VALLEY HAS MOST BUS COMPLAINTS BYPASSED RIDERS, RELIABILITY ARE SORE POINTS, MTA SAYS.

Byline: RACHEL URANGA Staff Writer

Bus and train riders in the sprawling San Fernando Valley had more service complaints than commuters in any other area of Los Angeles, a new MTA report shows.

A survey of comments made on the Metropolitan Transportation Authority's toll-free complaint line shows that Valley residents are most peeved about buses that pass them by. MTA officials noted that these types of complaints spike in the summer, when riders seek shade to get out of the blazing heat, so may not be clearly visible to bus drivers.

But riders also expressed frustration about the reliability of service. Valley bus lines tend to be longer - as much as 40 miles - yet the buses also run less often, which can make it difficult to make connections.

``If I have to be somewhere at a given time, it becomes difficult to rely on public transit, if you are unsure if you are going to get there on time,'' said Faramarz Nabari, a 29-year-old consultant from Sherman Oaks.

``If you are riding a bus line with infrequent service, if the bus is late, early or doesn't come at all, then you are stuck waiting for a long time.''

But the MTA is in the process of reconfiguring routes - changes that will take effect in December. Several longer routes will be shortened, but the frequency will not necessarily increase.

MTA officials say drivers on longer lines are more likely to encounter traffic jams that could throw off bus schedules. By cutting down the miles traveled, the MTA hopes to cut down on delays.

``I am not satisfied with where we are because customer complaints are a reflection of what people think about us, and I have to continue to improve,'' said Gary Spivak, an MTA transportation manager for the East Valley. ``We have issues that we continue to work on.''

The report, which was reviewed Wednesday night by the MTA's Valley Sector Council, shows that from October through December 2005, the MTA logged about four complaints per 100,000 boardings in the Valley, compared with three complaints citywide.

Yet, overall complaints appear to be dropping. For instance, in June 2005, the MTA received 242 complaints about service in the San Fernando Valley compared with 148 in June 2006. Systemwide, complaints fell from 1,245 in June 2005 to 926 in June 2006.

About 15 percent of the complaints came from the Valley, which accounts for roughly 20 percent of MTA's service area.

Of those, 20 percent complained about buses passing them up, 14 percent about unreliable schedules, 10 percent about discourteous drivers and 9 percent about unsafe operations. There were also comments about dirty vehicles and distracting passengers.

In some cases, complaints have resulted in driver discipline, including one driver who was suspended for 30 days after accumulating 20 customer complaints for being rude and making inappropriate remarks to customers.

But some say that the complaint number - (800) COMMUTE - is insufficient because comments are made anonymously and there's no opportunity for feedback.

``There needs to be a more extensive program, where they can call and have the ability for people to respond back to them,'' said Manuel Criollo, a lead organizer for the Bus Riders Union, a transit advocate group.

But, even more pressing is the need to increase the frequency of service, said Criollo, whose group filed suit against the MTA more than a decade ago, resulting in a consent decree that forced the MTA to increase bus service across the region.

rachel.uranga(at)dailynews.com

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