OCTA Proposes To Reduce, Drop Bus Routes Across Orange County

ORANGE COUNTY, CA -- The Orange County Transportation Authority is proposing to cut back regional public bus service across the county due to ridership levels that have fallen each year since 2012, according to OCTA data.

Initial possible route changes would begin this October under the plan; more changes would be implemented in February 2020. Proposed October 2019 changes would include the elimination of two routes: Route 206, the Santa Ana-Lake Forest Express; and Route 211, the Huntington Beach-Irvine Express.

Additionally, two other routes would either be relocated or have their frequency of service changed. They are Route 53/53X, which runs from Anaheim to Irvine; and Route 213/A, the Brea-Irvine Express.

Proposed February 2020 changes include the elimination of Route 129 from La Habra to Anaheim; and a reduction in service frequency for Route 86 from Costa Mesa to Mission Viejo, and Route 24 from Buena Park to Orange.

All the proposed changes can be found in a downloadable PDF document.

A total 38.5 million OCTA bus boardings occurred in 2018, down from a high of 69 million in 2007, according to the transportation company. Data show that between 2008 and 2015, bus ridership in the county fell by nearly 30 percent.

Transportation agency officials say they plan to come back to OCTA's board of directors on July 22 with a revised bus service proposal that takes into account feedback received from the public and during Board of Directors meetings.