New Bus Fares to Begin Feb. 10

New bus fares will be effective

next week after two months of

community outreach and

discussion about the upcoming

changes.

OCTA customers will see these

bus fare increases beginning

Sunday, Feb. 10. In addition,

the agency will offer several new

fare media and discounts

designed to help people save on the cost of riding the bus.

Based on recommendations from community members, OCTA will be offering a 10 percent discount

on pre-paid day passes, a discount for nonprofit agencies that provide bus service for those in need

and a pre-paid 5 Ride Pass that offers five bus rides for $9 or $1.80 each.

 “We know the fare changes may be difficult for some of our customers, so we are providing ways to

help people in Orange County to continue to take advantage of our bus service and get to their

destinations safely and efficiently,” OCTA Chairman Greg Winterbottom said. “OCTA remains

committed to providing transit solutions that will help move all members of the community.”

Since the last fare increase four years ago, bus operating costs have risen dramatically as farebox

revenue generated from people riding the bus continued to decrease.

The agency proposed the fare increases in order to remain eligible for funds from a state transit

assistance program that requires OCTA collect a minimum of 20 percent of operating costs from

farebox revenue.

 

Feb. 4, 2013

O.C. Celebrates Lunar New Year Measure M Public Hearing Set for Feb. 12 OCTA Recognizes Employee Contributions

In time with the new bus fares, OCTA will be offering several new media and

discounts to help Orange County residents save on the cost of riding the bus.

By meeting this 20 percent farebox recovery requirement, OCTA will continue to receive the funds

that finance more than 80 percent of bus service operating costs.

For more information about the new bus fares and discounts, please visit the OCTA website.

West County Connectors Goes Real Time with Construction Information

At the midpoint of construction

with two more years to go, the West

County Connectors project

outreach team introduces a new

interactive detour map to help

commuters navigate through

construction closures.  

The new online map utilizes Google

technology to highlight closures

and provides turn-b y-turn detours.

Before this new tool, the

construction team emailed

construction closure information

and detour notices that could not

be updated quickly to meet the

dynamic nature of the project.

Now, the team is able to update

information in real time, making it

simple to view on mobile devices

or computers.

“Because the West County

Connectors project is so complex,

we were trying to come up with a

solution to meet the real-time

demands of quickly changing

information,” said Sarah King, the

project’s outreach lead. “We hope commuters will view the real-time updates before beginning their

drives. We take our responsibility seriously to provide a user-friendly method to help ensure our

drivers have a smooth commute.”

Crews are continuing to work on constructing the carpool connectors between the Garden Grove

Freeway (SR-22) to the San Diego Freeway (I-405) and the San Gabriel River Freeway (I-605), and

continuing reconstruction efforts of the Seal Beach Boulevard bridge over the I-405 lanes.

Following the successful implementation of the real-time Orange Freeway (SR-57) construction

map, the new detour map for the West County Connectors Project will provide alternative routes for

commuters as connectors, ramps and stretches of the 405 freeway are closed intermittently through

2015.   

OCTA’s outreach team will send out the map and construction updates that highlight closures and

detours for the week.

People may subscribe to the emails by contacting wccproject@octa.net or also view the map

directly by visiting www.octa.net/WCCdetourmap.

O.C. Set to Celebrate Lunar New Year

The new interactive online map shows real-time construction information for the

West County Connectors project, highlighting closures and providing turn-by-turn

detours for motorists.

Orange County residents may ring in the Lunar New Year beginning Friday, Feb. 8 through Feb. 10

with festivities celebrating traditional Chinese, Vietnamese and Korean culture.

OCTA is partnering with the Garden Grove Tet Festival to provide participants who show their bus

pass to enjoy the festivities for $1, a $4 discount off the regular $5 admission price.

OCTA representatives also will be on hand at the Vietnamese celebration of the Lunar New Year in

Garden Grove Park. The annual festival is among the world's largest, drawing approximately

100,000 people each year to experience traditional entertainment, food and a variety of Orange

County vendors and organizations, while raising funds to sponsor cultural and educational programs

within the community.

“We are very excited to partner with the Orange County Transportation Authority this year to

reward OCTA riders,” Tet Chair of the Union of Vietnamese Student Associations Billy Lê said. “Our

partnership has hopes of reducing traffic and promoting the great public transportation network

that OCTA provides.”

