SANTA BARBARA, CA (20 September, 2006)

In a hurry? Metro has a brand new map that shows, at a glance, bus lines that run every 12 minutes or less throughout the county. No timetable necessary. The “12-Minute” Map is the latest Metro tool to help riders get where they want to go more easily. And it may be the first of its kind in the country.

“We’ve never seen anything like it and we work with about 150 transit agencies all over the world,” said Rick Wood, president and chief executive officer of CHK America, a company that designs passenger information publications for transit agencies. “The reason is probably that there are not a lot of agencies that can do it.” Wood said. “Los Angeles is one of the few that offers service that good.”

The map was designed to save customers time and effort. They can simply plot their trip and go to a bus stop anytime during the day, knowing their bus will arrive shortly. “Visitors and occasional riders in particular can use it to plan common trips without delving into the intricacies of the system,” said Warren Morse, Metro deputy executive officer for communications. “So it makes transit easier to use and compliments our many sources of more detailed information: the complete system map, the Trip Planner at www.metro.net and our telephone customer information agents.”

The “12-Minute” Map is a significant departure from the typical city transit map model, which is large in size, geographic and generally plots all lines in the system. The complete Metro map, Morse said, includes all of Metro’s routes, as well as those of municipal carriers throughout Los Angeles County. The new “12-Minute” Map is made up primarily of major routes on major streets.

Another difference is that a standard transit map usually needs to be used in combination with a timetable. Not only is the “12-Minute” Map much simpler to read; it provides all the information needed to plan a trip … no timetable necessary. “All they need is to carry along that one little piece and they can access a lot of LA,” Wood said.

The new “12-Minute” Map is available at Metro Customer Centers and on the Web at www.metro.net