The Metro Orange Line Schedule

... is right here.

Leave the Van Nuys station at 8:23 a.m., arrive at Warner Center at 8:52.

That's 29 minutes (and the buses come every 5 minutes during rush hours). Not bad. Give me 10 minutes each way to walk to and from the stop for a total commute of 49 minutes. Longer than driving (20 to 35 minutes depending on traffic and route) but doable. And at $1.25 per trip ($1.10 with prepaid tokens), there is some savings over what it would cost in gas at the current $3 per gallon, not to mention wear and tear on the car.

For comparison's sake, the current MTA bus No. 164 on Victory Boulevard, which leaves every 10 to 20 minutes during the morning rush hour, takes 34 minutes to make the same trip.

The more-frequent Orange Line service, plus the dedicated bus route (minimizing the effects of vehicle traffic) should take the guesswork out of arrival and departure times.

What I'm not so happy about is that the "every 5 minutes" Orange Line service leaving Warner Center and heading east suddenly becomes "every 9 to 12 minutes" after 6 p.m. What's the deal? Since when was "rush hour" from 3:10 to 5:51 p.m.? I don't blow this joint until 6, and for that I have to wait an extra 4 to 8 minutes? Are there really that many more people traveling between 3 and 6? Maybe between 5 and 6, but not between 3 and 5. Sure it's only a few minutes, but 5 minutes here, 5 there, and the whole thing starts to unravel a bit when it comes to advantages over driving. It'll all come down to pumping it out of here on food and getting to the stop quickly.

Now, if I get a skateboard/scooter/rocket jet pack, I can shave a few minutes off of the trip to and from the bus stops.