PUBLIC TRANSIT USERS TO RIDE FREE FROM MARCH 15 THROUGH 31
ON NEW NON-STOP FLYAWAY BUS SERVICE FROM UNION STATION
TO LOS ANGELES INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
Non-stop bus service to airport terminals will depart every 30 minutes for $3 fare
(Los Angeles, California – March 9, 2006) To celebrate the March 15 inauguration of non-stop FlyAway bus service from Union Station to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), travelers taking public transportation to Union Station can ride the FlyAway roundtrip for free from March 15 through March 31.
Los Angeles World Airports has partnered with Metro to provide the new FlyAway service that will enable tens of thousands of public transit riders, including those using the Metro Red and Gold Lines, Metrolink and Amtrak trains, DASH, Metro and other municipal bus lines to travel directly to LAX airport terminals in 45 minutes or less. During the first two weeks of service, riders presenting tickets or passes from these public transit services, or taxi receipts, can receive a free FlyAway roundtrip ticket at the ticket kiosk.
The first buses on March 15 will depart from Union Station East Portal/Patsaouras Transit Plaza and the LAX Central Terminal Area at 11:00 a.m. Los Angeles Mayor Antonio R. Villaraigosa will be among the first passengers on the 11 a.m. bus from Union Station following a news conference and inaugural ceremonies.
The new non-stop FlyAway will operate from Berth 9 at Patsaouras Transit Plaza, which is located on the east side of Union Station at Gateway Center (Metro headquarters) and is accessed by car via Vignes Street. Buses will run in both directions every 30 minutes between the hours of 5 a.m. and 1 a.m., and every hour from 1 a.m. to 5 a.m. The buses will depart Patsaouras Transit Plaza and LAX on the hour and half-hour everyday, including weekends and holidays.
The 20-mile ride will cost $3 one-way for adults, $2 for children between 2 and 12 years, and free for children under 2 years. Tickets will be available from a kiosk staffed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and located a few feet from the FlyAway stop at Patsaouras Transit Plaza.
FlyAway buses will drop-off passengers at LAX on the Upper/Departures Level in front of each terminal. Passengers departing LAX will be picked up on the Lower/Arrivals Level in front of each terminal under green signs marked "FlyAway, Buses and Long-Distance Vans."
Parking for up to 30 days is available at Gateway Center Garage (enter on Vignes Street) for $6 a day for a 24-hour period. Five hundred covered parking spaces are available for FlyAway customers.
Cash only is accepted for the bus ride. An automated teller machine (ATM) is located inside Union Station (Alameda Street side). Cash and checks are accepted for parking.
Unlike public buses, FlyAway buses are designed with luggage bays and feature cushioned seats. Porter service will be available to riders. The new service complies with requirements of the Americans With Disabilities Act. The buses are equipped with wheelchair lifts. Parking slots for vehicles displaying disabled placards or license plates are available in the Gateway Center Garage.
The ride from Union Station, which takes advantage of high-occupancy-vehicle lanes, takes less than 45 minutes during peak traffic periods. Based on Metro Rail schedules, it is estimated that using a combination of Metro Rail and the LAX FlyAway, a traveler could leave from the heart of the Hollywood business-tourism district or from the Mid-Wilshire area and reach LAX in little over one hour for just $4.25 total. And for the same combined fare starting on the Metro Rail from Old Towne Pasadena, a traveler could reach LAX during peak traffic periods in less than one hour 15 minutes.
In collaboration with other law enforcement agencies, Los Angeles Airport Police officers will ride the FlyAway buses on a random basis and patrol the FlyAway Berth 9 area on foot. Bomb detection canine teams will conduct periodic sweeps of the buses, Berth 9 area and luggage. This security operation will also include the Van Nuys FlyAway bus service.
The new service is part of Los Angeles World Airports’ (LAWA’s) ground transportation initiatives to expand its FlyAway bus system to improve passenger convenience, and to reduce traffic congestion and vehicle emissions by encouraging high-occupancy vehicle ridership. The new Union Station location is part of a plan that will eventually add seven more locations around Southern California to the FlyAway system by 2015. LAWA also plans to add FlyAway service to its other commercial passenger facilities at Ontario International and Palmdale Regional Airports as demand warrants.
The new FlyAway service is offered through a three-year agreement with Metro. Metro will allow LAWA to use Union Station’s Patsaouras Transit Plaza, provide parking for 500 vehicles at the Gateway Parking Garage, and allow the operation of an information and ticket sale kiosk on the plaza.
As an inter-modal transit center, Union Station is unique and provides a needed link to LAX for a large population of transit ridership that would not otherwise be available. There are approximately 50,000 transit riders connecting through Union Station on a daily basis from the Metro Gold Line, Metro Red Line Metrolink commuter trains, and Amtrak.
The FlyAway from Union Station builds upon LAWA’s experience operating the popular FlyAway service from Van Nuys in the San Fernando Valley. The Van Nuys FlyAway has served over 18 million riders and saved 396 million vehicle miles traveled in the region since it began in 1975. LAWA ground transportation experts estimate 2,000-plus cars are removed from local streets and freeways everyday due to VNY FlyAway operations. A new state-of-the-art FlyAway terminal opened at Van Nuys Airport in December 2004. The park-and-ride facility has over 2,000 covered parking spaces in a five-level structure and another 500 spaces in a surface lot.
Also on March 15, fares for the popular Van Nuys FlyAway bus service will be adjusted to match fares on the Union Station service. The parking rate at the Van Nuys FlyAway will remain $4 per day with a 30-day maximum stay.
Further information on the two LAX FlyAway bus service at Union Station/Patsaouras Transit Plaza and at Van Nuys Airport is available by calling 1-866-I FLY LAX (1-866-435-9529), or visiting www.lawa.org.
Expansion of the FlyAway bus service also is a requirement of the LAX Master Plan Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program and one of the conditions of the recent settlement of lawsuits filed against the LAX Master Plan.
