New bus routes exact change

Jennifer Kho

COSTA MESA -- Maria Gardena was lost for more than three hours Monday.

She rode several buses, but they didn’t go where she expected them to

go -- or stop at the times she thought they would stop.

She’s not new to the area or to bus-riding, but Gardena said the

county’s new bus system has left her struggling to regain the comfort of

being bus-savvy.

“I’m lost,” she said, laughing. “I don’t know the routes yet. There

are a lot of changes and no one to ask for help.”

Gardena is one of dozens of Costa Mesa residents who spent time Monday

acquainting themselves with Route 180, a new route.

On Sunday, the Orange County Transportation Authority implemented a

new system that straightens many of the county’s crooked bus routes.

Route 57, a route many residents knew well, no longer passes by most of

their usual stops.

But it was Monday, when many regular bus riders boarded on their trip

to work, that the new system was really under review.

Bus rides are free until Thursday, when the OCTA will begin collecting

its regular rate of $1 per boarding.

The transportation authority has been working on the system for a year

and a half, and officials say they think the result is quicker commutes

for most of the county’s riders.

“We anticipated that in the first few days there would be some

confusion,” said George Urch, an OCTA spokesman. “We tried to reduce it

with an aggressive advertising campaign and by having transit ambassadors

at our busiest bus stops, and actually things are going a little better

than we expected.

“It’s going to take riders a couple of weeks to figure out the most

efficient way to get where they want to go. But so far, so good.”

Officials are monitoring the different runs to decide if any of them

needs to be tweaked, Urch said.

A citizens’ group, which includes some Costa Mesa residents, has

opposed the changes, saying the changes have resulted in more transfers

and more waiting.

The bus riders taking advantage of the free fares Monday expressed a

wide range of opinions, however.

“This schedule works out better for me,” said Kathie Curtiss. “I go to

[Orange Coast College] in the afternoons, and with the new system I get

home earlier in the evenings. I get home early enough to feel safe.”

Curtiss is one of several Costa Mesa residents who said they are

pleased with the changes. Some said their commutes are now shorter and

others said new stops are helpful to them, including several along

Newport Boulevard.

However, some riders were upset because their commutes are now longer

or because their stops were eliminated from the new route system

altogether, such as the stop on 17th Street and Dover Drive.

“I don’t like it,” said Elena Martin, a Costa Mesa resident. “It’s

terrible to do this to us. I now have a longer bus route. Who are these

people? This is not fair.”

But the most common feeling expressed by riders Monday was confusion.

“It’s hard to understand the new system,” said Sinh Nguyen, who ended

up at the Newport Transportation Center on his way home to Garden Grove

from OCC. “I’m kind of scared I won’t be able to find my home, but people

have been really cool about helping me figure out where to go.”

Jacoba Guadalupe, who uses a wheelchair, said she spent the whole day

on the bus to learn the new system.

“We really rely on these buses and this is really confusing,” she

said. “This is difficult for us with wheelchairs. I think it will be all

right, but it would be better if the bus drivers were able to help more.”

Bus drivers, such as Steve Jefferson, were also learning the new

routes Monday.

“The runs are easier, but it’s going to be hard to learn them because

there are so many more of them,” he said. “We have shorter runs, with not

as many turns, and I like that. I’m very positive about this change.

There is a little bit of confusion, but that’s just human nature. ...

it’s hard to change.”