AVTA Announces New Proposed Service Changes for 2027
Lancaster – Antelope Valley Transit Authority today released a new proposed service change schedule to take effect July 1, 2027.
During the Spring of 2026, proposed service changes coming in 2027 were announced and released to the Antelope Valley community. Public feedback from the community and AVTA riders was solicited, evaluated, and presented to the AVTA Board of Directors. Further analysis of the proposed service hours and the rising operational costs associated with the proposed plan has resulted in a reevaluation of the planned service change schedule. Due to increased operational costs and expected new contract costs in 2027, AVTA has released new proposed service changes scheduled for Q3 of 2027. Service hours were further reduced and AVTA’s proposed service schedules have been updated to reflect new run-times, trip frequencies, and stop times for both local and commuter routes.
“The AVTA planning and operations team has conducted a thorough analysis of the expected costs of service,” said AVTA Board Chairman Marvin Crist. “Anticipated new contracts beginning in Q3 of 2027 come with increased operation costs. These new costs force the management team to make hard choices regarding frequencies and service hours. AVTA will continue to serve all the same routes and communities as proposed in their 2026 outreach, however, further reduction in service hours were required to reach the budget requirements for the agency to continue serving the Antelope Valley’s residents.”
The agency also announced that, as part of the latest proposed service changes, the On-Request Microtransit Ride Service pilot program will be discontinued effective July 1, 2027. Riders will instead be served by the existing parallel paratransit options: AVTA Dial-A-Ride and Los Angeles County’s ADA complementary paratransit service, Access. This transition ensures continued accessibility for eligible passengers.
“Eligible residents previously using the pilot program, On-Request Microtransit Ride Service, may continue to use AVTA’s Dial-A-Ride and L.A. County’s Access paratransit services,” continued Chairman Crist. “Rural community riders may also connect to the cities of Palmdale and Lancaster through a newly enhanced schedule on the AVTA local Route 19, formerly Route 50 and 51, with increased frequencies of service.”
A public communication campaign and 30-day outreach program for the newly updated Proposed Service Changes Coming in 2027 has started today, October 5, 2026. Information is available on the agency’s website at www.avta.com.
In-person public comment will be received at the upcoming AVTA board meeting on November 24, 2026, with an open public hearing before the board of directors and AVTA executive staff. Public comment prior to the in-person November 24, 2026, Board meeting may be submitted to a dedicated email address, 2027servicechange@avta.com. Public comment received by email prior to November 10, 2026, will be submitted to the AVTA Board of Directors and AVTA executive staff.
AVTA provides local, commuter and dial-a-ride service to a population of more than 475,000 residents in the cities of Lancaster and Palmdale as well as the unincorporated portions of northern Los Angeles County. Its total service area covers 1,200 square miles and it is bounded by the Kern County line to the north, the San Bernardino County line to the east, the Angeles National Forest to the south, and Interstate 5 to the West.