Getting there just got easier: Pacoima residents benefit from new electric buses
BACKGROUND
This case study highlights how a TCC-funded, all-electric bus fleet and new bus route are improving mobility and quality of life for San Fernando Valley residents. Nora Rosette and Ramona Gonzalez describe how the service supports daily trips — getting their children to and from school, commuting to work, and attending community meetings. To learn more about TCC, visit our TCC page.
NORA ROSETTE moved to the San Fernando Gardens, an affordable housing complex in Pacoima, nine years ago. She is the mother of four children, ranging from 9 to 18 years old. Her youngest was born in Pacoima.
Rosette directly benefits from the 14 new all-electric buses and a new route funded through TCC. She was excited about the potential for a new bus route, which could reduce her travel time and decrease the number of transfers required to move around the city. The investments were implemented by the Los Angeles Department of Transportation (LADOT), and the new bus route serves the Green Together project area. Rosette uses the new LADOT DASH route for most of her daily errands — from picking up her children at school to attending community meetings. TCC funding also increased service frequency. The route runs from Hansen Dam Recreation Area to the Panorama City Library in both directions. The new route is especially valuable to Rosette because she does not own a car.
The DASH now takes me to the majority of places [that I want to go], now I only take one bus. This is the biggest change for me. The furthest I go now is Panorama City. Before, I used to take two buses, and now it is only one bus, the DASH.
Rosette has been involved with Pacoima Beautiful, a leader in the Green Together Collaborative, since her children were in middle school, when she attended a workshop for parents on community empowerment. When Pacoima Beautiful co-hosted a planning workshop with LADOT for the new TCC-funded route, Rosette got involved early to advocate for her transit needs. At the workshops, residents voted on priorities for new bus stops and routes. She recommended a new stop near Hansen Dam at the museum, Discovery Cube, which she and her children can now reach by bus. She also recommended a stop at the intersection of Glenoaks Blvd and Van Nuys Blvd, which is the closest stop to her home. It is also the closest stop to the Pacoima Beautiful office, about a 12-minute walk, where Rosette and many other community members frequent for workshops and events.
RAMONA GONZALEZ immigrated from Mexico with her husband and has been a resident of the San Fernando Valley for about 30 years. She previously worked at a textile factory and now works twice a week as a home health aide for an elderly resident.
Gonzalez previously attended Green Together workshops on solar installations and tree planting, where she saw the benefits for her neighbors and community. She later joined the planning workshop for the new LADOT DASH electric bus route. At the meeting, Gonzalez advocated for specific stops that would improve her daily commute. For example, at the intersection of Paxton Street and Laurel Canyon Boulevard, which is close to her job.
As a public transit rider, Gonzalez was ecstatic about the new DASH route in her neighborhood. She appreciates the increased frequency and the fact that the buses are brand new, kept in great condition, and 100% electric.
[The electric buses] are not contaminating the environment. When we wait for the bus, I do not smell the gas and combustion odor that one usually smells with the other buses. For me, it is excellent service.
Gonzalez is also utilizing public transit more often because she feels safer and more comfortable with the new DASH route. She is also visiting new destinations, including Hansen Dam Park, which is walkable and has good tree cover. Previously difficult to reach, the park is now accessible, and she has visited three times.
The new route has also helped Gonzalez feel more confident about her commute. With fewer transfers and shorter trips, she can get to work more quickly and arrive early or on time. Because of that reliability, she now encourages friends and neighbors who also depend on public transit to ride the DASH route and experience the difference for themselves.
One new place I now visit is Hansen Dam Park. I had not been to this park because it used to take a long time and be far using the Metro, but now, since it is one of the stops of the DASH bus, I have now been three times… it is one of the nicest parks on this side of town.
Top page photo:
Community member standing in front of the newly electric LADOT DASH bus in July 2024.
Photo credit: Pacoima Beautiful