Taking the bus to your place in the sun

Beachgoers, L.A. County would like to take you for a ride.

Whether you’re heading from Warner Center to Will Rogers State Beach or from City Terrace to the Santa Monica Pier, there’s a bus to take you to the ocean this summer.

The first of the buses start running on Memorial Day weekend, although most will begin service in mid- to late-June.

The cost ranges from free (Playa Vista/Marina del Rey/Venice Beach shuttle) to 50 cents (for a one-way trip on the Topanga Canyon beach bus) to $6 (a roundtrip ride from the Antelope Valley to Santa Monica.) Riders under 12 must be accompanied by an adult.

The first bus out of the gate this summer will be the free Beach Shuttle that runs from Playa Vista to Marina del Rey and Venice Beach, which will operate on Fridays, weekends, and holidays between Memorial Day Weekend and Labor Day. Its first day of operation is this Friday, May 28. The shuttle bus, which runs on environmentally-friendly compressed natural gas, also will stop at Burton Chace Park’s summer concerts on select Thursday nights. (Those seeking another fun, alternative mode of transportation this summer can also check out the WaterBus, which charges $1 each way to transport patrons to the Marina del Rey summer concert series.)

Also getting off to an early start is the Antelope Valley Summer Beach Bus, which begins service on Memorial Day, May 31. After that, it will run on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and on Labor Day.

The Topanga Canyon Summer Beach Bus starts operating June 21, and will operate Monday through Saturday through Sept. 6. It runs from Warner Center (convenient to the Orange Line) with two stops in the Valley and four in Topanga Canyon before delivering patrons to three choice waterfront destinations: Topanga State Beach, Will Rogers State Beach and Santa Monica State Beach.

The county also offers beach-bound summer buses from Altadena, Charter Oak/Duarte, East Los Angeles, La Crescenta/ La Canada Flintridge and Castaic/West Ranch.

And just because they call them beach buses doesn’t mean passengers have to hit the sand.

Catrina Love, a senior marketing analyst at the county Department of Beaches and Harbors, notes that the shuttles provide transportation for all sorts of summer plans.

“The shuttle means that you don’t always have to take your car just to get around,” Love says. “You can always get off along the route for other activities.”

Posted 5/26/10