Commuting in LA without a car? Has the transit improved? (Santa Monica: live, buses)

[SlowMotionApocalypse]

Lived my whole life here without a car. If you live near a rail or rapid line, fine. If you live in a suburb then it's a little tougher. Traffic is making them more unreliable and they are also getting more and more crowded. Great for the convenience factor of getting downtown or something but I couldn't imagine having to actually depend on one every day to get to work.

I walk to work.

[greggd1]

Last night I had to drop off a car at approx/ Pico and Sepulveda then get to my car which was near Wilshire and 26th street/santa monica.

I thought I could either hail a cab or catch a bus...had no idea when a bus would show and didnt want to stand at a stop for 20-30 minutes wondering. So I started walking, saw about 3 buses pass me up at different points of the trip and hailed 2 cabs that were in route somewhere else. I ended up walking to bundy/santa monica, ran across the street through traffic, and caught a westbound bus for about 3 minutes to 26th street...Then walked up to wilshire. total cost $1.00.

There may be public transportation available, but they need to post accurate time schedules and details at their bus stops.

[BRinSM]

Originally Posted by greggd1

There may be public transportation available, but they need to post accurate time schedules and details at their bus stops.

while it would be nice to have timetables posted at bus stops, it seems like you didn't do your homework either.

[SandyCo]

When I was on jury duty in downtown L.A. I decided to see how easy it would be to get there via public transportation. I was pleasantly surprised to see that I could take the 183 bus to the North Hollywood Metro Station, and then I caught the Red Line subway straight to downtown. Entire trip - about 45 minutes. That subway station was right across the street from the courthouse; it sure beat parking a mile away and walking!

However, I work in Woodland Hills beginning at 6:30 a.m. every day. Besides the fact that it's dark at that hour (I'm looking forward to standard time again!), I'd have to catch the first bus at 5:41, not to mention that I'd have to walk a few blocks when I get to work, again in the dark. I wake up at 5:35 now, and leave at 6:10. I can't imagine taking public transportation to and from work in my particular situation.

[greggd1]

Originally Posted by BRinSM

while it would be nice to have timetables posted at bus stops, it seems like you didn't do your homework either.

Actually, I did check the blue bus schedule online, which is scattered and not very user friendly. They indicate a bus every 10 minutes along olympic but that did not seem to be the case while on the street waiting and walking along.

When I did ride the bus, it was dirty. Seats were discolored/brown from filth. If a transportation system cannot communicate their route, grid, schedule etc and make it easy to access, they are not really a transportation system.

[jacobwilliam77]

Over 10% of LA commuters takes mass transit.

[Jarkatmu]

Originally Posted by greggd1

Actually, I did check the blue bus schedule online, which is scattered and not very user friendly. They indicate a bus every 10 minutes along olympic but that did not seem to be the case while on the street waiting and walking along.

When I did ride the bus, it was dirty. Seats were discolored/brown from filth. If a transportation system cannot communicate their route, grid, schedule etc and make it easy to access, they are not really a transportation system.

It sounds like you took Santa Monica's big blue bus, but if you ever take metro, they recently installed a web-based GPS bus tracking system that gives you real time arrivals at stops. Here it is:

Nextrip Bus Arrivals

It's also available on the mobile version of Metro's website.

[gs70119]

To the OP (ras124685), I lived for many years without a car. One thing to take into account is SCHLEPPING. Consider this when choosing your housing. Lugging groceries (or laundry) many blocks or taking groceries on transit is a real pain. You food costs will go up if you're not near a large, cheap grocery. Either you pay more to small, closer stores or you grow weary of schlepping and eat out more.

[greggd1]

Originally Posted by Jarkatmu

It sounds like you took Santa Monica's big blue bus, but if you ever take metro, they recently installed a web-based GPS bus tracking system that gives you real time arrivals at stops. Here it is:

Nextrip Bus Arrivals

It's also available on the mobile version of Metro's website.

Thanks, This is cool. I'm going to try it out next time.

[ragnarkar]

Unless you live in a walkable community near a Metro station AND your workplace is within walking distance of another Metro station, you'll probably be very miserable after a few months without a car. And even if your commuting situation is ideal as described earlier, you'll be depending on your car-owning friends for the occasional trip to places without convenient public transportation access.