Brady Westwater on January 01, 2009, at 12:56PM – #1

I usually use the red line or the blue line for my nighttime travels since between them I can get to my nighttime destinations - but I also do a lot of walking and I never once noticed any DASH buses out there. But when I used the subway late - it was pretty empty.

Bert Green on January 01, 2009, at 04:55PM – #2

I made it a point to use the DASH on every night that it ran, at least once. I was never on an empty bus, but I was also never on a full bus. Maybe 2 to 5 other people at any time. I did see it pass by when I was not riding it, most often empty.

My only gripe with it was the "super-loopy" route. The frequency seemed OK when I tried it each time, I never had to wait more than 10 minutes. I'd prefer to see a simpler loop route without multiple mini-loops. Otherwise I thought it was a great experiment, and it made downtown feel more lively.

Dashed on January 01, 2009, at 09:03PM – #3

Never rode it. Never saw people waiting for it. Never noticed one driving around after dark. No desire to ride it.

Downtown is tiny and the areas in which there is stuff to do at night is even more compact. The DASH and downtown hail-a-taxi services are almost entirely useless. I'll drive to Ralph's if I'm getting a really big order. Otherwise, downtown is totally walkable.

A round of applause to the MTA for making the train and bus service free last night. The subway was fantastic -- the cars were full of people throughout the night and you really got a chance to be around who all lives in Los Angeles.

Susana on January 01, 2009, at 09:06PM – #4

I used it on a Friday night to get from LA LIVE to Historic Core and it took 27 minutes... When we finally go on, we were the only two riders the whole way and passed another bus that was parked in the Financial District taking a break. It was pretty pathetic, I could have walked to Historic Core in less time and with exercise. I hope it works if only to encourage late outings of visitors in Downtown but the Dash is not a method of transportation that I would be thrilled to count on.

deborah zaricor on January 02, 2009, at 04:33PM – #5

We attempted to use it one Friday night. We caught the bus at 11th and Fig at 6:30 PM. There were 4 of us on the bus. We took it to the historic Core and then we attempted to catch the bus at 2nd and Main around 8PM. We waited for 20 minutes then I called the number on the sign and got a recording and I left a message. Then two other people showed up and we waited another 20 minutes and no bus. We ended up hailing a cab and it cost us $10.00 to get back to South Park. I never did get a return call from dash. I decided not to try the late night dash again.

Scott Mercer on January 02, 2009, at 05:46PM – #6

I used it about three times. The route was a bit too long, but the service was appreciated. I would like to see this become a permanent fixture.

I find it hard to believe that in a city of 10 million people we can only get three people at a time to ride a bus in the late night period in our central city. We are LAME.

With more publicity, this could actually get some riders. I think the biggest fault was the lack of publicity.

Karin Liljegren on January 02, 2009, at 07:46PM – #7

Thank you Eric for letting us have a place for our thoughts on this one.
Transportation is imperative for our downtown to get to the next level.

My experience: - i read about latenight dash immediately on your blog - i had trouble finding the map on their website, wasn't connected enough to the regular dash web link. - I weighed it for my transportation modes about 50% of the time but it never seemed to be the most time efficient. I usually opted for more comfy shoes and walking. - the route was WAY too long and "loopy" - as for regular dash lines, I ride them a few times each weekend, or I used to, they are SO unreliable and waiting 30 min for a crosstown bus is just unacceptable.

I think it would also be helpful for the "powers at be" to market the routes of the regular MTA buses that pass through downtown. I have an out there question - what if there was no Dash at all and there was more attention to getting the MTA buses more accessible (meaning signage and maps that clearly give info). Maybe you can have a downtown only monthly pass where we could ride anywhere within certain downtown limits for a monthly fee. Put the dash $ into the new streetcar and other alternative modes. I think if more people were aware of how often and sometimes how late at night the regular MTA buses run (and if we could reduce the cost a bit) they'd use them!

ps - do a "lets discuss" on hail a taxi - I think Hal would love some neighborly input too

The Bus is Cheap Enough on January 04, 2009, at 09:16AM – #8

DASH is inept and the normal busses are cheap. If you can't afford $ 1.25 then walk the 4 blocks.

JM on January 05, 2009, at 02:48PM – #9

As much as I'd like to see the DASH run later in the evenings on a more regular basis, I was pretty disappointed by the pilot scheme. Just finding the map was an ordeal and the route was absurd.

As much as I'd hate to see the DASH go, because of ineptitude, I have to admit that, at this point, it would probably make more sense to adapt the existing bus scheme. But I strongly disagree that it's cheap enough and it's not a matter of affordability. It's the same fare, whether I travel four blocks or forty. That's the allure of the DASH. Travel Downtown for a quarter. If there could be some way of making it cheaper for Downtown residents and office workers, I'm sure more people would ride. Also, the DASH is much cleaner and more attractive than the regular buses.

If there were a cheap daily, weekly, monthly ticket for people who live or work Downtown, then I'd buy one. However, this being Los Angeles, the "powers that be" would find a way to bloat the price, adding pork until it became impractically expensive.

Susana on January 06, 2009, at 09:10AM – #10

Pay lower fares to ride in your own neighborhood? How would that be fair to busriders that only ride in Boyle Heights, or Van Nuys? Just because we live in Donwtown does not mean we get extra perk that people make up. Downtown is so small you could usually just walk. Whenever I go out for a drink, I walk there and I live at South Park and go to Bordello Bar or Zip Fusion. If I can do that on heels, I think most can manage it. I don't want MTA to lower their prices, just improve their service.

JM on January 08, 2009, at 09:06AM – #11

First off, I have a bus pass and commute every day, so I'm not haggling over the price for myself. Second, I don't think it's a matter of being lazy. I walk too, although I don't know how you do the heels thing, so kudos. I'm more interested in making Downtown convenient. What about lugging groceries home or tourists who arrive with luggage and want to use public transportation? What about people who have difficulties walking? This is where the DASH has been successful and I do like the convenience of it, when it works. I think there has to be a more active discussion than walk or cough up $1.25 for a few blocks. Although, I fully agree that MTA should improve their service, particularly when they raise their fares.