Antelope Valley Transit Authority

Antelope Valley Transit Authority is the transit agency serving the cities of Palmdale, Lancaster and Northern Los Angeles County. Antelope Valley Transit Authority is operated under contract by MV Transportation, and is affiliated with and offers connecting services with Metro and Metrolink. In , the system had a ridership of , or about per weekday as of .

Services

As of 2020, AVTA operates a fleet of 88 buses, 58 buses dedicated to local service and 30 to commuter service. AVTA runs:
*15 local bus routes
-Route 1: The Boulevard Transit Center/South Valley Transit Center

-Route 2: AV Mall/Marketplace Dr

-Route 3: Avenue S & 37th Street/South Valley Transit Center

-Route 4: Ferne Ave/ Owen Memorial Park

-Route 5: 60th Street/ Owen Memorial Park

-Route 7: Rancho Vista Blvd/ Avenida Vista Verde

-Route 8: Antelope Valley College/ Palmdale Metrolink

-Route 9: Owen Memorial Park/ Quartz Hill High School

-Route 11: 20th St. / Lancaster Blvd

-Route 12: 15th Street/Owen Memorial Park

*3 Supplemental routes to high schools and community colleges
*Commuter service to Downtown and the Westside of Los Angeles and to the western San Fernando Valley
*"North County TRANSporter", operating between morning and evening commuting hours when there is no Metrolink train service at the Palmdale and Lancaster Metrolink stations. TRANSporter provides a bus connection during these hours with the Newhall Metrolink station in Santa Clarita, where there is all-day train service to and from Los Angeles Union Station.

History

The cities of Palmdale and Lancaster and the Los Angeles County Department of Public Works jointly created the ''Antelope Valley Transit Authority'' in 1992 to meet the growing need for public transportation in the Antelope Valley. AVTA began local transit service on July 1, 1992, with three types of services: Transit, Commuter and Dial-A-Ride. A fourth service, Access Services, was created in 1996 to provide the disabled with a local complementary paratransit service in line with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
AVTA opened a larger facility in 2004 to accommodate increased demand.

On March 17, 2017, AVTA drivers struck. The dispute was between the driver's union Teamsters Local 848 and the system operator Transdev. After making their statement, the drivers elected to return to service by March 19 while negotiations between the parties continued. However the drivers went on strike again, May 3 was the third walkout which lasted at least a week. As the dispute continued, drivers were locked out on August 22.

In 2017, AVTA became the first transit agency in the United States to operate a 60-foot, articulated electric bus, manufactured by BYD in Lancaster.

In 2018, the Antelope Valley Transit Authority began to charge its electric buses on special wireless charging pads located along bus routes.

In January 2019, AVTA began commuter service to Edwards Air Force Base. Later that year, AVTA celebrated two significant milestones in its conversion to an all-electric fleet, achieving both a one million (May), then two million (December), zero emission miles driven. The service has been suspended since the start of the pandemic.

In May of 2022, AVTA drivers struck. The dispute was about unfair labor practices with Teamsters Union 848 and Transdev. The contract expired and MV Transportation took over operations as of June 2022.

Discounts

Senior citizens, people with disabilities, active military, and veterans may ride AVTA local buses free of charge with proper ID. Up to 4 children up to 44 inches tall may ride with an adult free of charge."Local transit fares", AVTA website
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Awards

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors recognized AVTA as an “Efficient Transit System”. The California Transit Association gave a “Transit Innovation Award” to AVTA in 1998 and a “Transit Image Award” in 1999.

Commuter services

Commuter Services provides service to and from major places of employment outside of the Antelope Valley (Routes 785-787). Commuter Services service is only operated Monday – Friday.

Commuter Service between Santa Clarita and Palmdale serve as the Transporter, service operates between Mcbean Regional Transit Center and Palmdale. The official route number is 790, this route operates Monday - Friday. However, as of December 2022 the route only operates between Palmdale and Newhall.

References

External links

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{{Southern California Transit

Public transportation in Los Angeles County, California
Bus transportation in California
Transportation in Palmdale, California
Transportation in Lancaster, California
Mojave Desert
Transit agencies in California
Transdev
Veolia
1992 establishments in California