How to ride the damn MTA bus?

Question

this is going to be my first time riding the bus (in southern california) to school. I was wondering if anyone has any bus advice? The weather here is starting to heat up very rapidly.
is it safe to ride the bus? Does air conditioning exist when it's hot?

Answer 1

*Stay away from the back of the bus.
*At night sit close to driver.
*Wear extra deodrant and perhaps freshen up before leaving work.The bus may be warm and you may be close to other bodies.Freshen the breath too. Try not over perfume yourself.
*If you are stuck standing try to stay near other ladies as some men can be fresh to ladies.
*Try not to make eye contact with anyone... don't hang your head low just see people BUT not see them.
*Research your route carefully so you do not appear like you don't know where your going. Again if you need travel advice ask women not men.
*Change your shoes before leaving school... opt for flats over heels in case you have to run from danger or to catch bus.
* A small magazine or paperback ( readers digest size ) and perhaps a ipod may help if your commute is long. Large format newpapers are not reccomended as your space will be limited.
*Take up only one seat ( don't put your things across empty seats UNLESS the bus is almost empty)
*Get in the habit of checking your seat BEFORE you leave the bus to make sure you have left nothing behind.
* Have propper fare ready... don't delay others.
* Leave your self plenty of travel time to get to work till you know the system well.

Answer 2

its easy to use the Metro (which is what the MTA is called in Los Angeles,.
if you need transit info you can go to
metro.net and look at the trip planner
which is pretty easy to use
or email me (my hobby is transit info; I'm consider a transit expert)
make sure you have the correct fare before the bus arrives
its $1.25 per ride if you are going to ride more 3 buses
a day pass might be a better value for you as they are $3.00
all day (well really until 3:00am the next day)
they are valid on all Metro operated services..
as for A/C on the newer buses (the rapid buses for example)
they usually work as for the old buses maybe..
another thing allow a least a hour to ever where you are going
for traveling, sometimes the buses will run late, run into
traffic, detours etc

Answer 3

I feel for you....I rode the MTA once in my life, while I was in LA area. Oh no, never again. It takes like 4 transfers to get across town. Anyways, I would suggest that you buy a pass instead of paying a rate every time you get on a bus and make sure it goes over more than 3 or 4 zones.