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Re: Some pics taken outside of LACMTA div#6

Posted by FYBklyn1959 on Tue Feb 3 10:11:16 2009, in response to Re: Some pics taken outside of LACMTA div#6, posted by lbt 9415 on Mon Feb 2 19:43:32 2009.

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I remember those early days well (in 1996), as my home line (125 - Rosecrans Ave) was one of the ones contracted to Worst First Transit. Back then they were known as ATE (Ain't Travelin' Efficiently) :) Management and Service. The initial fleet did consist of the 1981 RTS, but there were some 1984 Neoplans at that time also. Mostly high 3400s from Division 8 (West Valley), which could spare them as they had gotten in CNG Neoplans. The only exception to this was 3402 (from Division 15) and 3581. ATE ended up burning up 3581 and 3480. ATE's maintenance, or what passed for it was horrible, almost immediately the A/C stopped working (and the 1981 RTS didn't have openable windows!), among other problems. Later in the year, MTA actually loaned ATE a few of their 1989 TMC RTS-06s (and at least one 1988 (2040)). The ex-LBT 1984 RTS arrived in 1997 (4452-4476). They were great when they first arrived (everything worked, except for the signs which were not reprogrammed for MTA destinations as Eddie mentioned), but before too long, they had fallen into the same sad state. This was the state of ATE when I left Southern California in mid-1998, later that year or early 1999, MTA did send the 1988/1989 Flxibles and TMCs, which covered service until the Orions arrived in 2001.
The initial ATE era was a bad time, schedule adherence was terrible, so I began seeking alternate wasy to work. Since I lived near Rosecrans and Western, I had alternatives, such as Gardena Municipal Bus Lines. One route I took was the Gardena 2 south on Western to Artesia, where I would get the recently rerouted 444 (which used Artesia Blvd from the South Bay Galleria to Vermont Ave, then down Vermont to the Artesia Transit Center, then onto the Harbor Transitway). Or a westbound 125 (a run that was reasonably reliable) to Rosecrans/Crenshaw, then the 210 (or the 310) to Crenshaw Green Line station, then the Green Line eastbound to either Harbor Fwy station, where I'd get one of the Harbor Fwy lines to USC, or if I had time, continue to Imperial/Wilmington to the Blue Line to Grand and then DASH F to USC. Hopefully, First Transit has improved over those early ATE days, but somehow I doubt it.

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