Antelope Valley Transit Authority

Antelope Valley Transit Authority

The first all electric zero emission bus built in Lancaster, California; layover at Sgt. Steve Owen Memorial Park, July 13, 2017.
Parent	Cities of Palmdale, Lancaster and Metro.
Founded	1992
Locale	Antelope Valley
Service type	bus service, paratransit
Alliance	Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority and Metrolink (California)
Routes	20
Fleet	94 buses
Daily ridership	5,300 (weekdays, Q2 2024)
Annual ridership	1,523,700 (2023)
Fuel type	battery electric
Operator	MV Transportation
Website	www.avta.com

Antelope Valley Transit Authority is the transit agency serving the cities of Palmdale, Lancaster and Northern Los Angeles County. Antelope Valley Transit Authority is operated under contract by MV Transportation, and is affiliated with and offers connecting services with Metro and Metrolink. In 2023, the system had a ridership of 1,523,700, or about 5,300 per weekday as of the second quarter of 2024.

AVTA became the first bus system in the United States with an all-electric fleet in 2022.

Routes

Local routes

Route	Terminals		Via	Notes
1	Lancaster The Boulevard Transit Center	Palmdale South Valley Transit Center	10th St	Serves Owen Memorial Park, Antelope Valley Mall and Palmdale Transportation Center
2	Palmdale Antelope Valley Mall	Palmdale South Valley Transit Center	Avenue R
3	Palmdale Antelope Valley Mall	Palmdale South Valley Transit Center	Avenue S	Serves Palmdale Transportation Center
4	Lancaster The Boulevard Transit Center	Lancaster Owen memorial Park	20th St
5	Palmdale 67th St & Ave L-15	Lancaster Owen memorial Park	Avenue L
7	Palmdale Palmdale Transportation Center	Lancaster The Boulevard Transit Center	Rancho Vista Bl	Serves Antelope Valley Mall, Antelope Valley College and Lancaster Metrolink Station
8	Lancaster Antelope Valley College	Palmdale Palmdale Bl & 25th St	Sierra Hwy	Serves Palmdale Transportation Center
9	Lancaster Owen memorial Park	Lancaster Quartz Hill High School	Avenue I	Serves Lancaster Metrolink Station
11	Lancaster Owen memorial Park	Lancaster Avenue J & 20th St	Avenue I
12	Lancaster Owen memorial Park	Lancaster Avenue J & 20th St	Avenue J	Serves Antelope Valley College
50	Lancaster Owen memorial Park	Lake Los Angeles 170th St & Avenue O	Avenue K
51	Palmdale Palmdale Transportation Center	Lake Los Angeles 170th St & Avenue O	Palmdale Bl
52	Palmdale South Valley Transit Center	Pearblossom Avenue V-10 & 121st St	Pearblossom Hwy

School Tripper routes

Services operate weekdays only.

Route	Terminals		Via	Notes
94	Lancaster Owen memorial Park	Lancaster Antelope Valley High School	Avenue K
97	Lancaster Quartz Hill High School	Palmdale Palmdale transportation Center	Rancho Vista Bl	Serves Antelope Valley College
98	Palmdale Knight High School	Palmdale Palmdale transportation Center	Avenue K, Avenue S

Commuter Express routes

Commuter services operate weekdays only in the peak direction.

Route	Terminals		Via	Notes
785	Lancaster Owen Memorial Park	Downtown LA LA Union Station	I-5, SR 14, US 101	Serves the Palmdale Transportation Center, Civic Center/Grand Park and Grand Avenue Arts/Bunker Hill station
786	Lancaster Owen Memorial Park	Hollywood Santa Monica Bl & La Brea Av	SR 14, I-405	Serves the Palmdale Transportation Center, UCLA and Century City One trip serves West Los Angeles VA Medical Center Includes a stop at the Hollywood/Highland station
787	Lancaster Owen Memorial Park	Tarzana Ventura Bl & Reseda Bl	SR 14, SR 118	Serves Palmdale Transportation Center, Cal State Northridge, Northridge Fashion Center, Canoga station and Warner Center station
790	Palmdale Palmdale Transportation Center	Santa Clarita Newhall station	SR 14	Designed to fill in gaps in the Antelope Valley Line service

Bus fleet

Fixed-Route fleet

Accurate as of May 2024.

Make/Model	Fleet Numbers	Year	Notes
BYD K7M-ER	30301-30308	2023
BYD K8M	35301-35303	2023
BYD K9S	35601-35603	2016	Ex-LINK Transit 808, 810-811
	35604	2017	Ex-LINK Transit 812
BYD K9	40450-40451	2013	2014 models
BYD K9M	40089-40090	2020
	40301-40310	2023
	40856-40875	2018	2017 models
	407L1-407L3	2017
	40976-40988	2019
MCI D45 CRT LE CHARGE	45101-45124	2021	Used on Commuter Express routes Currently out of service until further notice
MCI D4500CT	70426	2009	Used on Commuter Express routes Ex-Coach USA Hudson Bus Lines/ShortLine
BYD K11M	60314-60318	2023
	60701-60705, 60707-60711	2017
	60906, 60912-60913	2017

Microtransit fleet

Make/Model	Fleet Numbers	Year	Notes
GreenPower EV Star	27901-27908	2019	Used for On-Request Microtransit Ride Service

History

The cities of Palmdale and Lancaster and the Los Angeles County Department of Public Works jointly created the Antelope Valley Transit Authority in 1992 to meet the growing need for public transportation in the Antelope Valley. AVTA began local transit service on July 1, 1992, with three types of services: Transit, Commuter and Dial-A-Ride. A fourth service, Access Services, was created in 1996 to provide the disabled with a local complementary paratransit service in line with the Americans with Disabilities Act. AVTA opened a larger facility in 2004 to accommodate increased demand.

On March 17, 2017, AVTA drivers struck. The dispute was between the driver's union Teamsters Local 848 and the system operator Transdev. After making their statement, the drivers elected to return to service by March 19 while negotiations between the parties continued. However the drivers went on strike again, May 3 was the third walkout which lasted at least a week. As the dispute continued, drivers were locked out on August 22.

In 2017, AVTA became the first transit agency in the United States to operate a 60-foot, articulated electric bus, manufactured by BYD in Lancaster.

In 2018, the Antelope Valley Transit Authority began to charge its electric buses on special wireless charging pads located along bus routes.

In January 2019, AVTA began commuter service to Edwards Air Force Base. Later that year, AVTA celebrated two significant milestones in its conversion to an all-electric fleet, achieving both a one million (May), then two million (December), zero emission miles driven. The service has been suspended since the start of the pandemic.

In May 2022, AVTA drivers struck. The dispute was about unfair labor practices with Teamsters Union 848 and Transdev. The contract expired and MV Transportation took over operations as of June 2022.

Discounts

Senior citizens, people with disabilities, active military, and veterans may ride AVTA local buses free of charge with proper ID. Up to 4 children up to 44 inches tall may ride with an adult free of charge.

Awards

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors recognized AVTA as an “Efficient Transit System”. The California Transit Association gave a “Transit Innovation Award” to AVTA in 1998 and a “Transit Image Award” in 1999.

External links

• Official website