43, a Harbor Boulevard route that is the busiest in the county, will get the earliest start during the week, with runs beginning at 4:15 a.m. northbound and 4:17 a.m. southbound. More Saturday buses will run on Route 37 from La Habra to Huntington Beach.

Several routes are being shut down or reconfigured.

Route 673, which serves the now-closed El Toro Marine Corps Air Station, ends Sunday. The Mission Viejo-to-San Clemente run in South County will be served by a new route, with the existing path, Route 397, shutting down Sunday.

Low ridership on Route 162 from Santa Ana to Westminster has led transit officials to curtail bus operations to every 45 minutes instead of every 30 minutes.

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Night Riders

Evening Service will be expanded on the following Orange County bus routes:

Route 25: Fullerton to Huntington Beach Route 26: Yorba Linda to Fullerton

Route 29: Brea to Huntington Beach

Route 30: Orange to Cerritos

Route 37: La Habra to Huntington Beach

Route 38: Orange to Cerritos

Route 42: Orange to Seal Beach

Route 45: Orange to Costa Mesa

Route 46: Orange to Hawaiian Gardens

Route 47: Fullerton to Santa Ana

Route 49: Brea to Santa Ana

Route 50: Orange to Long Beach

Route 53: Orange to Balboa

Route 55: Orange to Costa Mesa

Route 56: Santa Ana to Buena Park

Route 60: Tustin to Long Beach

Route 65: Santa Ana to Balboa

Route 74: Irvine to Huntington Beach

Route 75: Santa Ana to Laguna Hills

Route 76: Irvine to Huntington Beach

Route 85: Laguna Hills to San Clemente

Route 89: Newport Beach to Laguna Hills

Route 91: Laguna Hills to San Clemente

Route 99: Laguna Hills to Dana Point

Route 175: Irvine

Route 205: Anaheim to Laguna Hills

For additional information about schedule changes check out the Orange County Transportation Authority’s Web site at https://www.octa.net or call (714) 636-7433, extension 12, or from South Orange County (800) 636-7433 extension 12.

Source: OCTA