Amtrak bus line connects passengers to train stations

The new Amtrak bus stop at Gayley and Strathmore Avenues is now up and running.

The Westwood-UCLA stop is part of the Amtrak West Side Route, providing service to the South Bay and West Los Angeles.

The California Department of Transportation organized the Amtrak bus route with bus service provided by Coach America.

Rick Peterson, director of bus operations with Caltrans said the purpose of the bus route was to increase the mobility of people in California.

“UCLA in particular has a tough parking policy and a lot of students without cars. This seemed like a logical place to locate the stop in order to benefit the student body,” Peterson

said.

The South Bay and West Los Angeles areas in particular are underserved, without any connectivity to the Amtrak stations in Bakersfield and Van Nuys, Peterson said. The goal of the bus line was to improve efficiency.

Four trips are made to the bus stop every day, transporting UCLA students, faculty and staff from Westwood to Bakersfield to connect with the San Joaquin trains, said a Caltrans statement.

The San Joaquin train takes passengers to cities in the Central Valley such as Fresno and Merced, the San Francisco Bay Area and Sacramento, according to the Amtrak California Web site.

Three trips are also made to the bus stop that connects passengers to the Pacific Surfliner trains in Van

Nuys.

The Pacific Surfliner travels northbound to Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo. Southbound return connections to UCLA are available once a week and during the weekends.

“The route provides a great new resource for the UCLA campus community,” said Charles Carter, communication analyst for UCLA Transportation.

Carter emphasized the easy accessibility to students and those who live close to the campus.

“Before someone would have to take two trips on two different buses to reach the train station,” said Carter.

The new stop has made it easier and faster for students to reach destinations in Central and Northern California, he added.

The bus ticket must be purchased along with the ticket for the train to which the passenger is connecting.

UCLA students can receive a 20 percent discount by using the code V363. Faculty and staff can receive a 15 percent discount using the code V526.

In order to receive the discounts, tickets must be reserved three days in advance and with a credit card.

A valid UCLA ID must be presented as proof of eligibility for the discount upon arrival at the train station.

The driver will take passengers without tickets if they show the driver their BruinCard, which will be held in an envelope until the passenger arrives at either the Van Nuys or Bakersfield stations.

Upon arrival, passengers can pay for the bus as well as the rail ticket with the discount.

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