OC Fair Express Smashes Ridership Record

The numbers are in and the OC Fair Express set a new ridership record this year with more than 46,000 people hopping on board the special bus service offered by the Orange County Transportation Authority.

There were 9,325 boardings the closing weekend of the fair, bringing the total to 46,365. This year’s numbers are a more than 80 percent increase compared to 2011 ridership of 25,699, according to an OCTA press release.

“The OC Fair Express was a major success this year and OCTA is proud to offer special services like this that residents across the county can enjoy,” “This has proven to be a great partnership between our team, the Orange County Fair and the Mobile Source Air Pollution Reduction Review Committee.”

Nearly 50 percent of the people who took advantage of the service were first-time bus riders, according to onboard surveys. In addition, more than 90 percent said they were highly satisfied with the bus service.

The OC Fair Express provided non-stop direct service from eight park-and-ride lots to the OC Fair. Buses ran hourly between 2:30 p.m. and midnight on Friday and 9:30 a.m., and midnight on Saturday and Sunday. Passengers also received a coupon for $2 admission to the fair and bus fair was $1.50 per way.

The OC Fair Express was made possible by a $342,000 grant from the MSRC, which provides funding to projects that remove vehicles from the roadways resulting in reduced emissions.

The MSRC also helps fund the Angels Express service, a partnership of OCTA and Metrolink that provides round-trip train service to all Angels weekday home games beginning at 7:05 p.m. from Los Angeles Union Station and the Laguna Niguel/Mission Viejo station.

For details on the trains, visit: octa.net/angelsexpress