Orange County Transit Advocates

Write or call (714) 607-0012

Orange County bus service is provided by the Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA).

The Transit Coalition coordinates activities to address issues regarding the operation of OCTA services as well as proposals that could affect passengers and assists our friends at OC Transit Advocates.

Action Items

Service Cuts Information: The OCTA Board of Directors voted on Monday, June 8, 2008 to cut 100,000 hours of service. Thanks to the many concerned citizens that made their voice heard at this meeting, a partial victory was achieved. Although the budget-required service cuts will result in less frequent buses on several lines, the span of weekday service will be maintained (early morning and late-night riders will therefore still have service). Further, all Night Owl service will be retained until December (a three-month extension), when demand-based cuts would then be made.

The Board also asked staff to return in 30 days and report the impacts of implementing the remaining cuts of 300,000 service hours all at once in December, rather than staggering cuts over the next 3 rounds of service changes.

There is clearly much more work to be done to protect further cuts, and this will be approached with the two goals of determing: 1) our own "least painful" cuts and 2) funding proposals to eliminate the need for further cuts.

Public Hearings Announced!

Every public hearing attendee is another voice to save our service!

It is essential that we attend in numbers to let OCTA know that a 30% cut in service is unacceptable. Even if you can't speak, your presence will still send a strong message, so plan on attending with as many friends as you can.

Take routes 53, 56, 83, 147 or 453 to the hearing at 9 am, 600 S. Main St, just south of La Veta and north of Main Place Mall in the City of Orange, on the west (southbound) side of the street. It will be in the second large tower south of the intersection. If you can't make it right at 9, that's OK, because the hearing will likely last a while! There will be an overflow room available due to the large crowds expected. Bring snacks or whatever you need to be comfortable for a few hours if necessary. There are wheelchair-accessible restrooms and drinking fountains in the building.

E-mail us or stop and see us before you enter the building if you have any questions, and to have any friends of yours sign up on our mailing list. You can also pick up our flyers to hand out on your bus and at bus stops over the next month leading up until the board vote.

If you would like to speak...
Just fill out one of the speaker cards with your name, contact information and "Item 2" before you enter the meeting room. Your name will be called at some point during the meeting and you will have 3 minutes to address the Board. Thank you for helping to save our service!

Volunteer... and Spread the Word!
We need 4 volunteers this Monday to hand out flyers and sign bus riders up for our mailing list. We also need someone to help translate our materials into Spanish. Let us know right away if you can help. Ask your friends to sign up for our announcements (via e-mail or phone).

Plan to attend these critical OCTA meetings. These meetings are at OCTA Headquarters, 600 S Main St. at La Veta, Orange, CA