New express bus line to connect Westwood, the Valley in December
People wait in line to board a Metro Rapid bus on Wilshire Boulevard. A new express bus service will launch in December, connecting Westwood and the Valley. (Daily Bruin file photo)
By Sam Hoff
Sept. 20, 2014 1:15 p.m.
UCLA students and staff will have a new option for commuting to the San Fernando Valley starting in December when a Metro bus line begins service through the Sepulveda Pass.
Line 788, which city officials announced Thursday, will offer express nonstop service from UCLA to the Orange Line before continuing to several other stops in the Valley, according to a statement on Los Angeles County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky’s website.
Officials designed the line to move quickly by driving in a 10-mile northbound carpool lane on the 405 freeway. The lane opened in late May.
Commuters can expect to save about 20 minutes or more each way by taking the new bus route, said Jon Hillmer, Metro’s executive officer in charge of bus service planning and scheduling, in the statement.
Currently, people who want to take buses through the Sepulveda Pass generally take Metro 761, which stops frequently on Sepulveda Boulevard and takes more than an hour to reach the Valley from the southern end of the Sepulveda Pass.
Starting on Dec. 15, Line 788 buses will depart about every 15 minutes on weekdays during peak hours from 5-9 a.m. and 3-7 p.m, according to a Metro press release.
On Thursday, the Metro Board of Directors will vote on a motion to promote the line as the “Valley-Westside Express,” which Yaroslavsky said is catchier than “Line 788.”
Compiled by Sam Hoff, Bruin senior staff.
