Orange County transit officials are set to launch a new, limited-stop bus line on June 10 that’s expected to shave time from rides along Harbor Boulevard.
The new Bravo line, also known as Route 543, is the first of its kind in Orange County, officials said.
By having 15 stops instead of the regular 52, Bravo will cut travel times along the full line from just over an hour to 45 minutes, said Joel Zlotnik, spokesman for the Orange County Transit Authority.
“I think this service is really going to be a great benefit to riders on one of our busiest routes,” said Zlotnik. “We really look forward to people being able to save time and try the new Bravo.”
The route goes between the Fullerton train station and MacArthur Boulevard in Costa Mesa via Anaheim, Garden Grove and Santa Ana.
To promote the service, passengers will get free rides June 10 through June 12. After that they’ll be charged the standard bus fare of $2 or $5 for a day pass.
The new line is an outgrowth of OCTA’s Transit System Study, completed in late 2011 after a 20-percent cut to bus service countywide.
“In response to that, we undertook this study to see if there were other ways to deliver our service more efficiently,” given that the agency “had less dollars to spend and we had less buses out on the streets,” Zlotniksaid.
The Bravo line accounts for about half of the new bus service planned in the next fiscal year.
On June 10, OCTA plans to hear public comments on its new budget, then adopt it.
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