Re: There are other solutions to increase Orangeline ridership, by operating the service better.
Author: nothing new under the fog
Date: 04-03-2019 - 23:09
And yes, LA does get fog in the summer, though it quickly burns back to the beach.
GGTransit has run a "branching" service for its commute routes for 50 years. They run local on-street routes in the residential areas, then jump on the freeway to run express in the HOV lanes into San Francisco. Not sure what effect SMART has had on those routes, but I suspect little - why make a bunch of transfers when you can get a one-seat ride from your neighborhood to downtown SF with significant amounts of non-stop running.
Assuming that the Orange Line isn't already saturated (what are the headways and speeds?), running some expresses or limiteds with both street and busway running certainly should be attractive for at least commuter express service. IIRC (experience there was many years back), 101 doesn't have much in the way of HOV lanes - in fact, do any of the Valley freeways have them yet?