As part of other Lunar New Year festivities, OCTA is offering the chance to win 50 free Metrolink

round-trip tickets to L.A.’s Golden Dragon parade as well as other prizes by spinning a prize wheel on

Saturday Feb. 16 at the Irvine Metrolink station.

The event begins at 8 a.m. with a colorful Lion Dance, other entertainment and free pastries with

refreshments before revelers board the 9 a.m. train to continue the celebration in L.A.’s Chinatown.

For more information, visit www.octa.net/lunar2013.

OCTA's Lunar New Year event at the Metrolink Irvine station kicks off the festivities with a traditional lion dance, other

entertainment and refreshments before the Metrolink train takes participants to L.A.'s Golden Dragon Parade in Chinatown.

http://www.octa.net/Metrolink/Schedules/Lunar-New-Year/

Taxpayers Oversight Committee to Conduct

Annual Measure M Public Hearing on Feb. 12

Members of the Measure M Taxpayers Oversight Committee (TOC) will conduct an annual public

hearing Feb. 12 on the countywide sales tax measure that funds transportation services and projects

throughout Orange County.

The hearing begins at 6 p.m. at OCTA headquarters in Orange. Committee members will report on

their recent activities and receive comments from members of the public on the implementation of

Measure M in the last year.

The independent, 11-member oversight committee serves as a voter safeguard to monitor OCTA’s

use of Measure M funding, approve all changes to the Measure M plan and hold annual public

hearings on the expenditure of funds generated by the sales tax measure.

Measure M has generated more than $4 billion worth of transportation improvements. Hundreds of

local projects that impact residents every day have already been completed. The projects include

enhancements to almost every freeway in the county, widening streets, signal coordination,

intersection improvements and funding the Metrolink commuter rail service in the county.

For more information, please visit the OCTA website.

Stakeholders Provide Input for Upcoming

Freeway Projects in San Clemente

To receive valuable feedback from the

San Clemente community, the outreach

team working on the Pico to San Juan

Creek, San Diego Freeway (I-5) South

County Improvement Project hosted its

first quarterly stakeholder working

group meeting last Wednesday.

Nearly 50 residents, business owners

and community leaders participated at

the San Clemente Community Center to

learn more about the project that will

widen the I-5 between San Juan Creek

Road and Avenida Pico and reconstruct

the Avenida Pico interchange.

The group of business leaders, school

representatives, public safety officers,

city leaders and other officials will be meeting quarterly throughout the duration of the project to

discuss issues and provide solutions to help the community through the impacts of construction.

Mayor Bob Baker of San Clemente thanked the outreach team for its timely communication and

responses to elected officials, city and the community.

San Clemente Councilwoman and

OCTA Director Lori Donchak as well

as Mission Viejo Councilman and

OCTA Director Frank Ury

participated in the stakeholder

meeting.

The OCTA public outreach team

continued its engagement efforts at

the San Clemente Craft Fair on

Avenida del Mar last Sunday. The

team will continue attending this

monthly craft fair to present

updates, share information and

answer questions from San

Clemente residents and visitors.  

OCTA Employees Recognized for Contributions

Nearly 50 members of San Clemente community learn more about the

project that will widen the I-5 between San Juan Creek Road and Pico

and reconstruct the Avenida Pico interchange.

San Clemente Councilwoman and OCTA Director Lori Donchak and Mission Viejo

Councilman and OCTA Director Frank Ury join in the project's first quarterly

stakeholder working group meeting.

OCTA recognized the 2012 employees of the year at an event in Santa Ana last Wednesday.

OCTA CEO Will Kempton, Deputy CEO Darrell Johnson and OCTA director Tim Shaw recognized the

efforts of Coach Operator Sipriana Farrel, Maintenance Employee Albert Vailea and Administrative

Employee Jennifer O’Connor as employees of the year for 2012.

“Nothing pleases me more than to recognize the valuable contribution each of you has made to

OCTA as an employee,” Kempton said. “Thank you for your dedication and service during the past

year.”

Employees of the Year Albert Vailea (maintenance), Sipriana Farrell (coach operator) and Jennifer O'Connor

(administration) join OCTA CEO Will Kempton, Deputy CEO Darrell Johnson and Director Tim Shaw

OCTA CEO Will Kempton recognized 36 members of the agency for their exemplary work as

Employees of the Month before presenting one coach operator, maintenance and

administration employee awards for Employees of the Year.

