• 1-26-2009 AVTA Proposed Commuter Service Changes (Dates added - see below!)

Hello AVTA Commuters,

As a result of your response to my email regarding Friday’s service, it appears that the majority of you have Friday off. Rather than an early run, we will operate the reduced service schedule on Friday, July 3, 2009. Service as usual will run on Thursday, July 2, 2009 – there will be no early run or reduced service on Thursday. Click here to view the Reduced Holiday Schedule (pdf).

Thank you for taking the time to respond.

I apologize for the delay in responding to your many questions and phone calls regarding the proposed service changes and the results of the last Board meeting. Due to an injury, I was out of the office last week…… so please forgive me and allow me the opportunity to let you know that we are still in a holding pattern on the current service.

Our Board of Directors has asked for additional information and are not yet prepared to make a final decision. Your comments have had a huge impact on the Board.We continue to work with our Board, Operations Team, and Transit Consultant to determine the best possible solution.

I will update you as soon as I receive any information.

Please have a safe and enjoyable 4th of July holiday.

Sincerely,
Pam

Pam Holland
Customer Service Manager / Public Information Officer

Antelope Valley Transit Authority
42210 6th Street West, Lancaster, CA 93534
661.729.2222 | cell: 661.810.7912 | fax: 661.729.2264

Good afternoon everyone,

AVTA will offer an early afternoon run this Friday, May 22. As you know, Monday, May 25 is Memorial Day and there will be no service – we hope that many of you have the opportunity to go home early on Friday. The Holiday schedule for all runs can be found at this link: Commuter Holiday Schedule

Regarding the proposed commuter service changes, no final decision has been made yet. The Public Comment period will be officially closed on June 23 at which time AVTA staff will present the modified proposal to the Board of Directors. To date, staff has received a large number of comments that will help shape the recommendation to the Board. Staff has conducted two open house events, February 7th and 21st as well as an evening session on March 26. These meetings allowed passengers the opportunity to provide feedback and also gain additional insight into this change. Staff will bring the draft recommendation to the June 23, 2009 Board meeting. This information will be provided to the public two weeks before the Board meeting. You may attend the meeting to address the Board, or submit additional comments via email, fax, or snail mail prior to the start of the Board Meeting.

AVTA has taken an extended amount of time to study your comments, consult with our planning team and evaluate cost versus revenue. I appreciate your patience as we are committed to making the best decision possible, considering all factors.

You will begin to hear more and more about the Metro TAP Pass which will soon become the standard method of paying your transit fare. May transit systems are already using the TAP Pass and AVTA is scheduled to get on board within the next several months. Please take a few minutes when you have a chance and refer to this link for more information: Metro TAP Pass

Enjoy your ride home and have a great evening.

Sincerely,
Pam

Pam Holland
Customer Service Manager / Public Information Officer

Antelope Valley Transit Authority
42210 6th Street West, Lancaster, CA 93534
661.729.2222 | cell: 661.810.7912 | fax: 661.729.2264

Good morning all

The April Board of Directors meeting has been cancelled. The next Board meeting will be held on May 19th at 4pm. The Board will officially close the public comment period at that time. Final service change recommendations will be presented to the Board prior to the June meeting – the same information will also be available to commuters. The Board will study the data and announce its decision at the June meeting. You are welcome to attend the meeting and speak if you choose, however the public comment period will have been closed and the Board’s decision will be final.

In the meantime, the comments you’ve submitted have been evaluated and made an impact on the original proposal. Our transit consultant and planning team will soon have their recommendation ready and the Board will have ample time to consider the modifications.

At this time I still cannot provide you with fare information as the fares will be dependent upon the service changes made. AVTA is studying this issue and taking our time to make the best decision for all. I can assure you that your participation has been critical in the final outcome.

But of course there are other changes to come as transit systems nation-wide are trying to simplify pass sale issues and increase efficiency. AVTA has been working with Metro for several years on what was originally called the Smart Card. You may have heard of it and some of you may be using it for travel between systems in the Los Angeles area. The project name has been changed to Tap Pass and to learn more about it you can click on the link below: http://www.metro.net/riding_metro/tap/default.htm

AVTA is the next agency scheduled to have the new fareboxes installed. I will keep you posted as action begins to take place. Currently we anticipate implementation in August or September. An extensive outreach and education effort will be made prior to switching over to the Tap Pass system. AVTA service changes will most likely go into effect prior to the Tap Pass, in July or August.

