BURBANK TO CONSIDER NEW SHUTTLES.

Byline: - Lisa Mascaro

When the Orange Line opens this summer, riders may have a shuttle to connect them with the Burbank Media District and Bob Hope Airport, according to a plan before the Burbank City Council.

The city is considering a Media District-Red Line Shuttle that would run every 20 minutes during morning and evening rush hours, taking passengers from the MTA's subway station in North Hollywood to the job-rich studio area housing NBC, Disney and Warner Bros.

The Airport-Empire-Red Line-Shuttle would serve to transport riders to the Bob Hope Airport.

The City Council will consider the proposals later this month.

``We're trying to cut down on traffic, No. 1, and (we want) to better serve the employees,'' said Burbank Transportation Manager Greg Herrmann. ``We have a job-rich community and we need to make sure we provide all the transit alternatives we can to help induce people out of their cars.''

Public transit riders have long pressed for better service between the subway and the Burbank airport.

The Orange Line is scheduled to open later this year, and its eastern terminus would be across the street from the MTA's Metro Red Line subway station.

If approved, the Media Center shuttle would begin in late February, with the airport shuttle expected to start in August. Both would run from 6 to 10 a.m. and from 3 to 7 p.m.