Garden Grove Base Tour Takes OCTA Directors Behind the Scenes

Members of the OCTA Board of

Directors toured the agency’s Garden

Grove Operating and Maintenance

Base to meet with the staff that keeps

the bus service moving.

Staff from bus operations,

maintenance, health and safety and

transit police services met with

Director Steve Jones, Director Lori

Donchak and Director Gail Eastman

last Thursday to share how the

different branches work together to

deliver OCTA’s countywide fixed-

route bus service for residents and

visitors in Orange County.

Deputy CEO Darrell Johnson, General

Manager Beth McCormick and

Assistant General Manager Erin Rogers also joined the directors on the tour where staff shared about

the extensive training program in place to support the bus system and adapt to changing

technology.

 Following the tour, all three directors received their first hands-on coaching session behind the

wheel of a 40-foot CNG New Flyer. 

Outreach Team Helps Seniors Take Advantage of Transit

OCTA Senior Customer Relations Representative Nicci La Piana and Marketing Specialist Assistant

Heidi Hsing will present information on how to ride the bus at two different locations next week.

La Piana and Hsing will provide information at the Yorba Linda Community Center from 10 a.m. to

10:45 a.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 6.

La Piana will host additional senior presentations at the Asian American Senior Services Center from

1 p.m. to 1:45 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 6.

Jan. 24 – The Asian Journal announced the Jan. 25 start of the Metrolink Ducks Express, providing

round-trip, weeknight train service to Anaheim Ducks games for $7, with special discounts for

seniors and youth.

Jan. 25 – The Orange County Register published a parking ban announcement for the east side of

Walnut Street and north Erna Avenue in La Habra because it obstructs OCTA ACCESS bus picks-ups

and drop-offs.

Jan. 26 & Jan. 27 – The Los Alamitos-Seal Beach Patch, Long Beach Patch and OC Breeze announced

construction closures on portions of the West County Connectors project.

Jan. 28 – The Orange County Register posted an article about the OCTA Board re-evaluating the San

Diego Freeway (I-405) Improvement Project alternatives and their previous recommendation of

adding one general purpose lane in each direction.   

Jan. 28 – Cal State Fullerton’s The Daily Titan

penned an article about campus construction

and mentioned ongoing meetings with OCTA

regarding the Nutwood Avenue closure as part

of the SR-57 Northbound Widening project.

Jan. 29 – In an Orange County Register article,

three Laguna Niguel residents voiced

General Transit Manager Beth McCormick joins Director Steve Jones,

Director Gail Eastman and Director Lori Donchak on a tour of the Garden

Grove base to learn about bus operations.

frustrations about early-morning train horns.

That railroading crossing is ineligible for quiet

zone status because it runs through private

property.

Jan. 29– The Orange County Register, Long

Beach Post, Long Beach Press-Telegram, OC

Breeze and Grunion Gazette reported about a fallen construction crane that blocked the road from

the eastbound Garden Grove (SR-22) Freeway to the northbound San Gabriel River (I-605) Freeway.

Crews cleared the road several hours later.

Jan. 29 – The Orange County Register published an article about the planned railroad underpass

project in Anaheim that will run along State College Boulevard and the possibilities of buying out

businesses along the project path.

Jan. 29 – The Sacramento Bee wrote an article about a pension measure affecting public

transportation employees.

Jan. 30 – The OC Breeze posted an article about OCTA Chairman Gregory Winterbottom’s goals for

2013 which, among other initiatives, includes advancing delivery of M2020 projects.

Jan. 30 – The Orange County Register wrote a brief article about OCTA providing Mission Viejo a

grant for its senior transportation program.

Jan. 30 – The Orange County Register penned a construction update about the SR-57 Northbound

Widening project.

Jan. 30 – The Orange County Register wrote a piece about Dana Point applying for quiet zone status

at the railroading crossing at Palisades Drive and Beach Road, with implementation anticipated for

Feb. 14.

Jan. 24 – Richard Bacigalupo, California Trucking Association Legislation Committee meeting,

Sacramento

Jan. 28-29 – Kristin Essner, California Association of Governments meeting and the California

Transportation Forum, Sacramento

Jan. 29 – Christopher Veal, Myers-Briggs Type Indicator Certification Program, San Diego, Calif.

Cal State Fullerton's The Daily Titan writes about campus

construction and mentions ongoing meetings with OCTA

regarding the Nutwood Avenue closure near the campus.

For the latest media news, follow Joel Zlotnik, media relations manager, on Twitter.

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