I would like to thank all of you for your patience during this time of frustration regarding service changes and changes to our pass sale process. Some of you have not been very patient, kind of hostile actually, but I understand and have not taken it personally. I know many of you have already switched to van pools. I’m curious as to how the van pools are working out and if you would consider coming back to AVTA if the final service changes are workable for you. Please drop me an email and let me know how things are going.

We are also planning to redesign our website and I would like to hear your ideas on what would make it more informative or user-friendly for you.

As always, I welcome your emails and will do my best to resolve any concerns you have with AVTA.

Sincerely,
Pam

Pam Holland
Customer Service Manager / Public Information Officer

Antelope Valley Transit Authority
42210 6th Street West, Lancaster, CA 93534
661.729.2222 | cell: 661.810.7912 | fax: 661.729.2264

Good morning AVTA commuters,

The next meeting of the AVTA Board of Directors will be held on Tuesday, March 24 at 10am. There will also be an evening meeting for the convenience of our commuters on Thursday, March 26 at 7pm. Anyone who wishes to address the Board with their comments or suggestions may do so by filling out a speaker card. You will then have 3 minutes to present your comments. The Board will close the public comment period at the March 26th meeting.

Your comments along with our further studies and recommendations from our transit planning consultant, will be fine tuned and presented to our Board of Directors for final decision in April. The Board will announce the details of any change to service at the April 28, 2009 Board meeting which will start at 10:00am. Immediately after the Board meeting I will send a commuter update to all passengers on my contact list. Printed updates will be available for those passengers who do not have email.

Any service changes to be made will not be implemented until Summer: June/July. Fares will be determined by the final service changes to be implemented. Based upon your feedback so far: we know we will need to keep an AVTA monthly pass; we expect to start a North Hollywood line; we will be tweaking departure times so they better connect with other transit services; and significant changes are being considered in regards to the original 787 proposal.

As you know, our on line pass sale processes have changed now that our Finance Department is handling the transactions. Please refer to our website for details http://www.avta.com/secure/allsale.php   
Unfortunately, due to a significant increase in the number of NSF checks, AVTA will no longer accept your personal checks for payment of your monthly passes. We do accept cash, transit checks, debit cards and Visa / MasterCards.

As always, feel free to contact me with any questions you may have. If you wish to submit a comment regarding the proposed service changes, you may email them to me as well.

Good morning AVTA commuters,

Tomorrow, Tuesday Feb. 24, 2009 is the next Board of Directors meeting. It will be held in the Board room at the AVTA office (address below) and will begin at 9:00am. Anyone who would like to attend and address the Board is welcome to do so. I will be at the door and will hand you a speaker’s card which requires your name and the topic you would like to address. All speakers are allowed 3 minutes to state their concerns.

In regards to commuter service, the Board will be extending the Public Comment period until March 26, 2009 with a meeting time of 7:00pm. This time has been established to allow all passengers who would like to address the Board to have that opportunity. The Board will announce their final decision at the April 2009 meeting – after having had sufficient time to consider all pubic, staff, funding sources, and consultant comments.

For those of you who did not see the article in Sunday’s Antelope Valley Press, you may link to it here: http://www.avpress.com/n/22/0222_s2.hts
I thank all of you who took the time to come in and allow us to work with you on scheduling issues and identifying glitches we can improve. It was a pleasure to meet you face to face after having communicated with you the last several years via phone or email.

Remember that our online pass ordering process has changed: in order to take advantage of the on line discount you must order your pass between the 5th and 19th of the month. All passes ordered on line will be mailed. Please be sure to note whether you wish to use certified mail or regular mail. AVTA is not responsible for passes lost in the mail and can only replace passes that have been sent as certified mail.

The change in the pass sale process will affect your April passes which go on sale in March. If you purchase your pass after the 19th you will need to come in to the AVTA office (address listed below). No discount will apply. Office hours are Monday – Saturday 8am to 6pm and on Sunday from 8am to 5pm.

Have a good day,
Pam

Pam Holland
Customer Service Manager / Public Information Officer

Antelope Valley Transit Authority
42210 6th Street West, Lancaster, CA 93534
661.729.2222 | cell: 661.810.7912 | fax: 661.729.2264

Good morning all AVTA passengers,

I’d like to thank all of you who attended the Open House this Saturday. It was a pleasure to meet many of you face-to-face as I feel I’ve known you for quite some time. The Open House went well and we received a lot of excellent feedback that will be presented to the Board. A second Open House will be held on February 24. We are also scheduling an evening meeting for mid-March so that you can address the Board of Directors personally. My question to all of you is what weekday would an evening meeting be most convenient?

