As a result of conducting a comprehensive system review, UCLA’s BruinBus transit service will add more frequent peak-period service, additional bus stop locations and modified routes to reduce travel time and improve reliability, beginning April 16.
“These service enhancements will reduce round-trip travel time for most customers, increase our service capacity during peak times, and significantly improve access to key locations in the northeast portion of campus,” said Clinton Bench, fleet and transit director for UCLA Transportation.
The number of routes will remain the same. The updates aim to increase service capacity by 10 percent, reduce travel times for most of our riders, and reduce fleet mileage and fuel consumption by 15 percent, Bench said.
New routes and route names
The new U1 route will replace what is now known as the campus route. U1 will operate in a counterclockwise direction with limited stops from Weyburn Terrace to Wyton Drive via Parking Lot 36 and Westwood Village, then make regular stops on its way back to Weyburn Terrace.
The new U2 route, replacing the Wilshire route, will add four new stops. It will operate in a clockwise direction with limited stops from Wyton Drive to Wilshire Center, making regular stops on its way back to Wyton Drive via Westwood Boulevard.
► Map of the new U1 and U2 routes
The University Apartment shuttle, renamed U4, will have no schedule changes but will gain two new stops at the Botany building and Wyton Drive. A new U5 route launched in January provides evening service after U1 and U2 end service for the day at 7 p.m. The new numbered routes will make BruinBus compatible with the Google Transit network this summer, including the publication of real-time transit information for added accessibility.
BruinBus will also add service on select days and times to respond to increased demands, especially during peak morning and afternoon travel hours. Because UCLA Transportation’s demand-tracking methods show ridership at its highest on Tuesday and Thursday mornings due to top-of-the-hour class schedules, BruinBus will increase bus service at those times on the U1 and U2 routes, Bench said.
New bus stop locations
The U1 and U2 routes will utilize a new stop at Wyton Drive on Charles E. Young Drive East. This new Wyton Drive stop will replace the current stop at Macgowan Hall and improve northeast campus access to locations such as UCLA School of Law and the Luskin School of Public Affairs. The U2 route will also add stops at the following locations: the Botany Building, Westholme Avenue at Hilgard Avenue, and Geffen Hall. The U4 route will utilize the new stops at Wyton Drive and the Botany Building.
BruinBus is a complimentary year-round transit bus system serving the UCLA campus, Westwood Village, Wilshire Center and other key destinations. It is open to all UCLA community members.
Demand is tracked on a daily basis from driver reports and supervisory monitoring. The new changes have been made after in-depth outreach, data analysis and extensive customer feedback received by staff since October 2017. The first phase of improvements occurred on Jan. 2, when BruinBus expanded service hours in the morning for Wilshire and offered a new combined weekday evening service for both Wilshire and campus to 8 p.m.
For further details on these and other BruinBus upgrades.