Metro's New Bus Routes

Metro’s new routes take effect on Sunday. If bus riders aren’t careful, they may discover they’re not anywhere close to where they intended to go.

The big change for Rosemead residents is the debut of Metro Rapid Bus service along Garvey Ave. I was originally excited by the prospect, until I saw the new alignment. The #70 route runs along Garvey, past Atlantic, then on to Ramona, where it then curves to the northwest and parallels the San Bernardino Freeway. As it approaches, Eastern, I can hop off and have a short half-mile walk to campus (on days when I needed to come to campus from southern Rosemead).

I assumed the new Metro Rapid Bus #770 route would parallel the #70 route. Instead, this new route turns south on Atlantic, then heads west at Cesar Chavez, into downtown. If you’re coming from points along the #70 route, I suspect this detour south eats away at some (if not most) of the time savings of the rapid bus technology.

I hope the change is because the Metro folks discovered that the vast majority of the riders between El Monte and Monterey Park only travel between those points, and do not continue on to downtown Los Angeles. Because, if the intent was to provide more rapid access to downtown along Garvey, this new route doesn’t do it.

Metro's New Bus Routes

This gives you a quick trip to ELAC and back with a single fare. Maybe it's for that new satellite campus.

The other way to get there is to go to the Montebello Town Center, and catch the 68, or to take the 20 to the 10 all the way on Whittier. I had done the 20 to 10 route before, because of transfer costs, and it takes a long time.

Metro's New Bus Routes

You know, I hadn't thought about that, but it's a good idea.  It's still a pretty good walk from Garvey to Graves (and Williams Elementary), but nothing that a reasonably healthy person couldn't handle.  And it's going to be way faster than any other alternative public transit route between the two campuses.  I hope ELAC does a good job of publicizing it.