The next Board meeting is February 24 at 9am here at AVTA. The Board will officially open the Public Comment period at this meeting and will declare the March Board meeting as the Public Hearing date and will announce any final service changes to be made.

As promised, although a day late, following are the comments gathered at the Open House and via email since the last Update was distributed. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Public Comment Regarding Proposed AVTA Commuter Changes
Open House February 7, 2009

General service comments:
Busses leave the yard, go to either the Lancaster or Palmdale pickup-point, load-up, and then head straight for the freeway. This would eliminate shuttling Lancaster riders to and from Palmdale, and eliminate the fuel and wear-and-tear on the busses. Of course, this would mean fewer trips to and from Lancaster but schedules are always adjustable.

Personally, I'd rather pay the difference in fare (if any) to avoid the transfer. I suspect others feel same. How open are we to this option?

Route specific comments:
Route 785
I like the idea of having one drop-off and pick-up location. I currently commute on the 785 and jump onto the Purple line subway that takes me to the Wilshire/Western station, which adds 30 minutes to my daily commute. I would not mind a drop-off in North-Hollywood either, the commute time might be the same.

The suggestion of one rider regarding a North Hollywood drop-off proposal, would be appropriate, provided that there is no fare increase. This will eliminate traffic delays on the 5, 170 and 210, 2 Freeways, and it will decongest local traffic. The Metro Rail’s North Hollywood station has the red line service which connects with the Blue Line to Long Beach and Purple Line to the Wilshire/Western.

If the AVTA is interested in cutting costs, with the 785 line in particular, why doesn't it begin looking at 1) the drivers and the abuse of the buses and 2) direct routes in and out of town rather than the scenic routes through downtown L.A. and parts of Glendale. These little excursions, although they keep the buses moving, are out of the way resulting in additional mileage/gas expense and additional commuting time for all of us (riders and drivers alike). The 5 and the 170 are much more direct links into the city than taking the 210 to the 2. Yes, they also get heavily congested, but they also have stretches where it is clear sailing. Furthermore, there are many different ways to come in off those freeways should there be a hazard spill or fatality. There is no where to go off the 210, so if there's a problem, we're stuck.

Route 786
I suggest the following: do not stop at Santa Monica and Westwood, but, instead, stop at Century Park East and Santa Monica Blvd. The Century City passengers can disembark there. Presently, the bus travels throughout Century City. The Wilshire Crowd, as I call it, can get the Metro 4 or 704 to continue to Beverly Hills and points east at the same stop. Both the Century City folks and Wilshire folks will be closer to their stops. Westwood and Santa Monica is not a good stop. AVTA also proposes increasing the buses on line 786 to and from the Valley. The increasingly availability of buses will allow us to take AVTA early and get home before the 14 freeway is closed. May I suggest something else? Coordinate with the Bakersfield bus lines, Greyhound and other carriers, so that AVTA can be used as a beginning bus for trips up north.

The time of the new 405PM 786 bus at Wilshire and Westwood to 425PM or 430PM. Many people who get the bus designated as the FIRST BUS currently get there by 415 to 430 and have to wait an hour. By making the changes, AVTA will have a 786 bus leaving Westwood at 430PM, 505PM, and 540 PM which is reflective of what Metro does during peak hours. (Currently, you only have 505PM and 540PM only.)

Route 787
If you are adamant about dropping people off at MTA stops, instead of Chatsworth Station, why not continue down Reseda to the Orange Line? The Orange Line is more reliable than Bus 245, refocusing on what is better for your original Warner Center customers, and it's in the right not the wrong direction, (and you could drop people off at Nordhoff, Roscoe, Sherman Way, Vanowen along the way and help a few more people). And maybe include the Northridge Station, if you want a station. But dropping down to the Orange Line rather than the Chatsworth Station will be friendlier to your original Warner Center customers.

