AVTA Seeking Public Opinion on Proposed Service Changes

Lancaster – Antelope Valley residents will have the opportunity to voice their opinion regarding proposed service changes that are under consideration by the Antelope Valley Transit Authority (AVTA). The agency is seeking public comment through a series of outreach efforts that will take place over the next several weeks.

All of the public input received will be incorporated into a set of final recommendations that will be presented to the Board of Directors during a public hearing at the May 24 meeting. If approved, the service changes would go into effect on July 25, 2016. "Our primary goal at AVTA is to provide excellent customer service to the residents of our community," stated AVTA Board Chair Marvin Crist. "We are constantly evaluating our routes to identify areas for improvement that better meet the needs of our residents. The feedback we receive from our customers is invaluable as it guides us in the right direction so that our route changes are effective.”

In response to initial community feedback, AVTA has developed service change recommendations that seek to improve route directness and shorten travel times. One of the agency's top priorities is to increase the number of buses servicing Route 1 so that customers can catch a bus every 20 minutes during peak hours. The increased frequency is part of an overall plan to prepare for a future Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project. Adding buses to the popular Route 1 would necessitate the elimination of Route 10 which has low ridership and mimics the path traveled by the Route 1. The agency is also considering increased service for the Route 1on Saturdays with evening service extended until 10:00 p.m. Additional service change proposals include adjustments to schedules on Routes 4 and 5, with a realignment proposed for Route 7. Route realignments are also under consideration for rural routes serving Littlerock, Pearblossom, and Lake Los Angeles. All proposed changes for these routes would maintain schedule frequencies and connectivity along current corridors. Adding service on major holidays such as Christmas and Thanksgiving is also under consideration. An extensive outreach effort will be conducted by AVTA in April to provide information and gather feedback on the proposed changes. The agency will be holding a series of public meetings over the next five weeks to present the proposals and take input from the community.

The following is a list of scheduled outreach meetings:

 Tuesday, April 5, 1:00 p.m. - AV Senior Center  Wednesday, April 13, 2:00 p.m. - Legacy Commons  Thursday, April 14, 12:00 p.m. - Littlerock Town Council Meeting  Wednesday, April 20, 6:00 p.m. - Antelope Acres Town Council Meeting  Thursday, April 21, 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. - Lancaster City Park Transfer Center  Thursday, April 21, 3:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. – Palmdale Transportation Center  Tuesday, April 26, 7:00 p.m. - Lake LA Town Council Meeting  Wednesday, April 27, 10:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. - University of Antelope Valley

All proposed service change details are printed in both English and Spanish and can be viewed by visiting AVTA's website at www.avta.com. AVTA provides local, commuter and dial-a-ride service to a population of more than 450,000 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.

Press Release via AVTA.com