South Bay : Avalon Will Get Bus Service

Public transportation comes to Catalina Island via two big buses from the mainland.

Avalon City Manager Bob Clark said there will be two bus routes on the island. One route will serve downtown Avalon while the other will provide transportation to the suburbs. Clark said bus service, aboard the same buses that roam the mainland, will be available early next year for $1 per rider.

Funded by a $1-million grant from the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, the one-year Demonstration Project Grant will be used to determine whether a bus system is necessary on the island where the year-round population is about 3,500.

The city of Avalon is just one mile square, but Clark said it nonetheless needs bus service. The city has strict limits on the number of vehicles allowed in the city, so many people have no car. He said he believes the 1 million tourists that visit the island each year also will take the bus.