IS IT 'GETTING BETTER ON THE BUS'? MTA ROLLS OUT NEW SERVICES AND BOOSTS ADVERTISING BUDGET.

Byline: Lisa Mascaro Staff Writer

Sherman Oaks theater manager Roger Christensen keeps his 2000 Camry in the garage while he takes two buses and the subway to his job in Hollywood at least once a week.

He likes the exercise, being part of the city - and not getting stuck in traffic on the 101 Freeway.

``Many people might be surprised how easy it is, once they do it,'' said Christensen, 57, who also serves on the citizen advisory committee for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

``I'm not cuckoo for choo-choos. I really just love the way it affects the city and how we live - that you have a choice. The 405 will always be packed; so will the 101. The difference is providing alternatives,'' he said.

``I'm not giving up the Camry, but I like using it less than ever before. For me, it's like having options.''

Drawing motorists out of their cars and onto public transit in car-crazy Los Angeles is no simple feat. But the MTA has been steadily trying to improve and market its services.

``It's getting better on the bus'' is one recent slogan to get Angelenos to consider its 185 bus routes and 60 miles of rail.

``I think people who don't use public transit tend to think it's an either-or proposition: You must give up your car to use public transit - that's not true,'' said the MTA's Warren Morse. ``People could benefit by just riding a bus or train once a week. Reduce stress, save gas, reduce congestion on the road.''

In the past year, the MTA has rolled out a range of new services, and this summer will open the Metro Gold Line between downtown and Pasadena.

The agency has increased its advertising budget tenfold, from $450,000 last year to $4.5 million this year, sandwiching radio ads next to traffic reports and mailing coupons to neighborhoods along some routes.

Still, regulars say the agency has much work to do to improve the ride.

Fewer than 50 percent of bus riders gave good or very good marks for on-time performance, frequency of buses, seat availability and cleanliness, according to the agency's biggest ever customer satisfaction survey of 35,000 bus and train riders released last summer.

The San Fernando Valley is notorious for slow buses that come infrequently - sometimes taking riders hours to get their destinations, said Cynthia Rojas, an organizer with the Bus Riders Union, which sued the MTA over overcrowded conditions.

``The Valley has been growing for the past 50 years, and a lot of the bus system hasn't been upgraded since 1974,'' said Bart Reed, a longtime transit advocate and now member of the MTA's Valley council.

For example:

--There's no direct bus from the North Hollywood subway station to Burbank Airport, turning a 10-minute car drive into a one-hour trip on at least two buses.

--There's no night service along Nordhoff Street to get California State University, Northridge, students back to campus or along De Soto Avenue to get Porter Ranch workers or shoppers home.

--It can take three buses to get from Sylmar to the Van Nuys Flyaway, the main bus to Los Angeles International Airport.

``There's too many trips that could be taken if we had more public transit connectivity,'' said Reed. ``That's one of the biggest issues; there's too many missing links, too many gaps.''

Still, MTA's survey last summer showed nearly 70 percent of the riders agreed with the ``getting better on the bus'' slogan.

Most riders use bus and trains to go to work, spending about an hour each way, on two or more buses or trains. Latinos are the largest ethnic group riding buses and trains; more than half the bus riders earn less than $15,000 a year. On the trains, more than 20 percent of riders are white and as many have incomes greater than $50,000 a year, the MTA said.

Christensen agrees crowded or late buses can be unsettling, but he'll keep giving public transit a try. ``I pick days; sometimes it's easier than others.''

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Angelenos ride the MTA bus east along Ventura Boulevard in the San Fernando Valley. The agency has greatly boosted its ad budget to attract more riders, despite surveys showing low customer satisfaction.

David Sprague/Staff Photographer

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SOURCE: Metropolitan Transit Authority

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