I rode the OCTA 1 Bus from CSULB ALL the way to San Clemente.
Pics 1-2 are Transit App stats. Pic 3 is the CSULB’s Walter Pyramid. Pic 4 is Crystal Cove State Park. Pic 5 is the Ocean view in Laguna Beach. Pic 5 is Newport Bay. Pic 6 is Huntington Beach Pier
Pros:
Views. Although there are segments blocked by houses, stores, etc, you will get decent views of beaches, piers, and parks and the Amtrak/Metrolink. Going along Laguna Beach, HB Bluffs, Crystal Cove, Bolsa Chica, and El Camino Real were the best.
Bus can go FAST. Specifically just after CSULB to PCH, PCH/Warner - PCH/Goldenwest, PCH/Beach - PCH - SR-55, PCH/Cameo Shores - PCH/Jasmine, and most of Avenida Vaquero and El Camino Real in San Clemente.
Safe. No major incidents along the way bar one passenger not paying the fare but got along well with driver. majority of riders I saw paid in cash/Wave card
3 Bike Racks. Bike is the most accessible way to reach this bus and even then there were times all 3 spaces were full.
Seats were pretty comfortable and ride wasn’t too rough.
Nice Transit staff. Staff were chill but still check for paying fares.
Mixed.
AC. Yes, bus had AC but there were occasions where the AC was turned off in favor of opening the windows. Bus heading back did have AC all the way.
Ridership. Bus seats were up to 60% full depending on segments traveled. I think at some stops, people confused it for the free trolleys.
The Bad.
When the bus is slow. The slowest areas were in DT Laguna Beach and Newport Beach east of Fashion Island. Some of the lanes are narrow and confined by on-street parking.
Fashion Island segment. I can see the appeal as it also served the NB Transit Center but it’s a significant detour and 8 stops felt too many.
130+ Stops. I think 70% stops were skipped. Some stops are <5 min. Walking distance from each other and there’s still no one at those stops so I’d accept a slightly faster ride with fewer stops.
LONG. You could watch the 2004 SpongeBob movie twice without credits and still have travel time left.
50 min- 1 hr headways. I think 20-30 minute headways would be infinitely better as there were several people commuting for work and I’m pretty sure at least one person was a commuting from CSULB.
Endpoint. It ends in a rural area next to the 5 and I’d think somewhere closer to San Clemente Pier would be infinitely better.
Overall, I’d still say it’s worth it as long as you’re prepared.