To be on time for her 9 a.m. class at Cal State Northridge, Yurithza Esparza has learned the hard way that she needs to be at the bus stop no later than 6 a.m.
She would prefer to drive the 30 miles from her home in Boyle Heights, but the car she saved to buy was totaled when another driver ran a red light. So she is back on public transit, taking three buses and a train to get to school.
“Driving here is a pain because of the traffic, but it’s still more convenient,” said Esparza, 23, who can spend five hours a day commuting. “On the bus, I just can’t get from Point A to Point B whenever I need to go. I hate it.”
Over the last decade, both Los Angeles County’s sprawling Metro system and smaller lines have hemorrhaged bus riders as passengers have fled for more convenient options — mostly, driving.
Read the full story on LATimes.com.
Southern California’s falling bus ridership isn’t just bad news for transit agencies. Fewer trips on transit and more cars on the road are threats to California’s transportation and climate goals. My story on what’s going on and how it could be fixed: https://t.co/SpHM9ydUVW
— Laura J. Nelson 🦅 (@laura_nelson) June 27, 2019
