Bus route information can be obtained via the Bus Book, OCTA website, or by calling the Customer Information Center. For local and regional information, click here. Your Trip Planner will ask for your starting point and destination, and provide you with a trip itinerary. 

Get your information online by visiting our Routes and Schedules.

Bilingual representatives are available to assist you with your trip planning, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. You can reach a representative by calling (714) 636-RIDE (7433), press 1 and then 1 again. The Customer Information Center is open Monday - Friday 7:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m., Saturday and Sunday 8:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. and Holidays 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

• Arrive at the bus stop at least 10 minutes early. Be standing at the stop and ready to board when the bus arrives.
• Have exact fare ready. Fareboxes accept coins (no pennies) and dollar bills but do not make change. You may also show your monthly pass or day pass which are easier to use and save you money. Show proper identification if using a Senior & Disabled Pass each time you board a bus.
• Board the bus through the front doors.
• Please keep front seats available for disabled and senior patrons.
• As your stop approaches, ring the chime or pull the signal cord located along the inside windows. This signals the driver to stop at the next designated bus stop.
• Exit through the rear door. Hold onto the yellow tapes to ensure that the doors stay open. Please allow small children to exit first.
• Please be aware of the following while on the bus:
  ==No smoking on the bus.
  ==No eating or drinking on the bus.
  ==Service animals are allowed to accompany persons with disabilities.
  ==All radios, cassettes and compact disc players must be used with earphones.

Changes to bus routes are posted directly at affected stops along the routes. Information regarding stops which are being changed or discontinued, as well as detour information, is also posted at bus stops. Schedule changes and other information important for the public are printed on Riders' Alerts. These Alerts, in English and Spanish, are printed on brightly colored paper, usually yellow, and inserted in holders inside buses. You can sign up for OCTA's Text Alert program to be notified of detour information on your smart phone. This information can also be obtained by calling our Riders' Alert hotline at (714) 636-RIDE (7433), press 1 and then 2. This information is updated weekly. Riders' Alert information can also be found here.

1. Go to our home page, octa.net and click on the "Trip Planner" button near the top of the page.

2. Or visit the online trip planner. Please enter your starting point and destination, and then it will provide you with a trip itinerary. If you would like more specific information about an individual route, this information can be accessed by visiting our  Routes and Schedules, or by taking the following steps:

• Go to our home page, octa.net.
• Move your mouse over “Bus” link.
• Select "Routes and Schedules".
• Select "Create Your Bus Book".
• Click on the icon in the “Download Route” column.
• If a change has been made to a route, it will be posted to our Riders' Alert Page.

You can download or print a timetable, or choose to look at a schedule for a connecting route. If you need further information about routes and schedules, please call our Customer Information Center at (714) 636-RIDE (7433), extension 1. The Customer Information Center is open weekdays 7:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m., weekends 8:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m and major holidays, 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Have your bike ready to go when the bus approaches. Be certain you have already removed water bottles, air pumps, and other loose items that might fall off. 

Let the bus driver know you are going to put your bike on the rack. Then load your bike onto the rack. When you board the bus, let the driver know where you will be exiting. 

For your safety and convenience, exit the bus through the front door and tell the coach operator that you will be removing your bike from the bike rack. If your bike is the only one on the rack when you remove it, please put the bike rack in the upright position. You only need one hand to fold or unfold the bike rack.

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) established guidelines for the size and weight of mobility devices which can be transported on public transit vehicles. ADA guidelines define a "common wheelchair," which OCTA buses are able to carry, as a device no larger than 30 inches wide and 48 inches long when measured two inches above the ground. OCTA cannot transport devices which exceed these guidelines.  OCTA cannot transport wheelchair and occupant that exceed 600 pounds, combined.  Bus lifts are not designed to hold additional weight.  Additionally, physical problems could be sustained by coach operators accommodating devices in excess of the guidelines.

When OCTA initiated the sale of day passes on buses in 1999, a policy was established to ensure that only those individuals entitled to receive a reduced fare actually paid the reduced fare amount. All individuals, regardless of physical appearance, must present proof of their disability/age when requesting reduced fare. This policy ensures all customers are treated equally and it is not left up to the coach operator to determine if a customer is elderly or disabled.

Under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), coach operators must "request" that a passenger move from the front seats designated for the disabled, but may not "force" the passenger to do so. If you are elderly or disabled and need to sit in the front seats, and those seats are occupied, please talk to the coach operator who will then request the occupants of those seats move to other seats. Keep in mind that the individual(s) already occupying those seats may be elderly or disabled as well.

Please complete the online form, email LostandFound@octa.net, or call (714) 560-5934. Lost and Found staff will email or call you to let you know if your item has been turned in.

Please have the following information ready to help us try to locate your item:

• Detailed description of the item.
• Date, time, service used, bus route and the direction you were traveling
• A photo ID issued from a recognized governmental agency will be required to claim any found items.

There are no public restrooms, and no loitering is allowed at the Lost and Found facility.

OCTA stresses the importance of customers being at bus stops, ready to board the bus before it arrives. This way, the coach operator can remain on schedule, and customers will be delivered to their destinations on time. There are several reasons why a driver may not wait for a customer before leaving a bus stop. Oftentimes, the operator is not aware that a person on the other side of the street wishes to board his/her bus. Additionally, there is a safety issue involved in customers running across streets to catch a bus.

The suggestions are forwarded to OCTA’s Planning Department for review. Service changes occur two to four times per year, and are dependent upon multiple variables including budget, revisions needed, customer requests and available resources.

If you call, write or email us or complete the customer comment form concerning a positive experience you have had with a coach operator, that operator will be acknowledged by the Supervisor at his/her bus division for providing excellent customer service.

Your complaint is recorded in our database for record-keeping purposes. Each complaint is forwarded to the appropriate staff to review, investigate, and take necessary action. All complaints are monitored and reviewed by OCTA management.

During the review or investigation we may need additional information or clarification from you.

You can call OCTA's vendor, Vector Media, regarding placement of advertisements on our buses. Just ask for an Orange County representative at (917) 834-0155. If you are interested in placing an advertisement on a bus shelter, you will need to call the city government where the bus shelter is located. Each city manages its own bus shelter advertisement program.