Starting this December, Metro's Line 788 express bus (which may soon be the Valley-Westside Express) will begin offering non-stop service during peak hours between the Orange Line in the Valley and Westwood, traveling partially on the 405's brand new carpool lanes, announces County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky's website. Formerly the 588, the speedy 788 will travel along Van Nuys Boulevard from Plummer Street in Panorama City to Oxnard Street in Van Nuys, then hopping onto the 405 where it will ride those sweet HOV lanes until Westwood. By taking the freeway and making no stops between the Orange Line and Westwood, Metro official says commuters could shave about 20 minutes off their trip, and that's a "very conservative" estimate.
The Sepulveda Pass is currently served by the 761 bus, which Yaroslavsky's site calls out as "infamously slow"; meanwhile, the 45-foot buses that the 788 will use "proved able to maintain speeds of at least 55 miles per hour" coming and going over the hill. And the line could get even better—when the Expo Line's extension is up and running (probably in early 2016), the plan is to extend the express route to the Expo/Sepulveda station.
· Valley-Westside express bus is a go [ZY]
· Metro Could Run a Valley-to-UCLA Bus on 405's New HOV Lane [Curbed LA]
Loading comments...