Bravo! Route 560, OCTA’s new, faster service from Santa Ana to Long Beach, recorded more than 2,700 daily average boardings during its first month of service.
The Bravo! route launched June 13 and was made possible by a $2.3 million grant from California’s Transit and Intercity Rail Program. The grant is part of the state’s Cap-and-Trade funding program, which was created to fund capital improvements that cut greenhouse gases by reducing the number of miles that people drive. Buses on the route run on clean-burning compressed natural gas.
The new service provides a quicker commute along the popular Route 60 between Santa Ana’s busy transit center and the VA Medical Center in Long Beach. Bravo! 560 has been embraced and praised by passengers in its first few weeks.
Arlene Ho, a Tustin resident who graduated from UC Irvine in May, said she enjoys taking the bus with her family and friends to go shopping, to the beach and to her favorite dining destination in Orange County’s Little Saigon.
“OC Bus is the safest, most relaxing and quickest way to get to your destination,” she said.
Compared to Route 60, the Bravo! 560 gives commuters an average travel-time savings of 15 percent over the existing service, which currently takes more than 90 minutes from Santa Ana to Long Beach.
College student Alejandra Bonilla said the bus can get her and her friends to class on time without the hassle of driving or searching for a parking spot, a difficult task on a busy campus.
“OC Bus takes us to school,” Bonilla said. “We don’t need to worry about traffic.”
Bravo! 560 is part of OC Bus 360°, OCTA’s ongoing effort to improve bus service and increase the efficiency of bus travel throughout the county.