The “787 Recommendations” seems to hint strongly, but not explicitly, that CSUN passengers can take the express bus 741 down Reseda Blvd. However, 741 does not stop at Plummer. Those passengers will need to take bus 240 down Reseda to Plummer – according to the Metro.Net Trip Calculator. Since the proposed 787 schedule (for Run1) has many of us waiting 13-20 minutes at the Chatsworth Station waiting for our separate local bus connections, on rainy days this will be a bit miserable. Plus, as a Warner Center passenger, I would rather have a commuter bus drop us off at the Woodley Orange Line Station, just off the 405, which saves AVTA over 3 miles per trip and the Orange Line can get us to Warner Center with little loss of commute time that the proposed Chatsworth schedule steals from us – and the Orange Line stations already have more rain roof space.

If there was AVTA service to the other side of the S.F. Valley, I could take a Metro bus that runs more often and that actually stops closer to my office. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Along with the proposed changes in our service, now that our Finance department is handling all vendor and online pass sales, there is a slight change in the process for ordering your pass. The new process will go into effect for the purchase of April passes: Passengers will be able to order their passes as early as the 5th of the month and no later than the 19th of the month in order to receive the online discount. All passes will be mailed. After the 19th of the month you will need to come in to the office to purchase your pass.

This process is in line with many other transit agencies and has been their solution to the mass ordering of passes within a few days.

As always, your comments are welcome and my staff and I will continue to do our best to serve you.

Sincerely, Pam

Pam Holland
Customer Service Manager / Public Information Officer

Antelope Valley Transit Authority
42210 6th Street West, Lancaster, CA 93534
661.729.2222 | cell: 661.810.7912 | fax: 661.729.2264

Good afternoon AVTA Commuters,
Thank you all for taking the time to share your thoughts and suggestions on the proposed service changes. An appropriate quote would be “Don’t shoot the messenger,” but I do understand your frustration regarding the service change proposal. I am prepared to receive your comments and make sure that the Board of Directors gets a copy as well.

Many of you read the article recently published in the Antelope Valley Press – the interview with our Executive Director, Mr. Randy Floyd, which offers additional insight regarding the proposal. I’ve attached a copy of it along with information on this Saturday’s Open House and some of the suggestions you’ve submitted to date.

The Open House begins at 10am and ends at 3pm. We have an information center for each route and will be able to help you determine the best transit option available. Members of the Board, and the Executive Director will not be at the Open House. A special evening meeting will be announced within the next two weeks – you will be able to speak with Board members and Mr. Floyd at that time.

Sincerely, Pam

Pam Holland
Customer Service Manager / Public Information Officer

Antelope Valley Transit Authority
42210 6th Street West, Lancaster, CA 93534
661.729.2222 | cell: 661.810.7912 | fax: 661.729.2264

AVTA has developed an extended outreach program allowing us plenty of time to answer all of your questions and gather your comments prior to any final decisions. Please note on the following outreach calendar – the January 28th evening meeting has been removed. Representatives from Metro have been invited to attend the Saturday Open Houses to provide additional information and time schedules.

The Open House presentations are set up so that you may come any time between the hours of 10am and 3pm to ask questions and offer your comments. Customer Service representatives will be available to help you at separate information centers for each Route.

AVTA understands that these changes will significantly alter your long-standing commute routine. We ask that you study the changes proposed for your route and consider the variety of alternate local transit options to connect you to your destination. We have provided time schedules that are structured to accommodate the local transit and still get you to work within the time frame AVTA would have dropped you off.

Please be sure to read the entire brochure which explains the benefits you may overlook while trying to absorb the service changes.

My staff and I are here to serve you. Our Board of Directors are asking for your comments and suggestions.
Sincerely,
Pam

Feb 7               Saturday Open House from 10am to 3pm

Feb 10             Commuter Update with comment summary from the Open House

Feb 21             Saturday Open House from 10am to 3pm

Feb 24             Board Meeting 9:00am – proposed changes introduced.
                        Public Hearing date set for March 24

Feb 25             Commuter Update with summary of Board comments  
                        **Note that the public will have an additional month to comment on the proposed changes prior to the Board making any
                         final decisions.

Mar 23              Board Meeting / Public Hearing at 10:00am

Mar 26              Board Meeting / Public Hearing at 7:00pm

Redesigned services are anticipated to go into effect in late Spring or early Summer.

Pam Holland
Customer Service Manager / Public Information Officer

Antelope Valley Transit Authority
42210 6th Street West, Lancaster, CA 93534
661.729.2222 | cell: 661.810.7912 | fax: 661.729.2264