CA: MTA Targets Bus Line Serving Westside Workers Who Live in South L.A.
County transportation officials have been trying to eliminate or reduce service on the 305 and other bus lines for more than a year. They have already tackled some lines and last week approved a report that could clear a federal government hurdle allowing...
For instance, they argue that riders traveling from Watts/Willowbrook to UCLA can use the north-south Blue Line rail service into downtown and transfer to the east-west 720 bus line on Wilshire Boulevard.
Julio Chavez, 22, prefers cutting that urban corner on the 305 line.
The Florence-Firestone resident has been riding the 305 for four years to get to the Westside, where he works in food service and takes extension courses at UCLA.
Rents are too high to live in Westwood, he said. With the 305 line, he walks about three blocks to the stop near his home and steps off on campus.
When the Expo Line opens and the service is eliminated, he'll have to find another bus, wait for connecting routes and spend additional time and money getting where he needs to go.
"It would be a big mistake to take this bus," Chavez said while riding the line Friday. "It just zigzags all the way across from the east to the west."
