Beach Bus to start running this week

The June gloom should be heading out just in time for La Crescenta’s Beach Bus schedule to start.

The Beach Bus is a summer-long, round trip to the beach via bus. The program is co-sponsored by the city of La Cañada Flintridge and Los Angeles County. The bus begins running Tuesday and continues until Sept. 7. It will run every Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday, with a special Labor Day trip.

The bus makes several local pick-up stops: Two Strike Park at 9:30 a.m.; the former site of the county library on La Crescenta Avenue at 9:35 a.m.; the southeast corner of Montrose and La Crescenta avenues at 9:45 a.m.; and the southeast corner of Montrose Avenue and Ocean View Boulevard at 9:50 a.m. The bus drops passengers off at Santa Monica Pier, with the return trip leaving from the pier at 3:30 p.m.

“The city of La Cañada and the county of Los Angeles has provided this for the community,” said Carl Alameda, senior management analyst with La Cañada Flintridge, “and our ridership has increased every year.”

Alameda said that in the current economic climate, the regularly scheduled bus trips continue because they’re so well-attended, and the funding comes from Proposition A.

“Proposition A is funding money we get from the county and from the MTA,” Alameda said. “It will have no net effect on the city’s general funding.”

Arrival at Santa Monica Beach, at the pier parking lot, is at 10:50 a.m. Adults and kids pay $3 per person for the trip. Senior citizens and people with disabilities pay $1.50. Exact fare is requested. Anyone under 12 must be accompanied by an adult. Those who need disability accommodations are asked to call (626) 458-3909 three days in advance of their planned trip.

For more information, call (888) 769-1122 or visit http://ladpw.org/PDD/Beach_Bus/LACanada.pdf.