Dodgers shuttle off to good start

Let us count the reasons for the crowd of Dodgers fans that gathered outside Union Station on a warm summer evening.

Gas prices approaching $5 a gallon. The $15 it costs to park at the stadium.

“Every single game I’m paying,” season-ticket holder Rudy Montoya said. “It adds up pretty big.”

Big enough to lure Montoya and an estimated 500 to 600 others downtown Friday for the debut of a free shuttle that will circulate between the train station and Chavez Ravine for every home game.

By most accounts, the inaugural “Dodger Trolley” was a success.

The majority of riders were ferried up the hill, a trip of 10 or so minutes, and unloaded outside the stadium well before the first pitch. All but a small group landed back at Union Station within an hour of the final out.

“You get tired of driving,” said Dick Martin, who took light rail from Pasadena. “I think I’d do this again.”

Not that all went smoothly. Not on the first try.

Team executives started the evening by parking a blue-festooned minibus in Union Station’s main entrance where it might attract attention. Soon, an official-looking woman was telling them to move because they were blocking traffic.

After several minutes of testy discussion, the celebration was allowed to stay put.

Then Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa arrived to shake hands and take the maiden voyage. But most of the minibus was reserved for politicians and other officials, with only a few fans welcomed aboard.

The rest were ushered around the corner to larger, plain-looking buses.

“We’ll be following this shuttle in our shuttle,” a bus company employee announced cheerily to a momentarily puzzled crowd.

That first run accommodated the initial rush. Thereafter, fans arrived sporadically and waited only a short time.

Many had paid $5 to take rail and bus service from their homes, while others parked at nearby lots that charged $6 or less. It wasn’t just the money -- they wanted to avoid traffic.

“Driving up the hill,” said Miguel Reyes of Manhattan Beach, referring to congested surface streets leading into Dodger Stadium. “It’s like 20 to 30 minutes.”

Which is exactly the point team and local officials hope to drive home.

A city bus line that ran to Dodger Stadium was discontinued in 1994 because of budget constraints and declining ridership. In 2004, Friday night shuttles from Union Station attracted only 400 passengers a game.

This time, the city is spending $70,000 in surplus transportation funds to reacquaint fans with public transportation.

“With the high gas prices, this is a great time to get people to try,” Councilwoman Wendy Greuel said.

The “Dodger Trolley” recalls “Trolley Dodgers” -- one of several names, including the Superbas and Bridegrooms, the team went by in its Brooklyn years.

The shuttles begin 90 minutes before each game and run until an hour afterward. They make two stops along Sunset Boulevard, at Figueroa Street and Marion Avenue.

Ben Fournier and his buddies, who came north from Lakewood, said they enjoyed riding into the stadium with other fans. And waiting half an hour for the return trip did not seem so bad, not with cars idling all around them, inching toward the exits.

“Look at the parking lot,” Fournier said. “This is much better than trying to drive out of here.”

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david.wharton@latimes.com