Bus no longer easy ride for passengers

   After waking up at 7:30 a.m. to reach the bus stop by 8, astronomy major Doria Ramos travels two hours on the bus to get to campus.
   The trip used to take her an hour and a half, but due to recent mandatory cutbacks several bus routes have been changed and Ramos has had to adjust her schedule in order to get to and from school.
   Changes include increasing the time between buses, eliminating certain trips and routes, ending the bus schedule early or starting later and creating more short turn trips where buses do not cover the entire length of the route.
   These modified routes and schedules make it difficult for some passengers who frequently ride the bus to get to places they need to be.
   "I take the 60 bus for school, the 51 to get to my bank, and the 71 to get to a family friend’s house who’s legally blind," said Ramos. "The 60 used to be 10 to 15 minutes now it’s 15 to half an hour, sometimes longer."
   Beginning March 14, the Orange County Transportation Authority will be making more cuts to the already dwindling bus services.
   Because of budget shortfalls OCTA has already made several cutbacks in the last year, including eliminating 145 drivers and 17 service workers in the last year. By next month OCTA will have to lay off another 191 drivers and 20 service workers due to lack of funds.
   "Bus service is vital to the nearly 200,000 passengers we serve each day," said Will Kempton, OCTA Chief Executive Officer. "We know these cuts will significantly impact those who depend upon our buses, and OCTA is continuing to look at ways to minimize the impact to our customers."
   Fares went up Jan. 1, 2009, from $1.25 to $1.50 for one trip and $3 to $4 for a one-day pass, adding up to an extra $365 a year for one passenger who rides the bus daily.
   But not all riders seem to be affected by the changes. "It’s usually one bus that I take to work or school," said computer science major David Rico. "The 57 is really consistent, always 15 to 20 minutes every time."
   OCTA’s online trip planner JustClick, helps riders with the constant changes to the bus schedule . Passengers input a start point, destination and time of departure or arrival and the program calculates the most efficient routes.
   Google Transit also provides this service through the Google Maps Web site, as well as through cell phone applications for BlackBerry and iPhone users.
   Recently OCTA has begun utilizing micro-networking techniques to keep their riders informed, including the OCTABusUpdates Twitter account, which posts tweets about changes and detours to routes.
   Also known as OCTAGO, "Text 4 Next", OCTA’s newest program lets customers receive via text the next three scheduled times that the bus will arrive at their stop.
   "OCTA2GO — that I use now so I can see how long I have to wait for the next bus," said Ramos.
   Several public meetings have taken place to discuss the current budget crisis and future changes. The next meeting will be held March 8 at OCTA Headquarters on 550 S. Main St. in Orange.