OCTA to axe 130 jobs, cut bus service in March, likely cut more service in September

Just a round-up of some even more grim news:

Erik Holmes at the newly-launched Orange County Local News Network wrote last week that OCTA's about to lay off "60 bus drivers, 15 mechanics and 43 administrative workers" this February to coincide with the massive 150,000-hour service cut. This March, OCTA will eliminate 24-hour service, 7 routes, some weekend service, reduced frequencies, plus introduce "new routes." OCTA has already posted the final cuts happening (kudos to the poor web designer who had to HTML and PDF-ize all this), and the bizarre routes they've spawned in North County and Irvine that will actually force riders to transfer. Routes 129, 143, 153 are such examples (on the right) that have been carved out of existing routes. 

(My take is that once an OCTA route becomes a 100-series "Community Route," it becomes so infrequent (like the 90-minute-frequency route 175 in Irvine) that it becomes mighty tempting to eliminate.)

Even worse, OCTA CEO Will Kempton throughout the Transit Forum alluded to another round of cuts this coming September because it is very likely Governor Schwarznegger will get his way and steal all transit money once again. Holmes explains in "More bus cuts likely in fall":

A service cut in September would be the fourth such reduction since the beginning of 2009.

The agency cut 133,000 hours last March, 100,000 hours in September and 150,000 hours in November.

[OCTA CEO Will] Kempton said he is hopeful – but not necessarily optimistic – that state lawmakers will shoot down Schwarzenegger’s proposal and restore transit funding. Kempton is trying to delay for as long as possible the decision on whether to cut bus service further, hoping the political tides will turn against elimination of the gas tax. There has been some opposition to the idea from lawmakers, he noted.

But Moira Topp, a lobbyist who represents OCTA in Sacramento, told the OCTA board of directors Jan. 25 that Schwarzenegger’s proposal likely will prevail because of the state government’s dire financial straits.

“The sentiment … has been, ‘We’ve already made a decision [to cut] transit, and we will take the money,’” she said.

*sigh* Here's the complete list of cuts happening this March courtesy of OCTA:

 

Night Owl Elimination

All Days – Routes 43, 50, 57, and 60. No service from 1:00 a.m. to 4:00 a.m.  .

Route Elimination & Options

Weekdays – Routes 62, 74, 75, 131, 147, 164, and 693.
Saturdays – Routes 24, 76, 86, 172, 193, and 693.
Sundays – Routes 24, 51, 76, 82, 85, 172, 193, and 693.

Frequency Reductions & Options

Weekdays – Routes 24, 25, 30, 35, 37, 50, 55, 64, 66, 71, 72, 76, 82, and 145. 
Saturdays/Sundays – Routes 29, 50, 55, 66, and 89.

Route Restructuring & Options

All Days – Routes 29, 43, 47, 53, 59, and 70. New routes: 90, 129, 143 and 153 will be added.

Trip Reduction & Options

Weekdays – Route 21, eliminate midday service from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m..

ACCESS Service & Options

Learn how will ACCESS service be impacted and your available options.

Route Changes by City

 

I noticed an interesting comment on the Orange County Register's article from someone who claims to be a former OCTD transit driver. OCTD is the precursor of OCTA bus services. What do you think?:

 Sadly I am not surprised at what has happened in Orange County to the bus service. I drove for OCTD which later became OCTA from 1986 to 2003. I still drive a public transit bus, but in another state (thankfully) far away from Orange County, California. I must say that the management of OCTA was always more concerned with political correctness and self image of themselves than they were of caring about the bus drivers, thier support staff and the general public all in all.

The biggest problem with OCTA is that is has always been too top heavy and cocky since it took over and absorbed the old Orange County Transit District (OCTD) back in 1991. During the years since management has drained money from bus service for use in road projects and Metrolink instead... all the while giving the people at the top of the organization obscene raises every year which they never should have gotten. 

The last general manager of the old OCTD was James Richert if I remember his name correctly. He was a man with good business sense that cared about bus service, his employees, and the public. That isn't to say that the old OCTD management was faultless, far from it. Two bus driver's strikes in the 1980's cannot be forgotten. However even with that said the old OCTD was a better run organization than the current OCTA has been since it's take over of OCTD in 1991...

Anyone who has worked for OCTA (although most will not say publicly) knows about some of the millions and millions of dollars that were wasted on consulants, ill planned studies and bad management decisions just for openers. For example I can remember back in the mid 1990's when an older transit bus was refurbished as a mobile command center in case of a disaster for the transit authority's use at a cost of about $800,000. The end result was a sharp looking refurbished bus that resembled a luxury motor home on the inside and could not be used for it's intended purpose... the radio system that it was wired up for never did work at all. That bus was later donated to the Orange County Sheriff Department as I recall, and I am not sure what they did with it.

I could write about misuse of money by OCTA management all night long and the way they mistreated thier employees and the riding public, but the real problem that you all face is the way that things are now. 

Working at another transit property in another state (which I prefer not to name as it is not relevant to this comment anyway), I know that there are other ways... better ways to manage public transit than OCTA exercises. The public should demand that OCTA cleans house in the ranks of OCTA management and if necessary break it up and restore the old OCTD agency to run public transit buses only. I am not advocating privatization, as you get shoddy service both in bus maintainence and poor quality bus drivers when you privatize public services in the interest of saving money. (For example would you seriously privatize the police department and pay an officer minimum wage and still expect him to defend you during an armed robbery? Yeah right.) Privatization of public services does not work people! That is another subject altogether and I won't go there any further as it strays from the reasons I am writing this comment in the first place. 

Getting back to the subject, I am suggesting to go back to the old blue print of the old OCTD. It was not a perfect transit agency, but it was the best public transit that Orange County ever had and worthy of being revived without the top heavy fat cat politicians running it as they run OCTA... most of whom have no clue as to the day to day operations of running public transit. Most of the people making those decisions are mayors or councel members of various cities around Orange County, and most of them never use public transit at all.

Finally I know that some of you care. Please continue to support public transit, the riders and the people who make thier living working on buses and driving buses for a living. They appreciate your support. God bless and good luck to all of you. I know that you all deserve better than what you have got during the past 19 years.