LADOT Transit service

For serving such a massive city like Los Angeles, this is sure a crummy bus service. I can’t believe how early the buses terminate service! Many of the routes stop running at 8pm. Don’t they realize that people need public transportation after 8pm?!
The buses are nice, and air conditioned, which is nice.
The price per ride is $ 1.50, which is higher than the rate that I’m used to paying back home. I think it’s one of the highest rates I’ve ever paid for a bus ride. I didn’t even get a transfer slip for that price.
It is nice that the buses come fairly often. The most seldom I saw a bus come by was once every half hour, with most of them running every 15 – 20 minutes.
It’s great that there are bike racks on the front of the buses too.
The bus stops are pretty nice too. Most of them are shaded. They offer a text service where you text your bus stop number, and they text you back with how long it’s going to take until the next bus comes.

This bus was my desperately-​sought answer to: How can I bike to work from the east end of Long Beach to arrive at Gaffey St in San Pedro?
If you have tried to bike such a route, then you know that the all-​bike (no bus) options are not great. You cannot bike across highway 47 (the Vincent Thomas Bridge), which would be the most direct route. So you have to re-​route yourself North of the Port on Anaheim St or PCH through Wilmington, and then head back southward again after getting beyond the Port. That adds a lot of time to a daily bike commute, and takes you through roads that are not very bike-​friendly.
So I thank the 142 bus for solving my dilemma! Now I cycle about 7 miles through Long Beach to get to the Transit Mall, and then I can put myself and my bicycle on the 142 and arrive in San Pedro about 10 minutes later!
The 142 bus route is great because it drives for quite a few miles stop-​free, so you don’t get that monotonous feeling of stopping at corner after corner on the way to your destination.
************************************************************
Summary of nice things about the 142:
The seats are kind of big, and they are cushioned like tour bus seats. The bus is rarely full (as of 2011 – 2012 time frame). Bike racks on the bus. Fast route with few stops. Decent price. Nice waiting area at the LB transit mall. Route provides great views while crossing the Vincent Thomas bridge and the Gerald Desmond bridge.
************************************************************
If you need the bike rack, be aware that some buses accommodate 3 bikes to a rack and some only 2. Be prepared to «lose out» and to wait for the next bus if two other cyclists were already waiting before you. This has only happened to me once or twice in over a hundred rides, but it probably varies by time of day.
The bus drivers I have encountered on this route are split fairly evenly into various ‘sociability groups’. Some are exceedingly sociable and friendly. Some are quiet and impassive. Some are grouchy and unhelpful. Pretty typical mix of bus drivers, in my experience.
See you on the bus!