Council approves temporary DASH service, asks DOT for reports after smart-shuttle cuts

The Los Angeles City Council on Tuesday approved a temporary DASH (local circulator) service arrangement for the Watts area and directed city transportation staff to report back on other smart-shuttle and DASH routes affected by recent funding changes.

The action authorizes the general manager of the Los Angeles Department of Transportation (DOT) to execute a short-term contract with the Watts Labor Community Action Committee (WLCAC) to provide interim service while DASH vehicles are procured and integrated. The council was told Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Burke committed funds to cover the interim contract.

Councilmember Rudy Ridley Thomas offered the motion, which Councilmember Mike Carlson amended; the amended motion passed with instructions for report-backs to the Transportation Committee. Jim Lefton of DOT told the council that the smart-shuttle project had originally been funded by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) as a demonstration; when MTA funding ended Sept. 30, DOT recommended canceling the service unless alternate funding was secured. "If MTA funding were to go away, then we recommend the cancellation of the service," Lefton said.

Lefton said the DASH route at issue was identified in DOT and MTA planning (the Mid-Cities bus-transfer restructuring study) and that MTA had funded vehicle purchases while the city would fund operations once the vehicles were in service. "That particular route happened to duplicate the smart-shuttle routing in the South Side area," Lefton said, explaining the rationale to accelerate the DASH start so service would not lapse.

Council members debated whether the city should assume operating costs if MTA reinstates funding and whether the DASH rollout should be larger (some speakers argued for four routes rather than three). Councilmember Ed Reyes emphasized local reliance on transit and said flexible, small-scale circulator services connect residents to hospitals, libraries and schools: such services "allow[] kids to be able to get to school without having to walk with 2 or 3 different gang territories." Several members urged staff to return with clear cost and funding comparisons.

The council directed DOT to provide a written briefing on other smart-shuttle routes affected by the funding change, and to report to the Transportation Committee on options for service continuity and funding. The motion also authorized the immediate contract necessary to prevent a service gap in the Watts area while DASH vehicles are readied.