MTA SHUTTERS REMAINING CUSTOMER SERVICE CENTER.

Byline: Lisa Mascaro Staff Writer

The Orange Line opens in less than two weeks, but the MTA has already shut down its only Customer Center in the San Fernando Valley, a place where passengers can get bus passes, tokens and schedules.

The center was shuttered earlier this year as a budget-saving move, leaving Valley bus and train riders without a central storefront.

``It's unfortunately bad timing,'' said Kymberleigh Richards, a transit advocate and member of the MTA's Valley governance council. ``I don't think there's too many people who would disagree with my saying there should be a customer service center in this sector.''

As a stop-gap measure, Metropolitan Transportation Authority officials will open a limited center at their Chatsworth office for student, senior and disabled passengers. They hope to have it running this week.

But officials said the Valley center and one downtown were cut to trim $400,000 from the budget at the start of the fiscal year July 1. Four centers are left - at Union Station, mid-city, East Los Angeles and Baldwin Hills.

``We had to make some cuts in the budget,'' said April McKay, director of customer programs and services. ``The sales at that location were small, relative to that at the others.''

The closure may make little difference to bus riders who use regular monthly passes, which can be bought online or at 100 retail outlets like check-cashing and grocery stores in the Valley that sell MTA items.

But student, senior and disabled riders who need special monthly stamps to get the reduced fare need to go to a customer centers or specific retail outlets that handle those transactions.

Their choice now is go to one of the remaining centers outside the Valley or mail in the paperwork.

``There's a lot of us out here,'' said Gordon Poll, a retired engineer, who has been unable to get his pass. ``I'm just trying to find out why the MTA can't get an office out here convenient to people.''

Richard Hunt, the MTA's general manager for the valley, said he's working to bring back a full-service center after having received riders' complaints.

``A lot of our passengers don't have Web access, and you can't leave them out in the cold,'' he said. ``The San Fernando Valley's a unique region, a unique area. We need the support.''

Richards has proposed moving the center to the historic North Hollywood train depot, as part of plans to renovate that 100-year-old structure. The Orange Line's eastern-most terminus will be in North Hollywood, in a central transit area across from the subway.

Richards said the temporary center at Chatsworth would help, but a more centralized location would provide a better long-term solution.

``It's too remote to be a solution for the majority of our passengers,'' she said. ``Is it a solution to the entire problem? I don't think so.''

Riders needing customer assistance can call [phone] or [phone] (COMMUTE).

Lisa Mascaro, [phone]

lisa.mascaro(at)dailynews.com

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Photo:

A sign announces that the Metro Customer Center in Van Nuys is permanently closed.

Tom Mendoza/Staff Photographer