Limited Lead Led to Low Ridership for Late Night Red Line and DASH

Yesterday, LAist reported, based on an LADOT report, that roughly 1,000 people a night rode the Red Line during the expanded late night hours of the holiday season.  The report admitted that because the plan had been adopted so late in the year, that there was insufficient lead time to market the program.  Remember, the late night service was funded privately, so if we want to see the service again we have to convince them that the service can be even better in 2009.

A report on how late night DASH service was received was more dire.  The DASH Service ran for only 13 nights and attracted 1,847 people boarding the service, an average of 142 per night, or 5.4 boardings per bus per hour.  However, the time to promote the service was even more limited than for late nights on the Red Line, funding was secured a week before the program launched.  For example, LA Live, which needs several weeks lead time didn't even run an ad for the service.

The future of late night Red Line and DASH service may be uncertain for now, but we can be certain that the quicker funding is found for the next holiday season, the more people will use the service.  I'm certain that Blogdowntown, which not only covered the late night service but helped bring about its funding, will have details on what we can do to make sure the service comes back.  In the meantime, feel free to leave your thoughts and experiences in the comments section.

Photo: Fire Monkey Fish/Flickr