COUNCIL COMPLAINS ABOUT NEW BUS LINE.

Byline: Lisa Mascaro Staff Writer

VAN NUYS - MTA's San Fernando Valley advisory council members fired off questions and complaints Wednesday over the new Metro Rapid bus on Van Nuys Boulevard during a public meeting to review the new line's operations.

Six months after the Metropolitan Transportation Authority rolled out Line 761, the route has been unable to reap its promised 25 percent time savings, officials said. Part of the problem stems from the city's delay in installing the necessary traffic signal technology that keeps lights green for approaching buses.

MTA's project manager said the Van Nuys line - the only one in the system to open without the technology in place - should be fully operational by January.

``There are problems on the 761,'' said Coby King, chairman of the MTA Valley Service Sector Council. ``You're telling us by Feb. 1 a lot of this stuff is going to clear up. ... We're very, very concerned.

``This is something we hear a lot about.''

The board voted 5-0 to require that all future Metro Rapid bus lines in the Valley open only after the required technology is in place.

The new Rapid bus runs along Van Nuys Boulevard from Lake View Terrace to Westwood and is part of a new fleet of red buses that are supposed to run 25 percent faster than local service because they make fewer stops and can avoid stopping at traffic signals.

The council also complained that the bus stop locations need to be reconsidered to better match riders' needs.

Project manager Rex Gephart said the line will be reviewed after January.

``We're just as concerned as you are,'' Gephart said. ``If it's not working we'll have to fix it.''

Lisa Mascaro, [phone]

lisa.mascaro(at)dailynews.com