With the average price for a gallon of gasoline in the beach cities hovering around $4.50, it’s no surprise that many people are considering and using public transportation, and the city of El Segundo is doing its best to provide alternatives to driving.
Recently, city officials approved a measure that would continue the service of MAX, which stands for Municipal Area Express, a commuter bus service that has been servicing the South Bay beach cities for almost two decades.
“It was started in the early 1990s, when I was mayor,” said El Segundo Councilman Carl Jacobson.
Jacobson, who also serves on the Policy Steering Committee for Service, added that the bus system was started to bring people who live outside of the city to their places of employment and bring them home again.
“There are many different routes, but it stretches all the way from Rancho Palos Verdes to El Segundo,” said Jacobson. “It is designed for employees at Boeing, Raytheon and other El Segundo-based companies,” he said.
The bus service will cost the city approximately $181,191 over the next three years.
The buses are provided by Torrance Transit, which acts as the lead authority over the entire service. They are fully equipped with air conditioning, airline-style reclining seats, reading lights and overhead parcel racks. The MAX service offers three routes through the South Bay, and operates during the morning and afternoon peak commuting hours.
The MAX bus route Line 2 travels along Hawthorne Boulevard and Anza, while Line 3 travels up Western, PCH and Crenshaw Boulevard. Both Lines 2 and 3 travel west on Manhattan Beach Boulevard before turning on Space Park Drive and Aviation, entering El Segundo. Line 3X is a special freeway express route that operates directly from San Pedro to El Segundo. It cuts the commute time by about 20 minutes.
It is shared by seven local cities, including Torrance, Rancho Palos Verdes, Lawndale, Lomita, El Segundo, and parts of Los Angeles that border Torrance and San Pedro. The bus routes go north in the morning and south in the evening. MAX runs Monday through Friday only, according to Dennis Kobata, senior administrative analyst for the city of Torrance.
“Riders should also note that the we raised the rates just recently,” said Kobata. “It now costs $1.50 for Lines 2 and 3, and $2 for the 3X route. This is the first time we’ve raised the rates in over 15 years since it began,” he said, noting that the price increase was caused by the raise in fuel prices.
The fare increases took effect July 1.
“It has been a reasonable rate of participation, thus far,” Kobata said. “With gas prices rising, more riders are discretionary riders, meaning they ride even though they have a car. But still, 80 percent of Torrance Transit riders do not own a car,” he said.
The Policy Steering Committee, which oversees the services provided by MAX, meets every other month, on the first Monday of that month at the Torrance City Hall. Each participating city has representatives on the committee.
“It’s six cities and the county of L.A in the committee, but the county has no specific role, they are just overseers. All the work, and a good portion of the funding comes from the cities involved,” said Kobata.
To purchase tickets, and for more information on the MAX Commuter Bus Service, call (310) 618-2536 or visit www.maxbus.com
With the average price for a gallon of gasoline in the beach cities hovering around $4.50, it’s no surprise that many people are considering and using public transportation, and the city of El Segundo is doing its best to provide alternatives to driving.
Recently, city officials approved a measure that would continue the service of MAX, which stands for Municipal Area Express, a commuter bus service that has been servicing the South Bay beach cities for almost two decades.
“It was started in the early 1990s, when I was mayor,” said El Segundo Councilman Carl Jacobson.
Jacobson, who also serves on the Policy Steering Committee for Service, added that the bus system was started to bring people who live outside of the city to their places of employment and bring them home again.
“There are many different routes, but it stretches all the way from Rancho Palos Verdes to El Segundo,” said Jacobson. “It is designed for employees at Boeing, Raytheon and other El Segundo-based companies,” he said.
The bus service will cost the city approximately $181,191 over the next three years.
The buses are provided by Torrance Transit, which acts as the lead authority over the entire service. They are fully equipped with air conditioning, airline-style reclining seats, reading lights and overhead parcel racks. The MAX service offers three routes through the South Bay, and operates during the morning and afternoon peak commuting hours.
The MAX bus route Line 2 travels along Hawthorne Boulevard and Anza, while Line 3 travels up Western, PCH and Crenshaw Boulevard. Both Lines 2 and 3 travel west on Manhattan Beach Boulevard before turning on Space Park Drive and Aviation, entering El Segundo. Line 3X is a special freeway express route that operates directly from San Pedro to El Segundo. It cuts the commute time by about 20 minutes.
It is shared by seven local cities, including Torrance, Rancho Palos Verdes, Lawndale, Lomita, El Segundo, and parts of Los Angeles that border Torrance and San Pedro. The bus routes go north in the morning and south in the evening. MAX runs Monday through Friday only, according to Dennis Kobata, senior administrative analyst for the city of Torrance.
“Riders should also note that the we raised the rates just recently,” said Kobata. “It now costs $1.50 for Lines 2 and 3, and $2 for the 3X route. This is the first time we’ve raised the rates in over 15 years since it began,” he said, noting that the price increase was caused by the raise in fuel prices.
The fare increases took effect July 1.
“It has been a reasonable rate of participation, thus far,” Kobata said. “With gas prices rising, more riders are discretionary riders, meaning they ride even though they have a car. But still, 80 percent of Torrance Transit riders do not own a car,” he said.
The Policy Steering Committee, which oversees the services provided by MAX, meets every other month, on the first Monday of that month at the Torrance City Hall. Each participating city has representatives on the committee.
“It’s six cities and the county of L.A in the committee, but the county has no specific role, they are just overseers. All the work, and a good portion of the funding comes from the cities involved,” said Kobata.
To purchase tickets, and for more information on the MAX Commuter Bus Service, call (310) 618-2536 or visit www.maxbus.com |
from Archives: El Segundo News 
