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FlyAway might leave Westwood

The LAX bus service to and from the village may be discontinued because of large budget deficit

 
By ALESSANDRA DASKALAKIS
Published May 24, 2011, 1:27 am in News
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Brian Khoa Nguyen

San Francisco resident Lauren Prosch boards a Westwood FlyAway bus. FlyAway might discontinue its Westwood route next year because of a budget shortfall.

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The Westwood FlyAway may be grounded next year after four years of transporting students to and from LAX.

Consistently low ridership has contributed to more than $4.6 million in service-wide deficits, according to a report to the Board of Airport Commissioners. The report recommended the Westwood route be discontinued, although no definitive announcement has been made.

While other sites also have deficits, the Westwood stop has met only 50 percent of anticipated demand, placing it on the chopping block.

The $5 service located at the corners of Kinross and Veteran avenues is popular among students who travel between LAX and Westwood. FlyAway service currently runs from LAX to Irvine, Union Station, Van Nuys and Westwood.

“It’s a selling point for the school,” said Erin Jose, a third-year microbiology, immunology and molecular genetics student. “I use it probably once a month or every two months.”

To compensate for losses, Los Angeles World Airports is considering opening stops in Long Beach and at Magic Mountain, according to the report.

Some riders, like Liliane Pin, an international intern in Westwood who uses the FlyAway, said the discontinuing of service in Westwood shows a lack of interest in UCLA. She added that it will be difficult for students and professionals to access Westwood because it is a fairly remote place.

Despite its proximity to a major university, the Westwood FlyAway departed for LAX at 3:30 p.m. on Sunday without a single passenger.

The service is especially utilized during the holidays. Because of this, Gary Chan, a fourth-year biology student, said the Westwood route should cut back on hours but not eliminate the entire service.

UCLA Transportation declined to comment for this story. Representatives from the department will be meeting with Los Angeles World Airports later this week to discuss the issue, according to a transportation spokesman.

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4 comments

This is not a big surprise considering the parking situation at UCLA. If you are using the FlyAway, there is no overnight parking available and parking over the weekend is $7 per day. I could park at LAX for $10-12 per day, my car would be closer, and I wouldn’t have to deal with the Westside traffic and UCLA’s parking restrictions. Whether your travel is a short trip during the week or a longer trip for more than just a weekend, UCLA FlyAway is a niche service that will never become mainstream as long as the miserly Parking Services continues with their parking policies.

— 11:49 AM May 24, 2011, by The problem is parking...
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Nooooooooooooo!!!! =(

True, some times it’s empty, but other times— Monday mornings, Thursday and Friday afternoons, etc. it’s freakin’ PACKED. Standing room only.

Makes me wonder if they should consider analyzing usage patterns.

— 12:11 PM May 25, 2011, by Brian
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There are some pretty huge bureaucratic problems here:

1) idiocy: there will always be many more travelers LAX to Westwood than Westwood to LAX on a Sunday; this service isV VERY important on Fridays
2) parking: there needs to be $5/day parking or something reasonable next to the Flyaway stop

— 12:28 AM May 26, 2011, by Jorge G
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Sherman Oaks—>Westwood—>LAX

That route makes more sense

— 12:33 AM May 26, 2011, by Jorge G
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