Commuting to a banking job just got a whole lot easier for Tippy
Boonkokua.
The Cerritos resident takes the Metrolink into Burbank and then
boards the newly painted blue and white city bus that makes a circuit
through the downtown area, dropping her off in front of her
workplace.
"It works out pretty well as far as the train schedule," Boonkokua
said. "I then just need to wait for the bus."
The fixed-route downtown service, called Burbankbus, that began
Sept. 1 replaced an on-demand system that used vans to transport
commuters.
"These buses are bigger and more people can get on," Boonkokua
said. "It will be more convenient in the long run."
The buses operate on two routes. One, which operates from 5:35
a.m. to 9:48 a.m. and again from 2:45 p.m. to 7:41 p.m. Monday
through Friday, loops around the downtown area to and from the
Metrolink station on Front Street.
The second operates from 5:35 a.m. to 10:08 a.m. and from 2:28
p.m. to 7:33 p.m. and starts at the Metrolink Station and serves the
Bob Hope Airport and Media District north.
Riders with Metrolink or Metropolitan Transit Authority passes can
board for free, otherwise the fare is $1.
The buses are the second of a three-phase transit expansion
program that began in late February with a new shuttle service
serving the Media District to and from the North Hollywood Metro Red
Line station.
The third phase of a shuttle line serving the airport and north
Media District from the North Hollywood Red Line station is expected
to begin later this month.
City employee Jonathan Chang was another rider who found the new
service convenient, as well as less expensive than driving.
"It drops me right behind my office," said Chang, of Chatsworth.
"It's actually faster to take the train and ride the bus than to
drive into town."
The expansion is part of a larger, citywide effort to get
commuters out of their vehicles and on to public transportation.
The new service also coincides with the city re-naming its transit
system Burbankbus and introducing a distinct blue and white paint
scheme.
The city could not have started the new service at a better time,
Andrew Carrasco, the city's transportation services supervisor, said.
"It's already paying off," Carrasco said. "With gas prices the way
they are, people are looking for options."
The two routes have collectively averaged between 260 and 280
riders a day, an increase from the 220 and 250 riders using the
on-demand service, Carrasco said.
